OLA Les Fowlie Intellectual Freedom Award
Description
The Ontario Library Association Les Fowlie Intellectual Freedom Award honours the courage shown by individuals and organizations in defending the rights of library patrons to both seek and receive information from all points of view, without restriction. This may include overcoming barriers such as censorship, lack of access to accessible formats, or the absence of library services in a community.
Eligibility
This award is open to individuals and organizations .
- Nominees should be or have been employed in an Ontario library, though non-Ontario experience and contribution will be recognized in the submission.
- There is no requirement for the nominee(s) to be an OLA member.
Criteria
The successful nominee(s) will demonstrate tangible evidence of courage shown by individuals and organizations in defending the rights of library patrons to to both seek and receive information from all points of view, without restriction, using the OLA Library Framework Rubric.
Nomination Procedure
- All awards follow the OLA Award Procedure
- Nominations will be accepted between: February – November
- The nominator must be a member in good standing of OLA.
Selection Procedure
- The OLA Awards Committee, which is a subcommittee of the OLA Board of Directors, is responsible for reviewing nominations.
- The OLA Awards Committee will present all qualified candidates to the OLA Board for consideration.
Award Presentation Information
This award is presented at the OLA Super Conference.
2026 Amanda Jones
2025 Annie McClelland, Book and Periodical Council
2024 Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto
2019 James Turk, Centre for Free Expression, Ryerson University
2018 Vickery Bowles, Toronto Public Library
2017 Graduate Resource Centre, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
2016 Dorothy Mcnaughton
2015 Kathy Scardellato, Ontario Council of University Libraries
2014 Progressive Librarians Guild – Greater Toronto Area
2013 No recipient
2012 Margaret Ann Wilkinson, University of Western Ontario
2011 Patricia Aldana, Groundwood Books
2010 The Book & Periodical Council, Freedom to Read Expression Committee
2009 Dr. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law, University of Ottawa.
2008 Bernard Katz, now retired, former senior director at the University of Guelph McLaughlin Library and a deep contributor to the OLA’s work on intellectual freedom and copyright, both areas in which he has deep and abiding wisdom.
2000 Toronto Public Library for publication and distribution of “Young Voices from the Street”
1998 The Halton Board of Education
1997 Burlington Public Library Staff and Board
