New Jobs! James (Jamie) LaRue to Lead ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom and Freedom to Read Foundation

James (Jamie) LaRue, well known for his work at the Douglas County, CO Public Libraries has been hired to lead the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom and Freedom to Read Foundation.
LaRue left Douglas County in 2013 to consult. and was a candidate for ALA President for 2016-2017.
From ALA’s Announcement:
We welcome the appointment of James LaRue, Director, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, and Executive Director, Freedom to Read Foundation, effective January 4, 2016. In his application, LaRue noted “My passion for this core principle of librarianship is tightly bound with my own history….For me, librarianship – and life – is predicated on a respect for the fundamental dignity of individual inquiry.”
[Clip]
James LaRue has a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana) and a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and English (Illinois State University).
As Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), James LaRue will work with ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) and Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE), as well as the Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT). OIF provides information to individuals and organizations facing intellectual freedom challenges; plans and promotes initiatives that promote intellectual freedom, privacy and free access to information (including Banned Books Week); and, works closely with others, including the ALA Washington Office, on core information policy issues. The OIF Director also serves as the executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, an allied 501(c)(3) organization, and as secretariat for the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.
LaRue’s appointment follows the December 31, 2015 retirement of Barbara M. Jones as the Director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom.
Read the Complete ALA Announcement
See Also: An In-Depth Look at the Work of Jamie LaRue, Douglas County (Colorado) Libraries Director (June 29, 2013)
From 2014: Talks Libraries, Librarianship

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Jobs, Libraries, News, Public Libraries