PURPOSE
The NCTE Intellectual Freedom Awards honor individuals, groups, or institutions that merit recognition for advancing the cause of intellectual freedom. Award categories are (1) a national award and (2) an NCTE affiliate-based award. 
Each state, regional, and provincial affiliate is urged to establish and implement an Intellectual Freedom Award. The awardees will be cited in the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Award Roster and at the Affiliate Breakfast at the NCTE Annual Convention. 

Read more here.

MCELA's 2023 Intellectual Freedom Award 
​Maine Association of School Libraries

The Maine Association for English Language Arts awards its NCTE affiliate Intellectual Freedom Award to the Maine Association of School Libraries.

For the past three years, MASL Board members have shown commitment and courage in advancing the cause of intellectual freedom and fighting against censorship with their advocacy work on the following:

• May 23, 2023–MASL Receives the Maine Education Association’s Honor Medal which is given “To recognize an MEA member who has demonstrated outstanding courage in defending academic freedom or in upholding the right of educators to adhere to the principles of their profession free from harassment and coercion. Also, to recognize a member who has faced a difficult period and risked personal welfare because of professional commitment.” 
  
• May 6, 2023–MASL President, Heather Perkinson, shared testimony for MASL to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee against LD 123 (An Act to Eliminate the Educational Purposes Exception to the Prohibition on the Dissemination of Obscene Matter to Minors), LD 1080 (An Act to Establish a Rating System for Books in School Libraries) and LD 618 (An Act to Eliminate Critical Race Theory, Social and Emotional Learning and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from School Curricula). Several MASL members also gave testimony that day and the packed audience was dominated by sticker-wearing MASL members. 
  
• 2022-2023–MASL Executive Board members and the Intellectual Freedom Committee of Karen Silverman (IF Committee Chair), Abigail Thompson, and Kerrie Lattari wrote letters of support for challenged books to many school boards in Maine this year
  
• 2022-2023–Media appearances for intellectual freedom: MASL President Heather Perkinson quoted in the Washington Post, interviewed by local Fox 23, appeared on Richard Rudolph’s Community Voices for Change radio show, wrote an important opinion piece for the Press Herald, and was featured on the podcast School Librarians United.
  
• 2023–Heather Perkinson, MASL President, and Beth Andersen, Chair of Professional Development and Conferences, worked with the Maine Library Association and John Chrastka of EveryLibrary.org to battle LD123:  "An Act to Eliminate the Educational Purposes Exception to the Prohibition on the Dissemination of Obscene Matter to Minors." Beth and Heather exchanged countless emails and had several meetings with John Chrastka and members of the Maine Library Association Board. Additionally, Beth and representatives from the MLA recently met with the sponsor of the bill. With the help of EveryLibrary, MLA and MASL created a letter-writing campaign site: Action.EveryLibrary.org/LD123, and recruited eight other state education associations to join this campaign: ACLU of Maine, Educate Maine, the Maine Council for English Language Arts, the Maine Curriculum Leaders Association, the Maine Humanities Council, the Maine Chapter of the National Social Workers Association, the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, and The Telling Room.
  
• 2023–Authoring the Freedom to Read Position Statement sponsored by MASL and MCELA
  
• Early 2022–MASL Advocacy Chair, Iris Eichenlaub co-authored and designed the Intellectual Freedom Matters Infographic sponsored by 12 state organizations Educate Maine, Maine Curriculum Leaders Association, Maine School Superintendent Association, Maine School Boards Association, National Board Certified Teachers of Maine,  Maine Association of Middle Level Education, Maine Council for English Language Arts, Maine Education Association, Maine Principals' Association, Maine County and State Teachers of the Year Association,  Maine Association of School Libraries and the Maine Department of Education
  
• 2022–Created a template to help librarians and teachers prepare for book challenges & an Intellectual Freedom–Book Challenges informational slideshow.
  
• November 2021–Statement on Providing Diverse Reading Choices​