Maurice J. Freedman

Maurice J. "Mitch" Freedman (November 14, 1939 – March 5, 2026) was an American librarian best known for his advocacy for socially responsible cataloging and library technologies, as well as for championing the cause of intellectual freedom. He served as president of the American Library Association from 2002 to 2003.

Early life and career Freedman was born on November 14, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, to Max Freedman and Sylvia Casif, both Lithuanian immigrants. He had a number of clerk and assistant jobs in libraries before receiving his Master of Library Science in 1965 from the University of California, Berkeley School of Librarianship.

Freedman was an associate professor at Columbia University School of Library Service from 1977 to 1982 and a visiting professor at Pratt Institute; he also taught as an adjunct instructor at Rutgers University.

After retirement from the Westchester Library System in 2005, Freedman served as interim director of a number of small libraries in New York, including the Nyack Library and the Pound Ridge Library. From 2013 to 2015, he served as the director for the New City Free Library.

Library leadership Freedman was one of the early activists in the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table. He served as president of ALA's Information Science and Automation Division (later renamed the Library and Information Technology Association) from 1977 to 1978.

Before it ceased operations in 1999, Freedman was a speaker and consultant for the United States Information Agency, advising libraries around the world on collection development, resource sharing, cataloging, and other areas of library work.

Freedman testified as a plaintiff in the 1997 lawsuit American Libraries Association v. Pataki, challenging New York's Internet censorship law, and was an outspoken critic of the 2000 Children's Internet Protection Act requiring the use of Internet filters. instituting the Campaign for America's Librarians and the Task Force on Better Salaries for Library Workers which created resources for helping library workers who wanted to address salary inequities. Based on the recommendations of that and other ALA committees a separate advocacy organization, the ALA/Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA), was founded in 2002. Better Salaries for Library Workers- 2002-American Library Association. Far Back Row from Screen Left: Norm Jacknis, Tom Wilding, Gene Kinnaly. Center Row from Screen Left: Harriet Selverstone, Sha Fagan, Jenna Freedman, Rosemary Mesh, Joan Goddard, Donna Mandel, Carol Brey, Cathy Bremer, Yvonne Farley, Jill Uncyk. Front Row from Screen Left: Mike Leber, Margaret Myers, Kathleen de la Peña McCook, 2002-2003 ALA President Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman, Task Force Coordinator Patricia Glass Schuman, Patricia Smith

Awards In 1981, Freedman was honored with the Library and Information Technology Association Award for Achievement in Library and Information Technology.

When honored with the American Library Association Joseph W. Lippincott Award in 2014, recognizing his distinguished service to the profession of librarianship, Freedman was highly praised:

U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian Beginning in 2000, Freedman was the publisher and editor-in-chief of The U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian, described as the "How I Run My Library Good" letter. He continued the newsletter after the 1999 death of founder Marvin H. Scilken. In 2021, he suspended publication as noted in his final editorial, "This Is the Very Last Issue of The U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D™ Librarian."

Death Freedman died on March 5, 2026 in Rhode Island, at the age of 86.

Selected publications