Fight For Your Freedom to Read!
Gain a deeper understanding of censorship and book banning! Join us for an engaging discussion with Emily Knox, interim dean and professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, followed by censorship trivia, interactive book displays, giveaways, and more.
Schedule:
2-2:30 pm Interactive displays and informational handouts
2:30-3:00 pm Discussion with Emily Knox
3-3:30 pm Censorship Trivia
About Emily:
Emily Knox is interim dean and professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include information access, intellectual freedom, and censorship. She is a member of the Mapping Information Access research team.
The second edition of her book, Book Banning in 21st Century America (Bloomsbury), was published in January 2026. Her most previous book Foundations of Intellectual Freedom (ALA Neal-Schuman) won the 2023 Eli M. Oboler Prize for best published work in the area of intellectual freedom. She has been interviewed by media outlets such as NPR and the New York Times and also testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on book banning.
Emily previously served on the boards of the National Coalition Against Censorship and the Freedom to Read Foundation and is a former editor of the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy.
She received her PhD from the doctoral program at the Rutgers University School of Communication & Information.
Conveniently located at the corner of Race and Green in downtown Urbana.
