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.
Jesse Jackson and a Legacy of Library Activism
Throughout his life of activism and public service, Rev. Jesse Jackson consistently championed libraries as centers of knowledge where individuals and communities can learn about their past, present, and future.
Clara S. Jones: ‘Awareness is Not Burdened with Repression; It Is Liberating’
During the 1975 American Library Association Annual Conference, Clara Stanton Jones was announced as the vice president and president-elect of the American Library Association. Her term as president would start during ALA’s 1976 Centennial Conference, a fitting celebration for the first African American President of the Association.
Action, Not Reaction: Integrating the Library Profession
In the midst of the Civil Rights era in America, librarians were battling for and against segregated libraries in the South, however they were also battling over integration within their own ranks. Integration of the library profession was a long process that started in the early 20th century.
Why I’m Supporting ALA’s 150th Anniversary: A Personal Reflection
Overdrive founder and CEO Steve Potash details his lifelong love and support of libraries and his role in celebrating ALA’s 150th anniversary this year, including the announcement of a $500,000 donation challenge.
Henry and Edith Carr, ALA’s Golden Couple
With Valentine’s Day approaching, we remember possibly the most famous ALA couple of all time, Henry and Edith Wallbridge Carr. Married for 43 years and active in ALA for even longer, the Carrs were well-known within the library community of the late 19th and early 20th century. Where did their romance begin? At an ALA conference, of course!
A Short History of the ALA Logo
The first American Library Association (ALA) logo appeared as the Association launched its Library War Service during World War I, with many more iterations following over the course of almost 100 years.
Librarians, Segregated: The 1936 ALA Annual Conference
Stanley J. Kunitz, editor of the Wilson Bulletin, called it the “The Spectre at Richmond” —but the racial discrimination at the 1936 American Library Association Annual Conference was no ghostly apparition
Newbery: Letters from the Authors
For more than a century, the American Library Association has honored children’s authors with the John Newbery Medal. From the earliest years of the award, its prestige was not lost upon the authors who received it. Letters written by awardees to the Newbery Medal Committee chairs reveal their excitement upon receiving the news.
In 1921, Frederic Melcher, a publisher, bookseller, and chairman of the Children’s Book Week Committee, proposed the idea of a medal to be awarded in recognition of children’s literature and for it to be named after John Newbery, an 18th century British bookseller and children’s books publisher. With a growing audience for children’s books, more librarians being trained in children services, and the emergence of children’s book departments in publishing companies, the time seemed right for such an award and the idea gained traction.
The Caldecott Medal: ‘A Hasty Idea Thrown Out’
The Caldecott Medal is of one of the most prestigious children’s book awards in the world. Established in 1937 to recognize the most distinguished American picture book for children, the first medal was awarded in 1938 to Dorothy P. Lathrop for the book, “Animals of the Bible.” However, the idea was first presented in 1935 in a letter by Frederic G. Melcher.