150 YEARS STRONG

THE OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY BLOG

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.

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

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.

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National Library Legislative Day, circa 1994.

150 Years of Advocacy for Libraries

Advocacy for libraries has been at the heart of the American Library Association’s (ALA) mission for 150 years. A new publication by ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy office highlights milestones and key accomplishments from ALA’s history. The resulting laws and initiatives have made an indelible impact on America’s libraries and the people they serve.

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

A Library for Librarians

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.

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A library worker helps a patron at the reference desk of Detroit Public Library, circa 1976. From the ALA Archives.

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.

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dList home page

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.

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The cover of Books Challenged or Banned in 2001-2002 list by Robert P. Doyle.

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.

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A detail from the Library Bill of Rights, 1967.

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.

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