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.
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.
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.
The Librarians’ and Library Workers’ Bill of Rights
During the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2026 Annual Conference in Chicago, ALA Council passed a resolution calling for the adoption and recognition of the Librarians’ and Library Workers’ Bill of Rights, a landmark framework affirming the dignity, safety and professional rights of library workers across all sectors.
The Future of Librarians: dLIST, a Story the Commons Keeps
The history of the Digital Library of Information Science and Technology (dList), the library field’s first open access disciplinary repository for Library and Information Science scholarship, shows what happens when a profession’s stated values and its institutional choices diverge at a technological inflection point.
For the Cornerstones of Our Communities: ALA and the Freedom to Read
Shortly after ALA was founded, it became clear that libraries needed a voice in government. ALA’s intertwined Public Policy and Advocacy Office and Office for Intellectual Freedom are that presence, ensuring that libraries and library professionals receive the support that allow them to succeed at providing equitable access to information for all.
The History of the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund
To financially support librarians who have been denied employment rights or discriminated against on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, religion, age, disability, or place of national origin or denied employment rights because of their defense of intellectual freedom, ALA created the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund, named in honor of a staunch defender of intellectual freedom and editor of ALA’s Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom.
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.
How Sustainability Became a Core Value of ALA
The adoption of sustainability as a core value shows what’s possible when dedicated ALA members take the time to listen, learn, evolve, and chart a new path forward, strengthening our ability to remain relevant and responsive for another 150 years.
Desegregating Public Libraries: The Untold Stories of Civil Rights Heroes in the Jim Crow South
On Sunday, June 24, 2018, the governing Council of American Library Association passed a historic resolution that “apologizes to African Americans for wrongs committed against them in segregated public libraries” and commends those “who risked their lives to integrate public libraries for their bravery and courage in challenging segregation in public libraries and in forcing public libraries to live up to the rhetoric of their ideals.”
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.
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.