Intellectual Freedom

Marcellus Turner, CEO and Chief Librarian at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, and Carla Graebner, Data Services and Government Information Librarian at Simon Fraser University, are the newest members of the Centre for Free Expression Working Group on Intellectual Freedom. Turner spent the past ten years as the Executive Director and Chief Librarian at The Seattle Public Library in Seattle, Washington which, in 2020 under his leadership, was awarded the prestigious 2020 Library of the Year by Gale/Library Journal. 

Milton Public Library Chief Librarian and CEO Mark Williams is joining the Centre for Free Expression’s Working Group on Intellectual Freedom. “We are delighted to welcome such a dedicated champion of intellectual freedom to the CFE Working Group,” said James L. Turk, the Centre’s Director.

In a statement released today, the Centre for Free Expression calls on Zoom, YouTube, and all other online technology providers to cease being censors of discussions being held by universities, schools and libraries. 

When there is a news report about books being challenged in a school library learning commons, it is often because the item was removed at the direction of the school or district administration following a parent complaint about a specific book and that the proper ‘Request for Reconsideration’ process was not followed.