Call for Proposals: Shape ALA’s 150th Anniversary Conference - ALA150

150 YEARS STRONG

Call for Proposals: Shape ALA’s 150th Anniversary Conference

By Jan Carmichael

September 11, 2025

The ALA 2026 Annual Conference & Exhibition, June 25–29, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois will be a milestone event marking ALA’s 150th Anniversary. The Annual Conference explores key challenges and opportunities facing libraries, with professional development rooted in timely research, innovation, and best practices. For the 2026 conference, programming will include a broad variety of perspectives that celebrate, commemorate, or educate about the impact that ALA and our affiliate partners have made on the profession and on libraries nationally and internationally over the last 150 years – or will make in the next 150 years. An ALA 150^th tag will be used to designate programs that fall into this content category.

Opportunities to contribute to Annual programming include proposing education programs or posters, organizing preconferences, in partnership with an ALA office or division, coordinating President/Chair programs, and more. ALA accepts a wide variety of program, meeting and event submissions for Annual Conference.

We invite member groups to discuss opportunities to engage around the 150^th anniversary and consider submitting ideas to enhance our programming. There are two engagement opportunities currently open: education programs and posters.

Education programs are 60 minutes in length, which may include 10-15 minutes of Q & A. There are nine proposal juries to choose from when submitting a proposal: one of ALA’s eight Divisions or the ALA jury (which includes representation from Round Tables, Offices, and Affiliates).

Poster sessions include six poster categories, and poster presenters share their posters as part of a 90-minute session.

Visit the ALA 2026 Annual Conference website for more information, including submission guides and links to the submission sites.

Both submission sites will close on Monday, September 22 at 11:59PM Eastern.

Be on the lookout in November for other ways to participate, including Meetings and Events, Ticketed Events (includes preconferences and tours), President/Chair Programs, and Now Showing films.

150 YEARS STRONG

THE OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY BLOG

ALA members attending the Annual Conference in Montreal made a side trip to McGill University, where they posed for this photo on June 9, 1900.

Things You Didn’t Know About ALA History, 1876–1900

George Eberhart September 17, 2026

American Libraries highlights little-known moments from ALA’s first 25 years of existence.

Garfield at a kick-off event for the National Library Card Sign-Up Campaign with ALA President, Margaret E. Chisholm, Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, NCLIS chairman Jerald C. Newman.

A Library Card for Every Child

Cara Bertram September 9, 2026

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a national campaign to emphasize the importance of library cards to a child’s education and to combat illiteracy. The campaign first started in 1987 as a response to then Secretary of Education, William Bennett, who stated: “Let’s have a campaign … Every child should obtain a library card and use it.”

ALA’s 150 in United States’ 250: Democracy in the Making

Maria McCauley September 2, 2026

ALA’s work at 150 is inextricably intertwined with the work of advancing the United States of America’s 250 and libraries across the globe. We are a vital part of democracy in the making.

Harry Clemons signature.

Harry Clemons: The ALA in Siberia

Cara Bertram August 24, 2026

During World War I, most ALA-operated libraries were stationed in U.S.-based military camps. However, a small number of librarians were sent overseas to help distribute books and run libraries. Harry Clemons was one such librarian.

Colleen Barbus, librarian and archivist for the ALA Library in Chicago. Photo: Lauren Ehle

A Library for Librarians

American Libraries August 17, 2026

Since ALA headquarters moved in 2020 to its present location at Chicago’s 225 North Michigan Avenue, ALA Librarian Colleen Barbus has presided over a completely reimagined in-house library.

Carnegie Library, Washington D.C., 1910. From the ALA Archives.

You’ve Got Mail: Carnegie Libraries, As Seen Through Library Postcards

ALA Archives August 11, 2026

On the anniversary of industrialist and library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s death on August 11, 1919, we’re taking a look at one of his lasting legacies—the Carnegie library.