The Legacy of Judith Krug

Art: Balimore City Paper


The Baltimore City Paper has published a tribute to Judith Krug.

You may not know this librarian's name but in the US, she fought for free speech and the freedom to read. According to the article by Anna Ditkoff, Krug's mother found her young daughter reading a book about sex with a flashlight one night. Her mother reacted by asking her to turn on the light so she didn't hurt her eyes.

Krug adopted her parents' philosophy with her own children.

In 1967, she became the founding director of the ALA's (American Library Association)Office for Intellectual Freedom and two years later helped create the Freedom to Read Foundation, a group that provides funding for legal aid in First Amendment cases. In 1982, Krug founded Banned Books Week to promote awareness.
In 1996, she battled an attempt to censor the internet in libraries, taking the legal fight all the way to the Supreme Court. In 2001, Krug and other librarians led a vocal fight against the Patriot Act which endangered the privacy of patrons' library records.

She lost her fight to stomach cancer this past April at the age of 69.

Judith Krug with author Judy Blume. Photo: Freedom to Read Foundation






An article by Sarah Long, Columnist for the Daily Herald out of Chicago is a fitting memorial to Judith Krug, the longtime director of the American Library Association's Freedom to Read Foundation. Krug passed away on April 11, 2009. Long explains that Krug fought censorship on behalf of libraries for more than 40 years. She moved librarianship from a quiet commitment to freedom to read to an overt, organized, policy-based movement based on that commitment.

Robert P. Doyle, executive director of the Illinois Library Association, expressed it this way:

It wasn't that Judith just generated media attention, which she did. Rather she set about the arduous task of coalition building. She reached out to publishers, booksellers, authors, school administrators, teachers, journalists and lawyers both individually and through their associations. She built coalitions based on a common belief in free expression and commitment to intellectual freedom. At ALA, she worked tirelessly with members to fight censorship efforts. Krug evolved a sort of 'case law' of precedents and policies and set up structures of support for libraries and individuals who were involved in censorship incidents.

In 1982, Krug created Banned Books Week which will be celebrated the last week in September in the US. It is sponsored by a coalition of organizations including the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, National Association of College Stores and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.