Ashland, Oregon (October 2, 2024) – On the tails of the annual Banned Books Week, join JCLS Library Director, Kari May and Southern Oregon School Media Library Specialist, Marie Felgentrager, for a discussion of censorship, the Freedom to Read, and other challenges facing school and public libraries in the state of Oregon and nationally. This event will take place on Tuesday, October 8, from 4:00 – 5:30 PM in the Gresham Room at the Ashland Library.
Kari May has been the Library Director for Jackson County Library Services since 2018. She has 25 years of experience working in libraries in Colorado, Utah, and Oregon and she believes that libraries have a vital role to play in a community’s vibrancy. May enjoys exploring Southern Oregon, from Crater Lake to hiking trails and wineries. She lives in Medford with her chocolate lab, Sydney,
who makes sure they get out and walk the hilly streets around their home. May stays active walking and swimming and enjoys cooking and, of course, reading.
Marie Felgentrager, is a certified teaching librarian in Southern Oregon and a member of the Oregon Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. She has served as a public-school librarian for 13 years and has been a teaching librarian for the past 6 years. As the head librarian at a high school, Felgentrager serves a student population of more than 1,500, as well as overseeing 8 elementary and 2 middle school libraries. In 2022, she was selected as the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Champion and is now serving as the Oregon Association of School Librarians Intellectual Freedom Committee Representative. Supporting the right to read for all individuals is her professional passion.
The monthly “Big Ideas” discussion series features prominent local experts speaking on relevant and timely issues affecting our community. Lectures are jointly sponsored by the Ashland Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Jackson County Library Services. For more information, please contact Jackson County Library Services at 541-774-6996.