Announcements

Nominations Invited for Annual Downs Intellectual Freedom Award

January 27, 2022 1801
Academic Freedom

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2021 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2022. The award is cosponsored by SAGE Publishing.

Given annually, the award acknowledges individuals or groups who have furthered the cause of intellectual freedom, particularly as it impacts libraries and information centers and the dissemination of ideas. Granted to those who have resisted censorship or efforts to abridge the freedom of individuals to read or view materials of their choice or to hear or express ideas,  the award may recognize a particular action or a long-term interest in, and dedication to, the cause of intellectual freedom.

The Downs Award was established in 1969 by the iSchool’s faculty to honor Dean Emeritus Robert B. Downs, a champion of intellectual freedom, on his 25th anniversary as director of the school.

Previous winners have included Amy Dodson, former director of the Douglas County Public Library, Nevada, for supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of the library’s mission and service (2020); the Education Justice Project, for its defense of the First Amendment rights of incarcerated individuals (2019);the Iowa Library Association (2018) for taking a leadership role in several highly visible challenges to intellectual freedom; and The Kansas City Public Library (2017) for its defense of a library patron’s First Amendment rights.

SAGE, the parent of Social Science Space, provides an honorarium to the Downs Intellectual Freedom Award recipient and cohosts the reception held in honor of the recipient. The reception and award ceremony for the 2021 recipient will take place in June 2022 at the American Library Association Annual Conference.

Letters of nomination and documentation about the nominee should be sent by March 15, 2022, to Associate Professor Terry Weech, chair of the Nominations Selection Committee, either by email at weech@illinois.edu with a copy to ischool-dean@illinois.edu, or in paper form to:

Terry Weech, Downs Award Chair
School of Information Sciences
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
501 East Daniel Street
Champaign, IL 61820

Please email any questions to associate professor Terry Weech.

Sage, the parent of Social Science Space, is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources with a growing range of technologies to enable discovery, access, and engagement. Believing that research and education are critical in shaping society, 24-year-old Sara Miller McCune founded Sage in 1965. Today, we are controlled by a group of trustees charged with maintaining our independence and mission indefinitely. 

View all posts by Sage

Related Articles

Popular Paper Examines Ensuring Trustworthiness in Qualitative Analysis
Impact
July 10, 2025

Popular Paper Examines Ensuring Trustworthiness in Qualitative Analysis

Read Now
AAPSS Looking for Civic-Minded Social Scientists or Science-Minded Leaders
Recognition
July 7, 2025

AAPSS Looking for Civic-Minded Social Scientists or Science-Minded Leaders

Read Now
CASBS Names Lara Tiedens Interim Director
Infrastructure
June 20, 2025

CASBS Names Lara Tiedens Interim Director

Read Now
Six Named AAPSS Fellows for 2025
Announcements
April 15, 2025

Six Named AAPSS Fellows for 2025

Read Now
Historian Timothy Snyder to Receive 2025 Moynihan Prize

Historian Timothy Snyder to Receive 2025 Moynihan Prize

Historian Timothy Snyder, whose work exploring the “bloodlands” between Western Europe and the Russian empire has proven remarkably timely over and over, […]

Read Now
Nominations Open for Downs Intellectual Freedom Award

Nominations Open for Downs Intellectual Freedom Award

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2024 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. […]

Read Now
Nominations Open For 2025 John Maddox Prize for Promoting Evidence-Based Research

Nominations Open For 2025 John Maddox Prize for Promoting Evidence-Based Research

Nominations are open for the 2025 John Maddox Prize, an international award that recognizes researchers who have defended scientific evidence and advanced […]

Read Now
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments