Libraries lose a leader

This week American librarians lost a leader who has served as an inspiration on censorship issues for several decades. Judith Krug, who headed ALA's Intellectual Freedom Office, died at the age of 69. Krug conceived the idea of Banned Book Week and set it up in 1982 to call attention to the number of challenges made to materials in public and school libraries. The publicity surrounding Banned Book Week has mades the general public aware of how many individuals and groups want to control the materials that people can access in libraries. With the growth of the Internet censorship issues have grown and the Intellectual Freedom Office has been called in many times to help librarians fighting against excessive restrictions on access. The importance of Judy Krug's work has long been celebrated by librarians, now others, including the N.Y. Times, are raising their voices in her praise. She richly deserved all the tributes she has received.