Elaine Williamson and Jeri McGiverin were awarded the prestigious Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in the Law category at a November 15 award ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Each received a plaque commemorating their achievements in fighting library censorship and a check for $5000. The 1999 judges were Clarence Page, political columnist, Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau; Molly Ivins, author and syndicated columnist, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; and Mark Goodman, executive director of the Student Press Law Center. The awards were established in 1979 by the Playboy Foundation to "honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the vital effort to protect and enhance First Amendment Rights for Americans." Some of the prior winners include Jules Feiffer, Studs Terkel, Barry Lynn, Edward Asner, Morton Halperin, and Nat Hentoff.

Mainstream Loudoun has been awarded the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award for 1999. This award, sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA), honors notable contributions to intellectual freedom and acts of courage in defense of freedom of expression. The award notification states that "Mainstream Loudoun stands as a model to the rest of the country in showing how a group of concerned citizens can organize themselves and the community to fight in support of their First Amendment rights."

Elaine Williamson, Mainstream Loudoun's Library Chair, was named a 1999 Defender of Democracy by People for the American Way "for defending the First Amendment by protecting the free flow of information in the public libraries of Loudoun County, Virginia." The award is for those who "gave freely of their time, their energy and their compassion, defending our liberties and preserving our democracy. We admire these people for their courage and perseverance, for their presence of mind and strength of character."

Jeri McGiverin, representing Mainstream Loudoun, was named one of three finalists for the 1999 Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom Award for her role in the struggle with religious right activists over censorship in Loudoun County Libraries. The award, presented by The Interfaith Alliance, "recognizes individuals whose courageous actions have embodied the values of civility, tolerance, diversity, and cooperation in the advancement of public dialogue and public policy on traditionally controversial and divisive issues." The seven-member selection committee included Gerald R. Ford, Bill Moyers, Andrew Young, and Cokie Roberts.

On January 30, 1999, Mainstream Loudoun received The Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award from the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "The award is given annually to acknowledge individuals or groups who have furthered the cause of intellectual freedom, particularly as it impacts libraries and information centers and the dissemination of ideas." The letter of notification goes on to say that "In addition to your work regarding the Loudoun County Library Board, our faculty notes your emphasis on tolerance and rational discourse. Your consideration for balance in the policy arena is critical these days."

In January of 1999, Mainstream Loudoun was nominated for the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom Anniversary Organization Roll of Honor.

Mainstream Loudoun was the 1995 recipient of the Virginia Library Association - SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award for its continuing efforts to defend the principles of the American Librry Association Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read policies which were removed from Loudoun County library policy by trustees with connections to radical right organizations.