Girl Scout given Presidential Citation by Virginia Library Association for project on book bans

CORRECTION : This article has been updated to accurately identify the involved county government body. We regret this error.

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Girl Scout Kate Lindley, who has been vocal about the Hanover County Board of Supervisors’ recent “censorship” of her Gold Award recognition , has been recognized by the Virginia Library Association for her advocacy efforts.

Lindley was given a Girl Scout Gold Award for her project detailing her creation of “Banned Book Nooks” and a “Free-to-Read” app, the latter of which is designed to help users access banned books.

She was publicly commended for this work at a board meeting in late April, where Lindley claims the summary of the project that she submitted was “censored.” The word “banned” was removed entirely and other parts of the description of her project were reportedly cut from what was read at the meeting, according to Lindley.

“You have bestowed upon me the greatest honor you could,” the Girl Scout said during this meeting. “Greater than that of any proclamation … in your censorship of my Gold Award project.”

On Wednesday, May 8, the Virginia Library Association published an announcement on its website about Lindley. In this announcement, the organization applauded Lindley’s “poised and persistent response to such censorship; her consistent message for the freedom to read; and her own intellectual freedom.”

In response to these efforts, the organization said it was awarding Lindley with a VLA Presidential Citation. The citation reads:

“In recognition of Kate Lindley’s Book Nook Girl Scout Gold Award and her courage and persistence in the face of authority, and her conviction for the Freedom to Read; for providing more than 438 challenged books for the community, with a virtual method for assessing usage; for the creation of the Free to Read app to provide accurate information regarding challenged books; for the creation and distribution of Talk Totes; this VLA Presidential Citation honors her work.”

The Virginia Library Association

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