Sherburne Memorial Library
—— Town of KillingtonMessage from the Director-May 2009
In Memoriam
Judith F. Krug
- 1940-2009
Welcome to our web page. Our on-line presence is assured today because of the efforts of one woman, Judith F. Krug. Executive director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom since its founding , and founder and Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. Judith died April 11, 2009 after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. Judith devoted her life to the basic principles of an informed democracy, which requires not only the freedom to speak but the corollary right to access speech. Her achievements defending the precious freedoms we often take for granted are unparalleled. She fought censorship in libraries, bookstores and then the on line world. A woman of vision, Judith was the principle organizer of the constitutional challenge to the Communications Decency Act in 1996 resulting in a landmark decision established that Internet speech merits the highest level of First Amendment protection. Judith is also attributed with being the first voice raised in opposition to certain provisions of the USAPATRIOT ACT and the threat it represented to reader privacy. U.S. and global media outlets and the civil liberties community carry the news of her death, recognizing and paying tribute to her contributions. They often articulate what is in my heart but I cannot find words to express. I had the great fortune know Judith personally and work with her. Her energy, passion, vision, intelligence and wit were inspiring and perhaps a bit overwhelming. Giving up was never an option. She inspired me to continue in the face of adversity; making me laugh when I wanted to cry. She was my mentor, my friend, my hero, and she will be missed.
So, the next time you surf the web, read or post to a blog, or maybe just read a book by Mark Twain, or The DaVinci Code, Little House on the Prairie or a tale based on a true story about two penguins in a zoo that find and egg and take care of it …remember the name Judith Krug.
We will keep the candle burning.
Gail Weymouth
MEDIA LINKS
Washington Post: Judith Krug, Legal Activist Created Banned Books week
New York Times: Judith Krug, Who Fought Banned Books dies at 69
New York Times Editorial by Dorothy Samuels
LA Times :Judith F. Krug dies at 69; advocate for librarians battled censorship
The Times: Judith F. Krug : Librarian and Activist
NPR ON THE MEDIA- Patriot in the Stacks
Center for Democracy and Technology
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Blog of Rights: In Appreciation of Judith Krug
O’Reilly Publishing: Judith Krug: heroine of libraries, Internet, PATRIOT Act resistance
