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.
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.
Before women were allowed to vote in U.S. elections, the American Library Association (ALA) found its leadership in Theresa West Elmendorf. In 1911, more than 30 years after the founding of ALA, Elmendorf was elected the first female president of the Association.
Explore ALA and Library History with Wayne Wiegand
In a special episode of ALA’s “How I Library” podcast, show host and I Love Libraries editor Phil Morehart speaks with library historian and author Wayne Wiegand about the beginnings of ALA as the Association celebrates its 150th anniversary.
ALA Hidden Figures: Carrie Robinson
On May 14, 1969, Carrie Coleman Robinson, a Black school librarian in Alabama, brought a landmark case to the US District Court. After being passed over for a promotion, Robinson sued Alabama’s Department of Education alleging that she had been denied equal protection as a department employee because of her race. Robinson’s case, and long career as a librarian, reveals much about the Jim Crow South and librarianship in the civil rights era.
ACRL: ALA’s First Division and a Home for Academic Library Workers
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. In 1940, it also became the American Library Association’s first formal division. But the road to unlocking division status was longer and more winding than you might imagine.
Women in the White City: Lessons from the Woman’s Building Library at the Chicago World’s Fair
The Woman’s Building and its library at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago stood as shining examples of what women could accomplish.