The Okotoks Public Library’s dedication to promoting the cause of intellectual freedom just earned some welcome vindication.
The Library Association of Alberta (LAA) selected the Okotoks book depository as the winner of the 2011 Freedom to Read Week Award.
In a letter from the chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the LAA the Okotoks Library was singled out for its efforts in engaging the community and stimulating thoughts about the issue of censorship during Freedom to Read Week that was from Feb. 20 to 26.
Library director Tessa Nettleton said the award and the $300 cheque that goes with it is a welcome acknowledgment of a job well done.
“I think it’s wonderful to get some recognition for anything that we put some kind of effort into,” she said.
The fact the honour is for something related to promoting the cause of artistic freedom is further gratifying Nettleton said.
“You can get this sort of thing for all different kinds of efforts but when it’s something related to a platform that the library actually works from, it makes so much of a difference to us,” she said. “It’s something we all believe in and something that is gratifying to get positive feedback on.”
During Freedom to Read Week the library had books on display covered with brown paper, with a “Read a Challenged Book” label attached to them. This display as well as a teen book group, an intellectual freedom questionnaire and an article in the Western Wheel about the library’s efforts were all mentioned in the LAA’s letter as reasons the library received its recent award.
Nettleton reported there were no negative reactions to the library’s in-house freedom week efforts back in February. Instead, what she saw was shock from some patrons as the identity of books banned in some circles were revealed.
“With the books that were covered in brown paper there was a little lift-up thing where you could see the actual title,” she said. “There was also a description inside each book explaining why it was banned. I think a lot people who looked at one of those books was astounded by not only what the book was but what the negative reaction to it was all about.”
