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Introducing the First Annual Judith Krug Memorial Intellectual Freedom Panel

"Global Free Expression: Can The Internet Reign or Get Reined In?"

In 2010 the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee inaugurated an annual State of the Net panel on the general topic of "Intellectual Freedom" in honor of the late Judith F. Krug, the long-time director of the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. We are pleased, and believe that Judith would be proud, that the annual discussion launches this year with a look at "Global Free Expression: Can The Internet Reign or Get Reined In?" Future State of the Net "Judith Krug Memorial Intellectual Freedom" panels will explore topics that Judith cared passionately about and worked tirelessly to address.

The "Global Free Expression: Can The Internet Reign or Get Reined In?" panel will start at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill.

Global Free Expression: Will the Internet Reign or Get Reined In? (Video)

• Alan Davidson, Director of U.S. Public Policy and Government Affairs, Google
• Rebecca MacKinnon, Visiting Fellow, Princeton University Center for Information Technology Policy
• Ambassador Philip L. Verveer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy
• David Weller, (moderator) Regulatory and Government Affairs Department, Wilmer Hale

About Judith Krug

Judith Krug was a driving force in the creation of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee and a passionate supporter of its mission until her untimely passing on April 11, 2009. As the longtime director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, she dedicated her work to fighting censorship. In 1982 she founded Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of literary freedom. Under her leadership, the Freedom to Read Foundation raised money to further First Amendment court cases - some of which rose to the United States Supreme Court and resulted in landmark rights to free expression.

Judith was a compassionate leader and received many awards for her work, including the William J. Brennan, Jr. award from the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression for her "remarkable commitment to the marriage of open books and open minds," as well as an honorary doctorate from University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

We are extremely grateful to Judith for facilitating our right to freely access information in our libraries and online. It is because of her unwavering defense of the first amendment that we honor her with the Judith Krug Memorial Intellectual Freedom Panel.

In Memoriam:

• In Memoriam Posted by the Freedom to Read Foundation
• New York Times Obituary
• New York Times Editorial
• Chicago Tribune Obituary