150 YEARS STRONG

ALA Wants to Hear from You During Its 150th Anniversary

The American Library Association (ALA) is seeking website and podcast contributions from ALA members as it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026.

We want stories from members that reflect their experiences with ALA, its legacy, and its history to be featured here at ala150.org and for an ALA oral-history audio series that will be broadcast on ALA’s How I Library podcast. These should be stories about the people, policies, and pivotal moments that shaped the Association, its core values (Access, Equity, Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, Public Good, Sustainability), and our country’s libraries.

These can be personal memories and/or researched stories that reflect the following themes:

    • Pivotal people and moments in ALA history—past, present, or future
    • Policy and impact: What has changed for libraries or communities
    • Member milestones: How ALA shaped your work and vice versa
    • Lessons learned: A reckoning with constructive next steps for ALA and its future

Or perhaps you’d like to share something but aren’t quite sure where to begin. Consider these prompts to kickstart some ideas about your time at ALA and/or ALA’s past, present, and future.

    • What happened? Why did it matter? What changed?
    • Who was affected and how do we know?
    • What should future ALA members remember or do differently?
Share your chapter in ALA's 150-year history. Pictured

You’ve got your idea. Great! Now what?

Please email a brief story pitch (approximately one paragraph in length) detailing your idea, whether its for ala150.org or the podcast, sources (if applicable), and any other pertinent information to Phil Morehart (pmorehart@ala.org) at the American Library Association.

Will you acknowledge receiving my story idea?

Story ideas will be acknowledged upon receipt.

When will I hear if my idea is accepted?

Confirmation or rejection of story idea and next steps, if applicable, will follow in 1-2 weeks.

What is the website and podcast’s style? What are you looking for in regards to tone?

Informal, but informative. Your stories must be inviting, engaging, and readable/listenable, with all statements backed by responsible research, if applicable. The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.) supplemented by specific ALA style will be used in editing articles for publication on the website.

How much editing should I expect?

On accepted website stories, ALA will retain the right to make editorial revisions, deletions, or additions that in their opinion support the article’s focus. Editors will make every possible effort to review copy with the author prior to publication, especially regarding any proposed substantive changes.

For the podcast, How I Library producer/host Phil Morehart will work with submitters to craft an engaging audio segment.

How long should my ala150 story be?

Stories should be 600–1,500 words in length and will be published on the website’s blog during the course of ALA’s 150th celebration year.

Would you like images to accompany the story?

Yes! If possible, please submit large photos and/or artwork (at 72 dpi) to accompany each story.

Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you!

150 YEARS STRONG

THE OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY BLOG

The exterior of the McCormick Mansion. An inconvenient office space or a mansion overrun by ghosts? From the ALA Archives.

Was ALA’s McCormick Mansion Haunted?

Cara Bertram October 27, 2026

Halloween is approaching and during this spooky season, the ALA Archives has been meditating upon one of ALA’s old headquarters, the McCormick Mansion. Why would ALA want to move out of the McCormick Mansion so quickly and destroy it? Was it because the mansion was … haunted?

USA PATRIOT Act files in the Office for Intellectual Freedom Subject File at the ALA Archives.

15 Years of Fear: ALA and the Patriot Act

ALA Archives October 23, 2026

October 26, 2001, marked the beginning of a 15-year-long struggle for the privacy rights of library users as a result of the USA PATRIOT Act being signed into law by President Bush. Prompted by the possibility of government agents ordering libraries to turn over patron information, ALA’s Washington Office created the “Guidelines for Librarians on the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act: What to do before, during and after a ‘knock at the door?’” which provided guidance on consulting legal counsel and reviewing policies.

A group of foreign delegates in Atlantic City during the ALA Fiftieth Anniversary Conference, October 1926.

Librarians Go on a Road Trip! The 1926 Foreign Delegate Post-Conference Excursion

ALA Archives October 15, 2026

In early October 1926, almost 60 librarians from 25 countries gathered in Atlantic City and Philadelphia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American Library Association along with more than 2,000 American librarians. By all accounts, the conference was a great success. But the best part of this all-expenses-paid trip to the U.S. didn’t happen during the actual meeting: When the conference ended, about 30 international delegates went on a multi-state excursion, visiting 12 cities in the span of two weeks.

How I Library podcast with Betty Turock

Celebrating ALA’s Birthday in Conversation with Dr. Betty Turock

Phil Morehart October 6, 2026

In a special episode of the “How I Library” podcast commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Library Association, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with one of the key figures in the history of the Association and librarianship, Dr. Betty Turock.