Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is the 2017 recipient of the American Library Association’s James Madison Award, the ALA’s Washington Office announced March 2.

Presented annually near the anniversary of President Madison’s birth, the award honors individuals or groups who have championed, protected and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know.

ALA Past President Sari Feldman will present the award in a ceremony at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 15. The event will be streamed live from the Knight TV Studio in the Newseum and can be viewed by visiting http://www.newseum.org/live/.

The presentation of the award will take place during Sunshine Week, the annual nationwide celebration of open access to public information and what it means for communities across the country, and start off an event sponsored by the ALA’s partners: the Project On Government Oversight, the Newseum Institute, the American Society of News Editors and OpenTheGovernment.org.