The Defender Award
The Defender Award is given in recognition of an individual, group, or organization’s efforts in support of free expression in the dramatic arts. This award is selected annually by the board of the DLDF and is presented at the Dramatists Guild’s Awards Night.
The 2023 Award went to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned Initiative and The Friends Of George’s Theatre Company.
In Honor of Banned Books Week
2023 DLDF Defender Awardee
The Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned Initiative
The Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. As a leader in developing modern 21st-century libraries, it provides resources to support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.7 million individuals who call Brooklyn home.
On April 13, 2022, The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) launched a new campaign, titled Books Unbanned, to help teens combat the negative impact of increased censorship and book bans in libraries across the country. BPL's Books Unbanned is a national campaign to provide access to books to young people. The program allows young adults ages 13 to 21, nationwide, to apply for a free eCard from BPL, unlocking access to the library’s extensive collection of half a million eBooks and audiobooks.
Good for one year, the Brooklyn Public Library eCard is designed to complement access to resources for teens in their local communities. The card provides access to 350,000 e-books, 200,000 audiobooks, and over 100 databases. Teens will also be connected to their peers in Brooklyn, including members of BPL’s Intellectual Freedom Teen Council, to help one another with information and resources to fight censorship, book recommendations, and the defense of freedom to read.