Rolling Meadows Library Executive Director Honored with ILA Intellectual Freedom Award
Jack Bower, Executive Director of the Rolling Meadows Library, has been named a 2026 recipient of the Illinois Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Award.
Presented by the ILA Intellectual Freedom Committee, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to defending intellectual freedom. Bower was honored for sustained advocacy for government transparency and for the public's right to access library spaces free from retaliation — work he undertook independently, as a private citizen, outside his role at Rolling Meadows Library.
Of this year's honorees, the ILA committee wrote that they "simply insisted that public institutions follow public rules."
The Rolling Meadows Library is proud to count Jack among its staff and shares his commitment to intellectual freedom, open government, and the core values of librarianship.
Read more about the award from the ILA 2026 Freedom Award Press Release PDF File.
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