In 2026, we mark 150 years of standing up for libraries—and everything they make possible. This milestone isn’t just about looking back. It’s about rallying together to protect what matters now, and to imagine the libraries we’ll need for the next 150 years. Join us to reflect, connect, and act.
IMAGE: (Left) An 1876 illustrated card for the newly created American Library Association. (Right-Back) The original call to action issued by twenty-eight library professionals to host a conference at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, specifically to promote “mutual consultation and practical co-operation” for all “librarians and all interested in library and bibliographical work. (Right-Front) An invitation to the “Librarians Convention” at the Philadelphia Historical Society on October 6, 1876. Those present at the meeting founded what is now known as the American Library Association.
ALA acknowledges Dewey’s contributions to the library profession as well as his legacy of racism and sexual harassment towards women, including library colleagues. For further information, see this article from American Libraries Magazine.
IMAGE: The graduating class of 1888 of the New York State Library School in Albany, New York. ALA acknowledges the controversial legacy of librarian Melvil Dewey, pictured in the center. Dewey pioneered the Dewey Decimal Classification System for efficient library organization, but was accused of harassment by several female colleagues and was ostracized from the association as a result. For further information about discriminatory aspects of his legacy, see this article from American Libraries Magazine.
Carnegie provided nearly sixty million dollars—valued today at approximately $1.3 billion—to fund the construction of new library buildings and purchase materials and books for over 1,400 communities across the U.S. that were underserved by public libraries during this period. Cities and towns that applied for a Carnegie library grant agreed to several stipulations, including donating the land for the library, contributing an annual amount equal to ten percent of the initial grant, and providing free library services to all patrons. Carnegie’s contributions were the foundation of the public library system as it exists today, particularly in expanding access to small and rural towns.
In 1902, ALA received its initial endowment of $100,000—valued today at approximately $3.7 million—from Andrew Carnegie in further support of the library profession. The Carnegie Corporation provided approximately $550,000 to ALA between 1924 and 1926, and, in 1926, Carnegie bestowed a subsequent endowment of $2 million to support ALA and its mission. These donations included a 10-year program to strengthen the library profession through improved training opportunities and activities in the association. The program also established the first graduate-level training school in librarianship at the University of Chicago and provided endowments for several existing library schools.
Today, ALA recognizes the complicated history of Carnegie’s role in wealth, labor, and politics, while also expressing gratitude to the Carnegie Corporation of New York for its continued support of libraries.
IMAGE: Postcard featuring the first US Carnegie Library located in Braddock, Pennsylvania. The library continued operation until its doors closed in 1974 due to financial challenges and construction. However, the library reopened in 1983 and was designated as a National Landmark in 2012. The Braddock Carnegie Library celebrated its 130th Anniversary in 2019.
ALA’s four-part exhibit showcased history and statistics produced by the U.S. Bureau of Education; exhibits from individual member libraries; an exhibit from the New York State Library School displaying library appliances, forms, and models; and the ALA Columbian Library—both a model and a fully functioning public library. The ALA World’s Columbian Exposition Committee curated books for the exhibit that best represented an average US public library and provided a corresponding catalog that served as an easily accessible “purchase list” for smaller libraries. Within this interactive exhibit, ALA educated visitors on modern methods of classifying and cataloging books, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification system and the Cutter Expansive Classification system. Many Exposition attendees stopped by the exhibit to peruse the books at the ALA Columbian Library and rest before rejoining the festivities. ALA’s showing provided attendees with practical examples of library stewardship and encouraged the public to engage with their local libraries.
IMAGE: (Back) Plans for ALA’s exhibit in the Chicago World’s Fair, for review of the ALA members. Suggestions included model libraries, appliances and fixtures, photographs, and more. (Front-Left) An invitation to the Collective Exhibition of the German Book Trade, which was part of the German Pavilion at the Chicago World’s Fair. There were approximately 272 vendors participating in the exhibit, which was also referred to as the Collective Exhibit of German Publishers. (Front-Right) A New York Library Club ribbon from the ALA Annual Conference, held in Chicago during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Members who attended then had the opportunity to see the ALA’s interactive exhibit.
Though the county already had a permanent library building, which opened as the second working county library in the nation in 1901, Titcomb recognized that expanding access to library materials was paramount to increasing the accessibility of books, library services, and knowledge within the rural community. Through the dedication and efforts of Titcomb and other volunteers, the bookmobile system became a successful icon that has expanded and undergone several iterations throughout the decades—evolving from horsedrawn carriages to early automobiles and big buses. Today, bookmobiles across the country continue to serve various rural, urban, suburban, and tribal areas to provide outreach services and improve accessibility to as many areas as possible.
In 1925, the ALA Council established the Library Extension Committee (later the Library Extension Board) to assist in developing libraries for millions of underserved communities. The Committee worked to identify these communities and prepared recommendations for ALA to bring library services into far reaching localities. Committed to continue expanding library access, the ALA Council established the Office for Library Service to the Disadvantaged and Unserved in 1970—which operates today as the Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services (ODLOS). This office works to support the libraries of underserved populations by decentering power and focusing on accessibility through the frameworks of diversity, cultural competency, and social justice. Additionally, the ALA proudly works in partnership with the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services to continue providing resources and services to communities across the country.
“Much more is accomplished also than the mere circulation of books. Human relations are established. The visit of the Book Wagon Woman is an event. Really she is the liaison officer between each family, the public health nurse, the dietitian and all organizations for family welfare…Confidence once established not only books for the children and adult education progress, but in countless ways, the visit of the wagon becomes a blessing. To drive a Book Wagon is an all round job, but one that brings its own reward in the respect and affection won.” – Mary Titcomb, Story of the Washington County Free Library.
IMAGE: (Left-Top) Patrons visiting the Washington County Hagerstown bookmobile in 1907. The caption on the back of the photo reads: “The Washington County, Maryland, Free Library[,] by delivering good reading matter to the door[,] adds another element to the joys of country living.” (Left-Middle) The first bookmobile in the United States, originally pulled by two horses named Black Beauty and Dandy, serving Washington County, Maryland around 1905. The Washington County Hagerstown Bookmobile expanded access to reading materials to the then-rural county and served as the blueprint for other bookmobile services across the nation. (Left-Bottom) Franklin D. Roosevelt stands with the Queens Borough Public Library book bus in 1930. Originally inspired by the first bookmobiles in Maryland, the Queens Public Library still provides library services through Mobile Libraries today, offering books, movies, magazines, and Wi-Fi to residents of the borough. (Right-Top) Librarian Lola Snyder stands with the Evansville, Indiana, Vanderburgh Public Library’s modern bookmobile in October 1998. The bookmobile, which ran from 1923 to 2018, circulated books around the city and provided library services to local daycares and schools. (Right-Bottom) A Works Progress Administration (WPA) bookmobile in North Carolina, 1937. Throughout the 1930s, the WPA and ALA Library Extension Board established bookmobiles in areas that did not have access to libraries, which included many rural counties and towns.
Through assistance from a Carnegie grant, ALA subsidized the subscription price for Booklist to fifty cents a year to “make it of service to many people.” ALA published the list nationally and invited librarians and library workers to “send titles of recent books with brief comments based on personal knowledge, putting their notes in the form that shall best aid persons who buy for small libraries.”
Since then, Booklist has evolved into ALA’s nationally distributed, venerated book and media review source. It includes thousands of pre-publication reviews for books, audiobooks, and reference sources each year to guide librarians and library workers on what materials to source for their libraries, and to help patrons discover what information and reading materials to read, view, or listen to. The publication covers a wide range of materials for various topics and age groups. In 2006, ALA launched Booklist Online as a partner to the print magazine. The website holds the archive of Booklist publications, as well as news highlights about upcoming books and media. Booklist Online expands on the content from Booklist, creating a searchable database of reviews “designed to help users find exactly the right book.” In 2021, Booklist launched Booklist Reader, a monthly book discovery magazine—available online and in print—for library patrons based on Booklist’s advisory materials. Today, Booklist includes two print magazines, a website and digital database, e-newsletters, webinars, podcasts, and other resources that encourage both library workers and patrons to continue reading and learning.
IMAGE: (Left-Top) The cover of The Booklist, Volume 1, in 1905. The Booklist publication, from this first volume to the present, covers many topics related to health, education, peace, democracy, and more, in addition to book reviews and notes on current books. There are around 8,000 book reviews and related features published in The Booklist–now simply called Booklist–every year. (Left-Middle) An undated order form for The Booklist. Today, a subscription also includes Booklist Online, where members have access to twenty-five years of past volumes and reading guides, and Booklist Reader, which makes Booklist’s content more accessible to library patrons and book lovers. (Left-Bottom) This photograph from 1928 shows the Booklist staff diligently reviewing diverse literature at the ALA Headquarters within the John Crerar Library, to help them compile recommended media for libraries and library patrons. (Middle-Top and Right) The March 2026 covers of Booklist and Booklist Reader. This edition of Booklist focuses on topics including the environment and sustainability, young adult fiction, and poetry. The accompanying Booklist Reader features recommendations for Broadway musicals, book-group books, listen-alikes, and pop culture read-alikes.
Published multiple times a year, the Bulletin kept the broader community informed of actions taken by the various boards, committees, and chapters within ALA, as well as upcoming conferences, membership information and opportunities, and the broader work that ALA was performing on the national level. The Bulletin successfully continued its mission of expanding dialogue between ALA and its members for decades before it rebranded as American Libraries magazine in 1970. It changed from its black-and-white format to color in 1975. The flagship magazine of ALA now provides important information to both members and nonmembers in print and digital formats, and serves as a forum for discussion of topics and issues relevant to the profession.
IMAGE: (Left) A portrait of John Cotton Dana, circa 1900. Dana served as ALA president from 1895 to 1896 and improved many library guidelines and programs during his tenure, such as implementing open stack policies, children’s rooms, easier library card processes, and longer library hours. Dana also advocated for ALA creating its own library publication separate from Library Journal. The Bulletin, eventually renamed American Libraries, became the foundation for ALA communication with members and the public. (Right) The cover for the first volume of the Bulletin of the American Library Association, published January 1907. Now named American Libraries, the magazine still connects members of ALA through bimonthly publications and quarterly supplements. Around 65,000 individuals and organizations receive American Libraries worldwide.
Prior to assuming the presidency, Elmendorf served as the director of the Milwaukee Public Library system, Vice Librarian of the Buffalo (N.Y.) Public Library, President of the New York Library Association, and as ALA Vice President. Public Libraries magazine reported on her position, stating, “Her election to the presidency is well-earned, a well-deserved honor, marking an epoch in which the ALA honored itself in honoring her.”
Elmendorf’s election was noteworthy during a period where women did not have the right to vote in U.S. elections, as the 19th Amendment was not passed until 1920. Women were underrepresented in leadership positions within libraries and across other industries in the United States. Her substantial achievements in librarianship and leadership encouraged women to participate in ALA, heralding many more female ALA presidents, and inspired future generations of women to pursue careers in libraries.
IMAGE: Portrait of Theresa West Elmendorf, circa 1920. Elmendorf was the first woman to direct the public library of a large U.S. city—the Milwaukee Public Library System. She was one of forty librarians included in the “Library Hall of Fame” in 1951.
Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam, and his assistant, later ALA Secretary (now called ALA Executive Director), Carl H. Milam, oversaw ALA’s wartime programs—known as the Library War Service—tasked with creating permanent libraries within the armed forces, promoting ALA’s services internationally, and establishing the American Library in Paris.
Local librarians actively campaigned in their communities to organize donations and serve as a collection site for donated books. Hundreds of ALA members and volunteers helped collect and distribute books, newspapers, and magazines to service station camps at home and abroad. While ALA partners such as the Carnegie Corporation, YMCA, and the Knights of Columbus contributed some funding to the Library War Service, most monetary and book donations came from the general public. Using its coffers, ALA established new service camp libraries and provided hospital library services at dozens of military facilities across the United States, France, and other locations. These ALA satellites were staffed by volunteer librarians and filled with donated materials.
Between 1917 and 1920, members of the Library War Service raised five million dollars across two nationwide financial campaigns, established thirty-six service camp libraries, distributed nearly ten million books and magazines to troops at home and overseas, and provided materials to over 500 locations including military hospitals. ALA’s wartime programs boosted morale and furthered the association’s mission to strengthen international library relations and encourage the public and soldiers alike to read.
IMAGE: (Back-Left) A photo from the ALA Campaign for Books in New York City, 1918. The book drive was hosted in front of the New York City Public Library and drew large crowds of donors, who contributed to the massive pile of books behind the pictured volunteer. Photo credited to the National Archives and Records Administration. (Back-Right) Servicemen riding in an ALA float for the United War Work Campaign in Kansas City on November 9, 1918. The large sign reads: “5,000,000 Books in Service, 1,550 Branches in U.S. & Front.” (Front-Left) The “Hey Fellows!” poster was created by John E. Sheridan for the ALA and the United War Work Campaign in 1918. The goal of the campaign was to raise $170 million from November 11–18, 1918, and as one of seven participating voluntary organizations, the ALA focused its efforts on fundraising to supply books to soldiers. The campaign raised more than $203 million in total. Photo courtesy the Library of Congress. (Front-Right) A bookplate utilized on the inside cover of camp library books donated by the ALA in World War I. The Library War Service raised over five million dollars and distributed ten million books by the end of 1920. Photo courtesy the Library of Congress.
The Children’s Librarians’ Section, predecessor to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), was a critical advocate of the award. Children’s literature as a genre gained recognition in literary spaces after Newbery was credited with publishing the first children’s books in 1744. ALA member and publisher Frederic G. Melcher proposed the award to ALA as a response to the growing popularity of children’s books and desire to recognize authors writing for young audiences. ALSC members were crucial to ensuring its success, from coordinating with Melcher and forming awards committees to running the awards ceremonies.
Fifteen years later, Melcher and ALA established the Caldecott Medal in honor of 19th century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Prior to its establishment, many children’s librarians voiced their concerns that the Newbery Medal did not honor books written and illustrated for young children. In response to member concerns, Melcher and the ALA Section for Library Work with Children (another ALSC predecessor) created the Caldecott Medal. The award is presented annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Today, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals are recognized globally as two of ALA’s most prestigious book awards.
IMAGE: Editor and publisher Frederic Melcher worked with ALA and sculptor René Paul Chambellan to design the Newberry Medal in 1921. Inscribed on the back of the medal reads, “For the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
The ALA Council began discussions a year prior at the 1921 Midwinter Meeting in Chicago and formally established the system for chapter application and acceptance at the 1922 meeting. That year, the first ten chapters accepted by the Council were the Alabama Library Association, California Library Association, District of Columbia Library Association, Florida Library Association, Kentucky Library Association, Massachusetts Library Club, Montana State Library Association, Oklahoma Library Association, Texas Library Association, and the St. Louis Local Chapter.
ALA chapters continue to serve as partnerships between library groups and the association to promote general library services and uplift the field of librarianship. Chapters also promote geographic representation and cooperation among members and colleagues. Today, there are fifty-seven active chapters within ALA, representing all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, and library associations for the Mountain Plains, New England, Pacific Northwest, and Southeastern geographic regions.
IMAGE: (Front) The first issue of Chapter Relations Newsletter, published by the ALA Chapter Relations Committee in 1992 to facilitate communication between the association and fifty-seven ALA chapters. This edition celebrated the 100th anniversaries of the New York Library Association, New Jersey Library Association, and Wisconsin Library Association. (Back) ALA’s chapter organizations represent various state, regional, student, and professional library associations. Chapters help promote library services, advocate for policy changes and library support, foster professional development and networking across the field of librarianship, and provide support and community to members across the nation. Pictured are the California Library Association, Indiana Library Federation, and New York Library Association.
The Hampton Library School became the first and only program at an HBCU to offer an ALA-accredited bachelor’s degree in library science during this period. This initiative was the first of a larger ALA-led program financed by the philanthropists, and specifically the Rosenwald Fund, to establish professional schools for Black librarians in the South throughout the 1930s and 1940s. The Rosenwald Fund also funded the construction of nearly 5,000 schools for African American children across the rural South, financed approximately 10,000 libraries in African American communities, and supported fellowships for Black leaders and thinkers.
ALA partnered with the Rosenwald Fund and other charitable foundations to expand professional schools for Black librarians in the South with the aim of creating a professionally trained cohort that could increase diversity in the profession and improve the library system overall. The initiatives proved highly beneficial to strengthening education and expanding library systems in the South.
Rosenwald was particularly inspired by his friendship with educator and author Booker T. Washington and worked to contribute to ensuring that education was achievable for minority groups who were underserved and often excluded by the education system. By establishing libraries and schools in Black communities, ALA and the Rosenwald Fund provided opportunities for young Black Americans to engage with literary materials and encouraged exploration of librarianship as a profession. The Hampton Library School ultimately closed due to lack of funding in 1939. However, the experimental program formed the foundation for other library science programs at HBCUs across the nation.
IMAGE: (Back) Postcard dating to around 1925, featuring the Hampton Institute Library School, part of the HBCU Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. During the era of segregation, the Hampton Library School provided the only ALA-accredited training program for Black librarians in the South and was the only program at any HBCU in the nation until the 1940s. (Front) A classroom in the Hampton Institute Library School, circa 1925. The Hampton library program taught Black scholars the basics of library science, planning for library services, and the procurement of materials for organizations. Over 180 librarians graduated from the school during its fourteen years of operation, and almost all graduates went on to work in various libraries across the nation.
Formal discussions regarding international library cooperation began at the ALA 50th Anniversary Conference in 1926 as ALA members and staff volunteered to initiate the formation of an International Library Committee at the 1927 International Congress of Libraries held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Gathered to celebrate the 50th Anniversary Conference of the British Library Association, librarians from across the globe met and signed a resolution establishing IFLA with the goal to provide librarians with an international forum for professional development and dialogue. Today, IFLA has grown to include over 1,500 members across 150 countries and continues to promote international understanding, cooperation, discussion, research, and development within the library field.
IMAGE: (Front) ALA members highlighted library research methods and microphotography at the American Exhibit at the 1929 World Library Congress in Rome and Venice, Italy. (Back-Top) ALA members at the association’s 50th anniversary meeting in 1926 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Conversations from this meeting included discussions on creating international library cooperation and the establishment of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) in 1927. (Back-Bottom) In June 1929, ALA members attended the World Congress of Librarianship and Bibliography held in Rome. While numerous cities across Italy held exhibits and demonstrations, Rome featured three separate exhibitions, one dedicated to library science, one showcasing the evolution of bibliographic styles from the eighteenth century to the 1920s, and another featuring bibliography from Ancient Rome to the end of the seventeenth century.
ALA’s Library Extension Board, established a decade earlier in 1925, assisted the WPA throughout the 1930s and 1940s in helping to extend library services into remote communities while providing jobs to previously unemployed librarians and library workers.
The ALA Library Extension Board developed the framework for providing and expanding library services to areas in need through a variety of programs. The extension board’s foundational efforts were critical to support and fund already existing public libraries and to establish new libraries and library services in areas where communities lacked resources. The WPA, with ALA’s assistance, provided a variety of services and projects including book mending, cataloging, restocking deposit stations, facilitating the Pack Horse Library Project (in which librarians rode horseback through remote Appalachia delivering books), sponsoring bookmobiles, and constructing new libraries. Together, the WPA and ALA ushered in a new wave of library services and access to information for individuals across the nation.
IMAGE: (Front-Left) Children excitedly circle a pack horse librarian at a school in Hindman, Kentucky, circa 1938. The original photo caption states that pack horse librarians “make regular calls at mountain schools where children are furnished with books for themselves and books to read to illiterate parents and elders." Photo credited to the National Archives and Records Administration. (Front-Right) Librarian Rose Farmer checks out books to a pack horse librarian as they pack their saddle bag in Leslie County, Kentucky, circa 1938. Dozens of pack horse librarians rode throughout rural Appalachia, bringing library materials to people’s doorsteps. Photo credited to the National Archives and Records Administration. (Back) Building off the success of earlier Works Progress Administration (WPA) and ALA’s support of extension services, pack horse librarians throughout the 1930s traveled with books to rural Appalachian communities. Most of the carriers were women and used horses and mules to ride up and down the mountains to service their regions. Carriers met once a week with ALA and WPA staff and volunteers to restock on library books, and then set out to deliver those resources and improve access to information to remote communities. Photo credited to the National Archives and Records Administration.
At the time, ALA had not established rules against holding a conference in a location where members would be subject to discrimination. ALA’s executive board signed contracts with the City of Richmond and the John Marshall Hotel that agreed to unequal treatment for Black librarians attending the meeting. As a result, Black librarians were forced to stay at segregated hotels, eat in different restaurants, and sit in separate areas at meetings. After the conference concluded, ALA members protested against the discriminatory policies and published criticisms in many non-ALA library publications. Their actions prompted leadership to proclaim that future meetings could only be held where conference space could be located “with proper regard for its own self-respect and that of its members.” The ALA Annual Conference did not return to the Southern United States until 1956, when a non-segregated space was obtained in Miami Beach, Florida.
IMAGE: (Left) An advanced attendance register for the ALA Annual Conference held in Richmond, Virginia, which features an image of the White House of the Confederacy. Member protests against segregation after the conference prompted change in the organization and led to the creation of the Committee on Racial Discrimination. (Right) Letter issued by the “Communist members of the ALA” protesting the segregation of the 1936 Annual Conference.
ALA also adopted the association’s first Code of Ethics at the 1939 ALA Council Midwinter Meeting. These principles were established to provide a framework and guide for ethical decision-making across the library profession, stressing the importance of equitable access, intellectual freedom, protection of library user privacy, and professionalism. Together, the Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics affirmed written standards for libraries and library workers, serving as documentation of ALA’s values of protecting the “free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations” in an accessible and unbiased manner.
IMAGE: The preamble to the Code of Ethics for Librarians. The code translates the ALA’s values of equitable access, intellectual freedom, protection of library user privacy, and professionalism into a usable framework of principles for dealing with ethical conflicts in the library professions. The living document continues to ensure that information and ideas are accessible for future generations.
These early precursors to the Round Tables we know today included a variety of discussion groups, such as Cataloging and Catalogers, State Library Commissions, and Officers of State Library Associations. While these groups became more organized, appeared on ALA programs, and published reports in the ALA Bulletin and conference proceedings, they were not considered official groups of the association. In 1940, ALA undertook an association-wide reorganization, incorporating Round Tables into ALA’s Constitution and by-laws by removing the clause that designated them as informal groups and adding a requirement that all Round Tables require ALA Council approval in the 1941 handbook.
Throughout ALA’s history, Round Tables have been a source of member-led initiatives that work to address societal and professional issues through discussion, advocacy, and policy reform. They have evolved to include a wide range of personal and professional interests, offering a place to network, share expertise, and shape ALA through its members’ passion. Today, there are nineteen Round Tables within the association that are devoted to a wide range of topics, from gaming within libraries to uplifting library support staff.
IMAGE: Round Tables are one of many ways in which ALA members can explore engaging and relevant topics, network with colleagues, and help shape the field of librarianship. Today, there are nineteen Round Tables within ALA that showcase our members’ wide-ranging talents, interests, and passions.
ACRL was originally established in 1938 through an ALA reorganization prompted by Round Table members who expressed interest in affiliating with the College and Reference Library Section—a professional group with origins dating back to 1889. The ALA Committee on Reorganization issued recommendations for the association to adopt new bylaws that would “transform the section into an Association of College and Reference Libraries with full autonomy over its own affairs.” Two years later, ACRL prepared a new constitution and was recognized by the ALA Council as the association’s first division in May 1940. This reorganization and change in the ALA bylaws created a pathway for other divisions to form.
Today, the divisions of ALA are: the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, the Public Library Association (PLA), the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), United for Libraries and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, which is in the process of reuniting with ALSC, effective September 1, 2026). These divisions offer ALA members the chance to collaborate with other librarians focused on similar professional roles and to network based on more specific interests within the librarian profession.
IMAGE: (Left-Top) Former ACRL President Norman Tanis volunteered as the target in the ACRL’s pie throwing booth at the 1976 ALA Centennial Conference in Chicago. Tanis served as ACRL President from 1973 to 1974. (Left-Bottom) Group photograph of the 2002 ACRL Literacy Immersion Program at the University of Colorado. The Immersion Program invites members to participate in intensive education and curriculum for academic librarians, including discussions about best practices, fostering inclusivity, professional development, and building community. (Right) Photograph of Frank K. Walter, circa 1940. During his service as the librarian for the University of Minnesota, Walter oversaw the completion of the main library building and greatly expanded student access to books and journals. Because of his dedication to college libraries, he was elected and served as the first president of the ACRL from 1938–1939. The main library of the University of Minnesota was renamed “The Walter Library” upon Walter’s retirement in 1943.
As a result of mass military enrollment after the Selective Service Act of 1940 and attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the need to collect and distribute books and other reading materials to soldiers rapidly intensified as a way to improve morale amongst the troops. The two member-led Victory Book Campaigns exceeded their original goal of collecting ten million books and successfully delivered materials to soldiers in the United States and abroad, helping bolster morale. Additionally, the two campaigns provided librarians and library workers with a physical way to aid the war effort despite facing considerable stress from lack of resources and wartime funding during this period.
ALA’s Victory Book Campaign ended in 1943 after the War and Navy Departments began a joint initiative to purchase nearly thirty-five million paperback books for soldiers. The hardcover books that were most commonly donated in ALA’s campaign were heavy and bulky, which made it difficult for soldiers who carried them from place to place. The softcover books produced after 1942, called Armed Services Editions (ASEs), were smaller and lightweight.
IMAGE: (Front) The Victory Book Campaign in Action: service members reading at a makeshift library while stationed at Camp Cleveland in Northeastern France, September 1945. (Back-Left) Give More Books, Give Good Books! ALA sponsored several patriotic posters encouraging citizens to donate books through their local library or collection center for soldiers during World War II. The Victory Book Campaign provided citizens with a homefront program for donating books—that were then distributed to soldiers at war—which helped boost morale among troops. (Back-Right) Libraries and other official collection centers served as drop-off points for members of the public to donate books throughout the Victory Book Campaign. This iconic image features a librarian holding one of several signs distributed throughout libraries in Cleveland, Ohio.
ALA leaders began laying groundwork in the 1940s for ways in which the federal government could aid public libraries in the post-World War II era. These initiatives, including donation of surplus books and reading materials and garnering support for bills providing federal funding to libraries, were critical to ensuring the continued success of libraries, particularly after the Works Progress Administration—which provided essential funding for new libraries and jobs for librarians and library workers—was discontinued in 1943.
After one year of fundraising, ALA staff member Paul Howard opened the Washington Office in 1945 as its first director with the foundational purpose to “advance and protect the interest of libraries and of the people who use libraries, insofar as those interests may be helped or hurt by legislation, regulation or other government action…” The Washington Office’s primary concern was to enact a system of federal funding for libraries, which was realized in 1956 with the passage of the Library Services Act.
Today, the Public Policy and Advocacy office continues its mission of “following and influencing legislation, policy, and regulatory issues of importance to the library field and its public and works to ensure that libraries are consistently involved in the legislative and policy decision-making processes.” The office is directly involved with advocating for libraries and library workers on modern issues such as copyright, government information, funding, network neutrality, privacy and intellectual freedom, and school libraries and education.
IMAGE: (Left-Top) Photograph of the ALA Washington Office staff members—Edmon Low, director Germaine Krettek, Sara Case, and Ellen Lundblad—assembling material for a briefing breakfast with the House Appropriations Committee, 1972. (Left-Bottom) At the ALA 1970 Annual Conference, Paul Howard accepted the Joseph W. Lippincott Award, which is presented annually to a librarian with a distinguished record of service. Howard went on to sponsor the Paul Howard Award for Courage, which honors achievements in librarianship and application of courage for the benefit of library services. (Right) Portrait of Paul Howard, the first director of the Washington Office. Howard also served as the director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD.
Brown was well known in the Bartlesville community as a vocal supporter of racial integration and helped found the city’s Committee on the Practice of Democracy—the only affiliate of civil rights organization Congress of Racial Equality located south of the Mason-Dixon line. Brown also utilized her position at the Bartlesville Public Library to advocate for desegregated children’s story hours; however, once her initiative was rejected, she personally took books to segregated schools in the area. Weeks before she was fired, when Brown and two Black teachers attempted to eat together at Bartlesville’s largest drugstore, they were refused service and asked to leave.
In a City Commission meeting later in the month, a group of citizens attacked Brown for providing what they deemed to be “subversive” or “communistic” materials in the library. When this accusation failed to warrant her removal from the library, the citizens allegedly set up an unauthorized display of pro-Russia books in the library and leaked photographs to the press. Brown was summoned to a special City Commission meeting shortly afterwards, where they interrogated her about her personal life, interracial activities, and beliefs before replacing all the members of the Bartlesville Public Library’s board and firing her.
This era of heightened anti-communist suspicion and paranoia, known as the McCarthy Era because of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s (R-WI) domineering political repression and persecution of dissenting individuals, provided Brown’s opponents with the opportunity to attack her character under false pretenses. As Ruth Brown commented to reporters regarding the accusations, “everyone knows what they are really fighting.” Although ALA and the Oklahoma Library Association expressed support for Brown, they directed focus towards the City Commission’s attack on intellectual freedom and did not address any issues regarding racial discrimination. Over two years after her termination, Brown and her supporters presented a lawsuit to the Oklahoma Supreme Court but ultimately lost the case as it had been “based on the issue of censorship rather than the issue of civil liberties and intellectual freedom.”
IMAGE: (Front) Portrait of librarian Ruth Brown. Brown occupied several elected positions in the Oklahoma Library Association and served as the Secretary, Treasurer, and President of the OLA through over a decade of membership. She was also the Secretary of the Committee on the Practice of Democracy in Bartlesville. Photo is attributed to Ellen Brown Ericksen. (Back) Photograph of the New York State Library School graduating classes of 1916 and 1917, featuring Bartlesville librarian Ruth Brown (second from the left). Brown became the librarian of the Bartlesville Public Library in 1919, where she worked until her unceremonious firing in 1950.
The new standards stated that professional and academic programs “should encompass a minimum of five years of study beyond secondary school and should lead to a master’s degree.” As a result, a master’s degree accredited by the American Library Association or international equivalent became the standard entry degree for professional librarians and library workers, whether it is a Master of Library Science (MLS), Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), or similar.
This system of accreditation—a review process that describes essential features of academic programs preparing library and information professionals—was originally performed by the ALA Board of Education for Librarianship before it became the Committee on Accreditation in 1956. An accredited program has the benefit of assuring a quality education based on current ALA standards of the library profession, and as a result, these standards have been changed and modified over time to reflect advancements within the profession. Gradual changes in the new standards of accreditation, from 1951 to the present, have shifted the focus from quantitative processes and resources to goals, achievements and outcomes of a program. Today, the standards provide a basis for self-evaluation and peer review for all master’s programs in library and information studies, allowing each program the opportunity to explore creative facets of the library profession while adhering to professional ALA standards.
IMAGE: Statement of Policy by the ALA Board of Education for Librarianship published in 1951 to adopt new standards of accreditation in the library profession.
Throughout the 1950s, the climate of fear perpetuated by Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) led to increased panic surrounding Communism and LGBTQIA+ people—known as the Red and Lavender Scares. The heightened paranoia, and subsequent persecutory government policies known as “McCarthyism,” led to an increase in censorship in written materials across the United States. In this climate, libraries were pressured to remove literature that was considered “subversive” or “un-American” from public access.
“The libraries of America are and must ever remain the homes of free, inquiring minds. To them, our citizens—of all ages and races, of all creeds and political persuasions—must ever be able to turn with clear confidence that there they can freely seek the whole truth, unwarped by fashion and uncompromised by expediency.” —President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Letter to ALA President Robert B. Downs read to attendees of the 1953 ALA Annual Conference in Los Angeles, California.
To combat the increased scrutiny and vilification of library materials, ALA issued a proclamation defending the public’s freedom to read. The statement began, “The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack." ALA further affirmed seven essential tenants tenets of anti- censorship, which champion the public’s freedom to read and write diverse material—even if the expressed opinions are opposed by those in power. ALA still adheres to the 1953 Freedom to Read statement and recognizes its importance in defending democracy despite increased book banning and censorship efforts.
IMAGE: Working notes for the Conference on the Freedom to Read, which define the background for the subsequent Freedom to Read Statement, adopted by ALA Council in June 1953. The conference was held in Rye, New York, and consisted of twenty-five representatives from the ALA, the American Book Publishers Council, and other interested citizens. Based on the discussions at the conference, the Freedom to Read Statement was created.
Many states allowed separate library associations for librarians and library workers of different races, as Black librarians were not allowed to join white chapters. Prior to the member-led initiative to eliminate segregation in the library profession, the association was not consistent with its censure of segregation. Within the library field, the topic of segregation in professional positions was largely overlooked in association research and publications. Additionally, ALA did not pass any resolutions focused on segregation and did not file any lawsuits challenging segregated access to public library materials.
After ALA’s 1954 rule change, most states complied and integrated their state chapters; however, several Southern states threatened to withdraw from the association or lost their affiliation due to their unwillingness to integrate. States that complied with this new regulation still faced issues with racial discrimination, as the rule did nothing to combat bias and racism in the cultural and social spheres. As stated by Library Journal editor-in-chief (and later ALA President) Eric Moon, “We would agree that ALA’s attitude toward segregation is clear. We do not agree that it is positive enough, nor that it is voiced either frequently enough or at the most appropriate times. And we are not convinced that an attitude is enough to offer.” ALA’s more formal stance in the 1961 Amendment to the Library Bill of Rights, along with federal laws on desegregation, provided more concrete steps towards integration in the library profession.
IMAGE: (Left) Photograph of participants of ALA’s American Heritage Project—one of dozens of discussion groups focused on sharing thoughts on common and shared heritage—at the George Washington Carver Library in Jackson, Mississippi, circa 1953. (Right-Top) Documentation of ALA’s change in the bylaws to integrate state chapters by prohibiting states to have more than one chapter: “no more than one chapter of the American Library Association shall exist in any state, province, or territory.”(Right-Bottom) Photograph of an integrated American Heritage Project training session held in Jackson, Mississippi, in October 1954. ALA’s American Heritage Project held readings and discussions focused on shared American heritage and community. Additionally, the American Heritage Project “promoted intellectual freedom through critical thinking and open conversations.”
ALA members, staff, and volunteers worked for over a decade to lobby for the bill’s support and met with several committed members of Congress to introduce and reintroduce iterations of the bill—previously known as the Library Demonstration Act—over the years. The bill received opposition from multiple sides, citing the bill’s price tag and fears that library services were “socialistic propaganda.” Years of perseverance paid off when the bill was formally introduced by US Representative Edith Starrett Green (D-OR), approved by the subcommittee on Federal Aid for Library Service in Rural Areas, and signed into law by President Eisenhower. Additional federal funding authorized by the Act provided libraries across the nation with new or updated library services to better provide and expand information access to communities in need. The passage of the Library Services Act laid critical groundwork for the development of what we know today as the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
IMAGE: (Left) ALA Washington Office director Julia Bennett was presented with roses and a diamond wristwatch in recognition of her advocacy for the Library Services Act. Bennett’s willingness to work with Congress and increase understanding of the need for library services in rural areas led to the passage of the bill, which provided access to libraries for millions of people in the US. (Middle) A 1953 letter from President Eisenhower to ALA in support of libraries, three years before the passage of the Library Services Act. Eisenhower wrote that libraries are the foundation of democracy, and that “our librarians serve the precious liberties of our nation: freedom of inquiry, freedom of the spoken and written word, freedom of exchange of ideas.” (Right) Brochure titled “Knowledge is Power,” 1952. The ALA promoted and lobbied for the Library Services Act, which aimed to provide library services and funding to remote and rural areas with no previous access to library materials. Brochures and posters spread information about the importance of libraries in communities and rallied public perception.
Concerned by studies showing a sharp decline in readership among Americans, due partly the rise in television, ALA partnered with the American Book Publishers Council to strategize ways to re-engage the public and entice them to read more frequently.
National Library Week officially launched in March 1958 as a weeklong celebration with the slogan, “Wake Up and Read!” The campaign’s fun, brightly colored posters were a call to action for the public to support their library, utilize its resources, and most importantly, read. The campaign aimed to reach as many people as possible through broadcast, radio spots, and newspaper coverage. ALA continues to host the celebration every April, creating annual themes such as “Reach for a Star. Ask a Librarian" (1990) and “Drawn to the Library” (2025). In addition to promoting reading and library resources, National Library Week also affirms the public’s essential right to read, recognizes the valuable contributions of all library workers, and promotes library outreach programs.
IMAGE: National Library Week poster from 1960, bearing the iconic slogan, “Wake up and Read!” Although National Library Week was originally planned as a one-time event in March 1958, its success prompted a second National Library Week in 1959. Because of the continued achievement of the campaigns, the ALA council voted to make National Library Week an annual celebration, which continues today.
The amendment stated that “[t]he rights of an individual to the use of a library should not be denied or abridged because of his race, religion, national origins, or political views.”
Racial segregation was an entrenched issue for the field of librarianship and for libraries as public spaces, as most main libraries in the South excluded non-white patrons from entry or barred their use of library resources. Southern libraries became locations for sit-ins and protests throughout the Civil Rights Movement, and several became sites of violence against Black Americans who attempted to access segregated public spaces. Four Southern state chapters withdrew from ALA based on the 1961 statement, choosing expulsion from the association rather than implementing integration.
Despite adopting the equal access amendment to the Library Bill of Rights, ALA did not regulate the affairs of chapters or the operation of libraries. Some state chapters remained segregated until the mid-1960s, even though there were no formal rules against admitting African American members. At the 1964 ALA Annual Conference, Black librarian (and future ALA president) E.J. Josey introduced a motion that ALA officers and staff should not attend meetings of state associations unable to meet chapter status requirements, including chapters which were still segregated. The motion passed after heated debate, with Josey later describing it as “the beginning of the revolution in ALA to make the association responsive to all of its members.”
Members continued pushing for dismantling racial discrimination in the association, spurring future change such as the member-created Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in 1970 in response to ALA’s lack of representation for Black librarians, and the election of Clara Stanton Jones as ALA’s first Black president in 1976.
IMAGE: The amended Library Bill of Rights, 1967. The poster explicitly affirms the right of individuals to use libraries without discrimination based on race, religion, citizenship, or political views.
The five-year project focused on enhancing the value and development of school libraries through four main objectives:
(1) To illustrate the educational benefits of well-resourced school libraries;
(2) To foster improved understanding and effective use of library resources among teachers, administrators, school board members, and other stakeholders;
(3) To facilitate visits and observations by educators, librarians, students, and community members to disseminate the model’s characteristics and impact;
(4) To stimulate interest in demonstration programs in education more broadly.
To achieve these goals, the Knapp School Libraries Project began with a handful of elementary schools, and later a sampling of secondary schools, to create model school libraries by updating their technology and materials, developing qualified staff, and renovating facilities. Though the initial round of funding could not reach every school library, ALA members, staff, and volunteers were able to provide models of reference for how effectively operating school libraries made positive impacts in the schooling system. These “demonstration libraries” served as places visitors could go and actively see these impactful changes and provide a reference point for how to envision and plan for change in their own local school libraries. The first round of the Knapp School Project was a success, and ALA received a second grant from the Knapp Foundation to launch a similar School Library Manpower Project in 1968.
IMAGE: (Left) Photograph of students utilizing their Knapp School Project library at the Mt. Royal School in Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1965. The Knapp School Library Project funded dozens of such “demonstration” libraries and showed the positive impact of a well-resourced library for children and the local community. (Right) A Knapp School Library in action at the Central Park Road School, New York, circa 1965. The photograph caption states that a “[c]entralized school library with a qualified, full-time librarian is a major factor in a child's education.
The OIF focused its efforts on policy creation to combat censorship, securing legal counsel for librarians facing challenges to materials, forming connections with organizations committed to First Amendment rights, and providing public education on the importance of intellectual freedom—all of which continue today.
The first director of the OIF, librarian Judith Krug, staunchly supported the First Amendment and played a key role in landmark legal cases involving thought censorship. Krug was also instrumental in founding ALA’s Banned Books Week—an ongoing program that raises awareness about literary censorship and the threats it poses to our democracy.
IMAGE: (Back) A hand-colored flyer for Banned Books Week 1983, which continues to be sponsored each year by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). The OIF began monitoring data on banned books in the 1990s and now provides book banning data each year. The OIF reported that 5,813 books were challenged in 2024, increasing significantly since 2015, when only 233 books were challenged. (Front) A resource book for Banned Books Week 1987. Since the first recorded book ban in the US in 1637, thousands of books have been challenged and removed from American libraries and schools. These bans restrict intellectual freedom, and they are often founded on misinformation and implicit biases. Banned Books Week encourages readers to engage with these controversial books and form their own opinions about the content.
McKissick and Greer, along with publisher John Carroll, decided to create the CSK award to address the lack of representation of Black children’s authors and illustrators in industry awards, namely the Caldecott and Newbery Medal. At the time, no Black authors or illustrators had won either award.
The CSK Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The ALA describes the award’s history, stating “[it] commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.” The first award was presented to author Lillie Paterson for her biography on Dr. King, Martin Luther King, Jr.: Man of Peace, in 1970. The CSK Award was officially recognized as an association award in 1982, and became an official Round Table, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table, in 2022.
The CSK Awards helped launch the careers of many talented authors and illustrators, functioning as a “stamp of approval for that book,” as stated by CSK Book Awards Marketing Chair Carolyn Garnes. The award has also paved the way for the emergence of other awards for authors and illustrators who represent groups traditionally marginalized by the publishing world, or whose stories celebrate the experiences of underrepresented groups or cultures—such as the Stonewall Award for LGBTQIA+ books (first awarded in 1971), the Pura Belpré Award for Latina/Latino authors and illustrators (first awarded in 1996), and the Schneider Family Book Award for books that portray the disability experience (first awarded in 2004).
IMAGE: (Left)The CSK Award celebration remains an annual ALA event to celebrate books reflecting the African American experience. Standing in Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Frank Morrison (artwork featured in award program, pictured) won the 2023 CSK Award alongside Freewater written by Amina Luqman-Dawson. (Right) Coretta Scott King (left) and Clara S. Jones (right) at the celebration for the Coretta Scott King Award at the 1984 Annual ALA Conference in Dallas, Texas. The 1984 CSK Award winners included The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. complied by Coretta Scott King, Everett Anderson’s Goodbye written by Lucille Clifton and illustrated by Ann Grifalconi, and My Mama Needs Me illustrated by Pat Cummings and written by Mildred Pitts Walter.
During the meeting, ALA members presented the motion to ALA’s Council, who then approved, passed, and sent the proposal for ratification by ALA members at the following year’s Atlantic City conference.
Scholarship funding from ALA and other early donors like Dodd-Mead—a pioneer publishing house—and the Colorado Library Association helped shoulder the financial burden and enabled greater numbers of librarians and library workers to pursue accredited degree programs.
By expanding access to professional degrees, the ALA Scholarship Program established a systematic method to aid a greater and more diverse group of future librarians and library workers in their professional careers. The success of this program paved the way for new scholarships established in the years to come—including the Mary V. Gaver, Tom and Roberta Drewes, and Spectrum Scholarships—with the help of ALA and donor funding.
IMAGE: (Left) Library Bureau, Inc. exhibitors, including company president, Peter J. Van Pelt, hold an ALA Scholarship Fund sign at the 1989 ALA Annual Conference. The company contributed one dollar to the scholarship fund for every librarian who registered at their booth during the conference. (Right-Top) Fundraising postcard for the ALA scholarship endowment campaign, circa 1989. ALA now awards more than $300,000 to aspiring librarians each year. (Right-Bottom) A 1990 flyer advertising ALA scholarships for students of color. The ALA academic scholarship program aimed to expand aid to diverse librarians and help their professional development.
These groups, including the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT, founded in 1969), the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) and the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), were a few of several member-organized groups and affiliates committed to advancing diversity and equity within ALA. Today, many of these groups remain active within the association and help drive change and accountability within ALA and the larger field of librarianship.
ALA members formed the Rainbow Round Table, officially an ALA Round Table in 1999, as a response to the gay liberation movement. The organization was originally founded in 1970 as ALA’s Task Force on Gay Liberation and was the nation’s first gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender professional organization. LGBTQIA+ activists, like Barbara Gittings, became integral members in the 1970s and pushed the then-task force to focus on betterment of library services, access to reading material with LGBTQIA+ representation, and professional opportunities for LGBTQIA+ librarians. Today, RRT primarily works to ensure information access to LGBTQIA+ individuals and their allies, as well as all library patrons, without censorship.
ALA members also established the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) as a separate organization in 1970, in response to ALA’s lack of support for Black librarians at the time, focusing on serving the needs of Black library professionals through improved resources, leadership, and opportunities. One of the primary goals of the caucus upon its formation was to submit a resolution to the ALA for censure of libraries and librarians upholding segregation by providing services to private segregated schools. BCALA officially became an affiliate of ALA in 1992, and continues to advocate for the improvement of library services for African American communities and for the promotion of professional and leadership opportunities for African American librarians.
IMAGE: (Left-Top) Five members of the BCALA stand together at the 1977 ALA Annual Conference held in Detroit, Michigan. (Left-Bottom) Photograph of the ALA Gay and Lesbian Task Force proudly participating in the 1992 San Francisco Pride March. Some signs from the march read “San Francisco Public Library” and “Coming Soon! Gay & Lesbian Center at the New Main.” (Right)Members of the BCALA at the Author and Illustrator Reception of the first National Conference of African American Librarians (NCAAL), held at Columbus Metropolitan Library, 1992. The first NCAAL focused on professional development, as well as on the work of Black authors and performers. The NCAAL continues to provide a space for networking and career support for African American librarians.
Earlier that year, ALA created a “legislative workshop,” which included guides for public letters to senators and representatives and information on ALA’s legislative policy as part of a citizen toolkit in support of ALA’s mission.
Each year NLLD provides a unified front for returning and first-time advocates to come to Washington, DC, to educate policymakers about issues libraries face on a national and local level. Over the decades, NLLD has focused on various topics, ranging from seeking and protecting library funding, supporting or speaking out against certain legislative acts, and advocacy over issues like surveillance, open government, copyright, and net neutrality protections. This annual event has not only become a platform for library activism, but also an opportunity for people to present a unified and thoughtful front to Congress, strengthening relationships between advocates and policymakers. The 2026 NLLD in February involved advocacy education, networking, and meetings with legislators and congressional staff in DC.
IMAGE: (Left) Carol Henderson, then-Executive Director of the ALA Washington Office, and others on the US Capitol steps on National Library Legislative Day, circa 1994. NLLD serves as a way for people to connect with other ALA members, network with policymakers in DC, and advocate for laws and policies that protect library rights and values.(Right) “How to Write a Letter to Your Congressman,” an ALA flyer outlining techniques for writing letters to congress about pressing issues. (Front) The cover of a guide from the League of Women Voters of the U.S. titled, “When You Write to Washington: A Guide for Citizen Action.” The guide was published as part of the 1973 Legislative Workshop tool kit, a precursor to NLLD, which provided citizens with guides to meet with and write letters to their state representatives in support of libraries.
ALA members actively participated in shaping the legislation, helping draft the “fair use” provision and the exemption which permits libraries and archives to make copies for preservation, replacement, and users.
This landmark revision addressed rising concerns of copyright protections in the wake of new technological advancements and allowed for better alignment with international copyright laws. ALA saw the opportunity to make further revisions to the Act that would strike a balance between the rights of copyright holders and what materials are available to the public. ALA’s advocacy and assistance influenced the Section 107 Limitations on Exclusive Rights: Fair Use and Section 108 Limitations on Exclusive Rights: Reproduction by Libraries and Archives.
Section 107 opened a new door for libraries through the Fair Use doctrine, and Section 108 gave certain permissions to libraries and archives to make copies of work for preservation, replacement, and interlibrary loans. There are further guidelines of what can be considered fair use, but the opportunity for copyright works to be used in such settings as education and research has changed how libraries can make materials open and accessible to the public.
Since the passing of the 1976 Copyright Act, the ALA has handled the Fair Use doctrine with care for both creators and consumers of copyrighted material by “respect[ing] intellectual property rights and advocat[ing] balance between the interests of information users and rights holders.” Each year libraries spend billions of dollars on copyrighted materials in order to provide a range of books, journals, music, magazines, and other materials to patrons while respecting the interests of copyright holders. Today the ALA continues to advocate for and protect the rights and balance between copyright holders and users by working with Congress, the U.S. Copyright Office, the US Patent and Trademark Office, coalition partners and other related agencies.
IMAGE: (Left) Cover of The New Copyright Law: Question Teachers & Librarians Ask, a guidebook on the 1976 copyright law drafted by ALA and education associations and signed by President Gerald Ford. The law created more opportunities for libraries to share information and written materials with the public, while also conforming to national and international copyright regulations. Image is the property of the National Education Association. (Right) Article by Edward Holley, a former ALA president, titled “A Librarian Looks at the New Copyright Law,” in a 1977 edition of American Libraries. The article emphasized the need for librarians to familiarize themselves with the new law and discussed the “far-reaching effect on the ownership of literary property.”
As the first person of color to serve as ALA president, Jones paved the way for many future ALA presidents of diverse backgrounds. Prior to assuming the presidency, Jones was the first woman and first African American to serve as director of a major US public library system—the Detroit Public Library. Her decades of experience fostered her community-oriented approach to librarianship as well as her belief that libraries are a place for more than just reading—they can serve as powerful sources of information and public resources. During her one-year term as ALA president, Jones continued her lifelong work to desegregate libraries, promote community services, and improve industry culture. Jones was instrumental in the ALA Council’s adoption of the “Resolution on Racism and Sexism Awareness,” which called for a coordinated action program directed towards providing professional training for library personnel.
During the 1977 Midwinter Meeting in Washington, D.C., a faction of ALA members asked to rescind the resolution citing concerns that it violated the Library Bill of Rights. Jones advocated for the resolution and preserved its mission by encouraging further discussion and study to improve its language and execution. After her retirement from the Detroit Public Library in 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Jones as Commissioner for the National Commission on Libraries and Information Services where she served until 1982. For her contributions to librarianship, Jones received an ALA Honorary Membership in 1983—the association’s highest honor.
IMAGE (Left): Clara Stanton Jones (left) embracing fellow librarian Virginia Lacy Jones (right) at the 1976 ALA Conference, where the latter received an ALA Honorary Membership. Both women were pioneers in librarianship, and they paved the way for other people of color to pursue careers in libraries. (Right) ALA President Clara Stanton Jones in 1976. During her ALA presidency, Jones served as Director of the Detroit Public Library (DPL), where she was a renowned role model and mentor to young librarians. She dedicated her thirty-four years of library service at DPL to desegregation of libraries and improvement of library services.
In response to national calls to raise literacy rates and standards of education for both children and adults, ALA members advocated for the campaign to convey a simple but powerful call to action. The campaign expanded in 1985 into what is now known as the ALA Celebrity READ Campaign, featuring high-profile celebrities with their favorite books each year. More than 180 well-known athletes, actors, authors, musicians, scientists, and personalities have donated their time and likeness to the project since the 1980s. The Celebrity READ Campaign is internationally recognized, with libraries, schools, universities, and other literary-based organizations purchasing and displaying the posters. Proceeds from the campaign—along with sales of posters, bookmarks, gifts, and other licensed merchandise derived from the posters—directly support ALA and its mission.
IMAGE (Left): Disney icons Mickey Mouse and Pluto are shown sitting beside the fireplace with a book in ALA’s first READ poster released in 1980. (Top Row-Left): Levar Burton, host of the educational PBS series Reading Rainbow, holds Helen Ward’s The Tin Forest in his 2002 ALA READ poster. (Top Row-Center): Award-winning singer/songwriter, actress, and philanthropist Dolly Parton poses with Watty Piper’s The Little Engine that Could and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar for ALA’s 2023 READ poster. (Top Row-Right): Idina Menzel, best known for her portrayals of Elphaba in Wicked and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, poses with Andrea Warmflash Rosenbaum’s picture book Anna, Elsa, and the Secret River for her 2022 READ poster. (Middle Row-Left): Miss Piggy, dressed as a librarian, and Kermit the Frog pose in library stacks for ALA’s READ Campaign. The Muppets were some of the original icons featured in ALA’s inaugural 1980 posters. (Middle Row-Center): Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift poses with Lois Lowry’s The Giver for ALA’s 2014 READ poster. Swift was featured in the book’s film adaptation, which was also released in 2014 (Middle Row-Right): Denzel Washington, American actor and producer, holds Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham for his 1991 ALA READ poster. (Bottom Row-Left): Actress Constance Wu holds Kevin Kwan’s romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians in ALA’s 2018 READ poster—a nod to Wu’s role as the main character in the book’s film adaptation released that year. (Bottom Row-Center): Mychal Threets, American librarian, author, and media personality, poses with Sesame Street children’s book The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone and Michael Smollin for ALA’s 2025 READ poster. (Bottom Row-Right): Singer and actor David Bowie poses for ALA’s 1987 READ poster holding Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel The Idiot—a nod to Bowie’s 1977 debut album of the same name.
Although book banning was not exclusive to this period, the early 1980s saw a resurgence of book bans and challenges to literary materials that reached national attention. In 1982, the Supreme Court heard Island Trees School District v. Pico, a case where a school board removed and banned books from its libraries due to “anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy” content. The court ruled in a five to four decision that school libraries must uphold the First Amendment freedom of speech protections and cannot restrict the availability of books on the basis of disagreeing with their content. That same year, the ABA created an exhibit for the BookExpo America trade show featuring hundreds of challenged or banned books behind padlocked cages with a caution sign stating that “some people consider these books dangerous.”
These high-profile events sparked the idea of creating a Banned Books Week to draw attention to the dangers of censorship and to celebrate the importance of intellectual freedom. The first Banned Books Week saw huge success and participation from ALA members, volunteers, and the public on local, state, and national levels. National news coverage resulted in various mayors, governors, and other legislators voicing their support for the initiative.
ALA remains a founding member and advocate of the Banned Books Week Coalition, which has become an internationally known and supported annual event. The past decade has seen a large increase in book challenges, but the Banned Books Week Coalition continues to celebrate and advocate for intellectual freedom even in the face of censorship.
IMAGE: (Back) A July 1982 letter from Allan Marshall, then-Administrative Coordinator for the American Booksellers Association, to ALA OIF Director Judith Krug inviting the association to be a part of the first Banned Books Week. (Front) A pin commemorating Banned Books Week, circa 1985.
The campaign originally stemmed from a comment made by Secretary of Education William Bennett, who suggested “[l]et’s have a campaign…every child should obtain a library card and use it.” The joint efforts of ALA and NCLIS helped bring the campaign into reality.
After receiving a Reader’s Digest grant, ALA and NCLIS immediately began advertising Library Card Sign-Up Month in over 500 television and radio stations, 200 magazines, and hundreds of information packets sent to local libraries across the country. The initiative officially kicked off in October 1987 with a successful celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC – hundreds of children, along with Secretary Bennett, then-ALA president Margaret Chisholm, and then-NCLIS Chairman Jerald Newman, were in attendance. Free pizza, story time, and craft time attracted attendees of all ages.
Library Card Sign-Up Month has been celebrated every September since its inception, with annual branded campaign materials made available to libraries nationwide and celebrity spokespeople serving as honorary chairs. This yearly campaign emphasizes the importance of library cards within a child’s education and helps combat illiteracy.
IMAGE: (Left) A library card registration kiosk at Prince George’s County Memorial Library in Maryland. Kiosks and registration tables were a popular way to encourage the public to utilize their libraries during National Library Card Sign-Up Month campaigns. (Right) Garfield stands with ALA President Margaret Chisholm (left), Secretary of Education William Bennett (middle), and National Commission on Libraries and Information Science chairman Jerald Newman (right) during a kick-off event for National Library Card Sign-Up Month. Pictured in the background is ALA’s first campaign poster with the theme “The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give Your Child.” (Front) A bookmark from ALA’s first Library Card Sign-Up campaign, featuring the year’s theme: “The Best Gift You’ll Ever Give a Child.” The annual initiative, now celebrated every September as Library Card Sign-Up Month, encourages the public to sign up for library cards and promotes child education and literacy.
Building on earlier OIF efforts, such as the publication of the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, which collected case studies and clearinghouse reports starting in the 1950s to document book bans and challenged materials, ALA sought to create a central reference source to study the phenomenon and track censorship efforts moving forward. This information—including the challenging party, book titles, and frequency of repeat challenges—was compiled by ALA members to create a database on challenged materials that is still updated and referenced today.
Data analysis shows that book challenges and censorship efforts have increased in frequency over the past twenty years. From 2001 to 2020, the annual average of challenged books was only 273 titles. In 2024 alone, there were 2,452 unique titles challenged. Additional titles are likely victims of soft censorship strategies, such as enforcing age restrictions on certain topics or quiet, unreported removals from library spaces.
Defending the right to choose what we read is an integral part of ALA’s commitment to democracy and the First Amendment. OIF’s challenged book database assists librarians and library workers with making educated choices about the materials included in their collections. Additionally, OIF provides ALA, its members, and the public with updates on developments within literary spaces, as well as tools, workshops, and programs to combat censorship. The data collected by OIF is an essential tool for ALA and communities everywhere to stay informed about the most challenged books, calls for book bans, and threats to censor and reduce the capacity for choice in what materials we choose to read.
IMAGE: (Left) An ALA infographic from 2021 showcasing the most common reasons for book censorship. Years later, books continue to be challenged for many of the same reasons listed on the infographic, resulting in a serious restriction of intellectual freedom across the US. (Right) One of ALA’s graphics focused on raising awareness for increased book censorship attempts and challenges within recent years. ALA is committed to intellectual freedom and is home to an ongoing database of challenged materials. Design credited to Landor.
This act, best known for opening the communications industry to competition among various businesses, also worked to ensure universal service for libraries, schools, and underserved communities through a Universal Service Fund (USF) program known as the Schools and Libraries Program or E-Rate. The federal initiative provides discounts to public libraries and schools for telecommunications services and internet access, especially those in underserved communities with the highest need.
Through the lobbying efforts of the ALA and passage of the Telecommunications Act, free access to the internet has increased dramatically across the US. With internet access becoming essential for daily life, ALA contends that access to broadband internet is a basic human right, and continues to advocate for the maintenance, funding and modernization of the E-Rate program.
IMAGE: President Bill Clinton signs the Telecommunications Act of 1996 in the Library of Congress’s Main Reading Room. ALA members worked to lobby for the Act’s passage and advocated for federal funding to expand telecommunications services and internet access for public libraries and schools. Courtesy; the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.
Through the creation of IMLS, the responsibility for funding and supporting museums and libraries was transferred from the Department of Education to the newly-established, independent federal agency.
Through grants awarded by IMLS, libraries and museums preserve cultural heritage, promote innovation, advance literacy, and encourage civic engagement. The agency stimulates the economy and promotes community engagement by supporting over 725,000 library and museum-related jobs. Every dollar invested in libraries generates $4.5 in tax revenue, with museums generating around $5 for each dollar invested. Libraries and museums raise property values and desirability of neighborhoods, and enhance educational outcomes for their patrons. These invaluable community, education, and economic resources are necessary for the fabric of social life in the US and are supported in part by IMLS and its partners. ALA played a major role in gathering support for library legislation, including the MLSA, and continues to support the organization amidst legal challenges to dismantle the agency throughout 2025.
IMAGE: President Bill Clinton sat for an exclusive interview for ALA’s December 1996 issue of American Libraries magazine. In the article, the newly reelected president spoke on issues facing the library community and his administration’s goals for the future.
The initiative was largely championed by former ALA President Dr. Betty Turock and ALA Executive Director Elizabeth Martinez, who proposed utilizing the association’s $1.5 million in unallocated funds to create the scholarship. Their advocacy resulted in the program’s approval in 1997 to support students working to obtain graduate degrees and leadership positions within the library profession.
Today, the Spectrum Scholarship Program continues to encourage diversity and inclusion in the library field by “seeking the broadest participation of new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians.” Approximately sixty scholarships are awarded annually to students who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander across the United States and Canada.
IMAGE: (Back) Librarian and ALA member José Aponte speaks to Spectrum Scholars at a 2001 Spectrum Institute breakout session. Spectrum Scholars are invited to take part in the multi-day program, which provides networking opportunities and access to educational talks on topics such as resume building and professional development. (Right-Front) Four Spectrum Scholarship winners at the first National Conference on Asian Pacific American Librarians in San Francisco, 2001. Scholarship recipients receive assistance with obtaining a graduate degree, as well as guidance towards pursuing leadership positions in library spaces.
In January 2002, with the approval of preliminary bylaws, the scope of the organization was broadened to include advocacy for the “mutual professional interests of librarians and other library workers.” The ALA-APA supplies ALA members with resources to attain their goals in the personal and professional spheres, which enables them to make educated choices about career moves, ensure equity in pay, and work towards effecting positive change in their libraries.
First celebrated in 2003, National Library Workers Day (NLWD) is a major event held by ALA-APA to recognize the contributions of all essential workers within libraries and library professions. Support staff, librarians, administrators, and friends/partner groups are all crucial to the success of library services. NLWD strives to emphasize these essential groups and their achievements each year.
Several of ALA’s Round Table groups also prioritize resources related to professional development and pay equality, such as the Staff Organizations Round Table (SORT), established in 1936, and the Library Support Staff Interests Round Table (LSSIRT), established in 1993. Both Round Tables were merged into the Library Support Staff Round Table in 2022, in order to strengthen their essential role in working towards pay equity and camaraderie across ALA’s many groups and partner associations.
IMAGE: (Left) A 2008 NLWD Flyer calling for library worker nominations to ALA-APA’s National Library Workers Day Stars Website. (Right) A commemorative button from NLWD 2004 proudly stating, “Libraries work because we do.”
CIPA was officially enacted throughout all libraries in 2001 through the federal government’s “E-rate” funding program—which imposed requirements on schools and libraries that receive federal funding in exchange for more affordable internet connections. The law was originally established to block children’s access to obscene or harmful content on public computers; however, CIPA’s requirement that libraries implement internet filters on all computers also affected adults, preventing them from accessing resources and infringing on free speech protected under the First Amendment.
During oral arguments, American Civil Liberties Union lawyers representing ALA stated that CIPA prevented “citizens from communicating and accessing constitutionally protected speech.” While the law’s intended purpose was to target material harmful to minors, the definition of “harmful” was also used to block and discriminate against websites related to healthcare, political candidates, and LGBTQIA+ information. In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld CIPA and required libraries that receive federal funds to install website blocking software on all computers. However, the court added a provision stating that libraries must disable or turn off the blocking software if an adult submits a request for access. ALA still provides guidance to members on navigating CIPA, such as developing and managing internet use policies and ensuring intellectual freedom is protected under the law.
IMAGE: The front page of the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom detailing the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Then ALA-President Carla Hayden released a statement in response to the decision, stating that “[w]hile ALA did not prevail in having the law declared unconstitutional, the association’s efforts yielded important and tangible benefits to libraries and library users, in that the Justices also ruled that the law is constitutional only if the mandated filters can be readily disabled upon the request of adult library users.”
The controversial act, signed into law following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and New York City, amended several United States privacy laws to allow the government to request, without court approval, records of private citizens under the umbrella of “anti-terrorism.” The law also allowed the FBI to issue strict gag orders to recipients of NSLs, threatening fines and/or jail time if they disclosed that they had received an NSL.
The Library Connection members refused to cooperate with the FBI and sought legal representation by the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge the NSL and gag order in federal court. One year after litigation was brought to court, the government withdrew its NSL and freed the “Connecticut Four” from the strict gag order. The four librarians subsequently spoke out publicly against the misuse and dangers of the Patriot Act.
In 2003, ALA issued a resolution to multiple government agencies advocating for tighter restrictions on the Patriot Act as they infringed on the privacy of library users that is “essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association.” ALA also encouraged libraries to educate their communities about the Patriot Act, how it could affect their privacy at the library, and urged libraries to enact new patron privacy and record retention policies that limit the amount of stored personal information. Though Section 215 of the Patriot Act expired in 2015, ALA continues to fight and advocate for patron privacy in order to keep libraries a safe space for information and intellectual freedom.
IMAGE: George Christian, Peter Chase, Barbara Bailey, and Jan Nocek—members of the Connecticut library consortium, Library Connection—gathered at the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. There, the group received the Paul Howard Award for Courage from ALA President Leslie Burger after refusing to deliver detailed personal information of library patrons to the FBI in 2005.
Members and volunteers in the LBC program helped New Orleans’ communities through a variety of service projects, including reshelving, cataloging, and updating collections throughout the city’s public and school libraries. Eight years prior, during ALA’s 1998 Midwinter Meeting held in New Orleans, members organized a similarly focused full day of volunteer work in the community. The success of both these efforts inspired ALA members to create the LBC program and give back to the local communities serving as hosts to various ALA annual meetings.
In the years following the establishment of the LBC program, ALA and the LBC program returned to New Orleans multiple times to assist with library services and facilitate partnerships with other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and local food banks. ALA members, volunteers, and conference attendees also helped give back to many other communities through conference-adjacent service initiatives, resource sharing, and funding.
“Thanks to each and every one of you for your service in your communities. And thanks to the ALA leadership for your commitment to the New Orleans community. ALA is the first organization to hold a major convention in this city since last summer’s hurricanes, and this gathering is an important step in New Orleans’ rebirth as a convention destination, which is vital to this area’s long-term economic recovery.” –Former First Lady Barbara Bush, 2006 ALA Conference
IMAGE: (Left) First Lady Laura Bush speaking at ALA’s 2006 Annual Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Speaking to ALA members, the First Lady remarked, “I know ALA shares this commitment to rebuilding Gulf Coast libraries. ALA members have raised more than $300,000 to help libraries affected by the storms restore their materials collections. And during this conference, many ALA members are giving their time and energy to local libraries left understaffed by the hurricanes.” Photo credited to the National Archives and Records Administration. (Right-Top) ALA volunteers working at the reopening of the Children's Resource Center in New Orleans during the 2006 Annual Conference. After being damaged in Hurricane Katrina, ALA and library vendors Highsmith, Inc., and Bretford teamed up to renovate the interior of the Children’s Resource Center, which is housed in a historic Carnegie Library building. The library is on the National Register of Historic Places and was one of the first libraries in New Orleans to be refurbished in the aftermath of the hurricane. Photo by Jackson Hill Photography New Orleans. (Right-Bottom) ALA volunteers pictured with cleared debris from the Nora Navra Library. All thirteen branches of the New Orleans Public Library system were damaged in Hurricane Katrina, and eight of those thirteen locations were completely destroyed, including Nora Navra.
Hayden, a professional librarian who headed both the Chicago Public Library and Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, was the first person of color and first woman to hold the position of Librarian of Congress.
While serving as executive director of Enoch Pratt, Hayden was recognized for her work in modernizing the library system, and transforming her library into a community resource. Prior to and during her time as ALA president (2003-2004), Hayden also aided in establishing and ensuring financial support for the ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program, which recruits and provides scholarships to racially and ethnically diverse graduate students pursuing a career in librarianship. Her goal as Librarian of Congress was to “engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity,” achieved through widespread support for initiatives such as digitization of collections and expanding access to information for patrons.
Before Hayden’s confirmation, ALA members, staff, librarians, and library workers across the nation endorsed her and advocated for her appointment. ALA published fact sheets about her career, and encouraged the public to contact their senators in support of Hayden.
Despite her professional achievements and general approval, Hayden was unceremoniously fired in 2025 by President Donald Trump for “pursuit of DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] and putting inappropriate books in the library for children,” as stated by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The Library of Congress does not lend books to children, and all people under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult while in the library. Hayden’s dismissal sparked an outcry from librarians and library workers, and garnered statements of support for Hayden from major organizations, such as ALA.
IMAGE: (Inset) Dr. Carla Hayden pictured in 2015 as the Executive Director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. Dr. Hayden served as President of ALA from 2003 to 2004, during which she sat as Chair of ALA’s Committee on Accreditation and Spectrum Initiative. In a news release announcing her role as President of ALA, Dr. Hayden emphasized that “[w]e need to recommit ourselves to the ideal of providing equal access to everyone, anywhere, anytime and in any format, particularly those groups who are already underserved.” (Back) Dr. Carla Hayden served as the first woman and first African American to lead the Library of Congress—the main research arm for Congress and the world’s largest collection of books and media. She was nominated by President Barack Obama in February 2016 and served until 2025, when she was unceremoniously fired by President Donald Trump. Photo courtesy the Library of Congress.
ALA recognizes its documented history of negligence on anti-racism advocacy, and in 2018, published a statement honoring African Americans who fought library segregation, stating that “in many cases the American Library Association participated, both passively and actively, in the disenfranchisement of African American librarians, depriving them of the resources of professional association.”
The field of librarianship and ideas of libraries as public spaces holds a legacy of racial discrimination. Though slavery was already outlawed in 1876, the legacy of enslavement was entrenched in American life through segregation and other discriminatory policies which denied many BIPOC communities with access to housing, resources, jobs, education, and public spaces. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 officially desegregated these spaces by law; however, individuals upholding racist ideologies still enforced barriers to BIPOC communities, including in libraries. Segregated, southern libraries were largely ignored by the association. There were no national lawsuits filed to desegregate public libraries during the Civil Rights era and ALA still accepted segregated libraries as members.
However, many individual ALA members were committed to anti-racism and used their positions to promote racial equality. For example, many Black librarians—including E.J. Josey, A.P. Marshall, and Effie Lee Morris—worked to fight segregation in public libraries and founded the Black Caucus of the American Library Association in 1970. Members continue to push the organization towards diversity today, leading to the establishment of other caucuses, increased dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and education on racism in the library professions.
IMAGE: ALA’s June 2020 press release accepting and acknowledging the association’s role in upholding unjust systems of racism and discrimination against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) within the association and the profession. Pictured are Black librarians E.J. Josey (Right-Bottom), A.P. Marshall (Right-Middle) and Effie Lee Morris (Right-Top) – three pioneers…” who worked to dismantle segregation in public libraries and advocate for increased representation within the association. Members continue to champion their efforts by striving for a more diverse, accepting, and educated field of librarianship today.
The campaign was created in response to a record number of challenged books, with ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) reporting a 65% increase of books targeted for censorship compared to the previous year. Out of 1,247 demands for censorship documented by OIF in 2023, titles representing the voices and lives of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC people made up 47% of challenged books.
In launching UABB, ALA reaffirmed its commitment to defending the fundamental right to choose what we read. Today, the group of more than 200 partner organizations and thousands of individual members continues to provide advocacy tools to communities fighting censorship on a national level.
IMAGE: Unite Against Book Bans (UABB) provides an Action Toolkit for the public to unite in support of the freedom to read. The toolkit includes valuable assets, including talking points, resources to contact media and representatives, grassroots organizing methods, and social media tools such as this sample post graphic. Campaigns such as UABB and Banned Books Week shine a spotlight on the importance of the right to read and provide information on materials that may be suppressed by censorship. Courtesy of Unite Against Book Bans.
IMAGE: (Right) Former ALA President Cindy Hohl stands outside the courthouse for ALA’s first appearance in the Association and AFSCME’s lawsuit against the Trump Administration. (Left)The original filing sought declaratory and injunctive relief against the administration’s attempt to dismantle the Institute for Museum and Library Services—the only federal entity dedicated to funding libraries.
ALA is spending the year highlighting, reflecting, and acknowledging its history, including at our Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois—the long-standing home and headquarters of ALA. We will bring together the national library community to celebrate libraries, library workers, and the communities they support through educational programming, speakers, and exhibitors across the five-day event from June 25–29. We look forward to highlighting the hard work and achievements of the various ALA committees, divisions, Round Tables, and organizations, as well as providing networking and professional development opportunities that encourage and continue supporting ALA’s mission. The 150th anniversary celebrations in 2026 will not only embrace and share its century and a half of diverse history but also look toward the future of the ALA and libraries through new innovations and improved accessibility. For our libraries. For 150 years more.
We work towards the future with our mission in mind: “Empowering and advocating for libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all.”
Our members, librarians, library workers, and staff are guided by a commitment to our values: access, equity, intellectual freedom and privacy, public good, and sustainability. These principles work to ensure that when libraries thrive, everyone can succeed. We look forward to what we can accomplish together in the next 150 years.
Our 150th anniversary will include programs, celebrations, and moments of reflection—all powered by people like you. Whether you’re a lifelong librarian or new to the field, your voice matters. Join the movement to make this a year of impact.
Our 150th anniversary will include programs, celebrations, and moments of action—all powered by people like you. Whether you’re a lifelong librarian or a new member, your voice matters. Join the movement to make this a year of impact, not just remembrance.
Discover the people, policies, and pivotal moments that shaped the ALA—and the libraries we all rely on. Our anniversary blog is your behind-the-scenes look at the legacy we’re honoring and the future we’re building, with regular stories on how we’re celebrating.
Discover the people, policies, and pivotal moments that shaped the ALA—and the libraries we all rely on. Our anniversary blog is your behind-the-scenes look at the legacy we’re honoring and the future we’re building, with regular stories on how we’re celebrating.
In 1904, the Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown, Maryland, outfitted a wagon with bookshelves to serve as a mobile library unit to reach people who could not normally make it to the library. The idea soon spread to other parts of the country.
National Library Week: “For a Better-Read, Better-Informed America”
Sponsored by the National Book Committee, Inc., and in cooperation with the American Library Association, the first National Library Week was launched on March 16–22, 1958. Citing a 1957 survey showing that only 17% of Americans polled were reading a book, the inaugural National Library Week slogan was “Wake Up and Read!”
Library 21: ALA at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair
The American Library Association predicted the future 62 years ago in Seattle—the future of libraries, that is. They called their premonition “Library 21,” an exhibition at the 1962 World’s Fair.
A Look at ALA’s Historic Support for Small and Rural Libraries
In March 2022, ALA announced a new project in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, under ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative, to expand support for hundreds of small and rural libraries across the country.
Why Chicago? ALA Headquarters, 1909
Ask most ALA members why the Association’s headquarters is in Chicago, they’re likely to guess “center of the country.” Not so. ALA headquarters is in Chicago because in 1909 a group of Midwest librarians representing the interests of small public libraries outmaneuvered eastern librarians representing large library interests to wrest control of the Association the latter had held since 1876.
Oral Histories at the ALA Archives
Alongside written records, photographs, and publications, the American Library Association Archives also holds more than 150 interviews of librarians and library workers. These stories provide context to their lives and careers, how their experiences and education shaped their librarianship, and how certain events shaped their personal and professional lives.