150 YEARS STRONG

Oral Histories at the ALA Archives

Alongside written records, photographs, and publications, the American Library Association (ALA) Archives also holds more than 150 interviews of individual librarians and library workers. These oral histories and interviews provide a vital resource of librarian recollections that may not be otherwise found in administrative records, photographs, and correspondence. These stories told by librarians and library workers 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.

While the ALA Archives does not currently have its own active oral history program, the Archives collects and supports projects that capture the voices of librarians and library workers as part of its mission to preserve the history of librarianship. Here is a small selection of the oral history projects and interviews that the Archives holds.

Association for Library Service to Children Oral History Project File

This collection of cassette tapes, transcripts, and correspondence from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) includes interviews with prominent American children’s librarians such as Effie Lee Morris, Spenser Shaw, Mildred Batchelder, and Peggy Sullivan. It also includes documentation of the project itself with meeting minutes, reports, press releases, and the charge.

Arro Smith “Capturing Our Stories” Oral Histories Program

The Capturing Our Stories oral history program started as an initiative launched by 2007-2008 ALA President Loriene Roy to record the oral histories of retiring librarians. A. Arro Smith donated the recordings and transcripts to the Archives, which include oral histories from notable ALA members such as Sanford Berman, Sarah Long, and Rita Auerbach. Smith published the interviews with Roy in the book, “Capturing Our Stories: An Oral History of Librarianship in Transition.”

oral histories at the ala archive graphic
File from the ALSC Oral History Project

Herbert Biblo Interview

Not long before he passed away, the Library Pros podcast did an interview with the late librarian Herbert Biblo, retired director of the Long Island Library Resource Council and an ALA member who served on Council, as Treasurer, and was a prominent member of the Social Responsibilities Round Table. The interview covered Biblo’s personal life, education, activism, professional work, and service in ALA. The Library Pros generously provided the ALA Archives with a copy of the interview to preserve this record of Biblo’s life in his own words. The full interview and a video are publicly available here. 

Preservation Librarians Oral Histories

This collection of oral histories provides a unique perspective into the preservation and conservation of library and special collections by interviewing preservation librarians from academic, private, and government institutions. This project was conducted by the ALCTS Preservation and Reformatting Section Oral History Project Working Group. The audio recordings and timed logs are available in the ALA Institutional Repository.

“Women of Color in Librarianship: An Oral History”

Within the Kathleen de la Peña McCook Papers are the transcripts, correspondence, and project history of “Women of Color in Librarianship: An Oral History,” edited by McCook. These interviews provide a space for underrepresented librarians to tell their stories and experiences in the library profession. Interviewees include Augusta Baker, Clara Stanton Jones, Elizabeth Martinez, and Lotsee Patterson. Find a copy of the book at your nearest library! 

Rainbow Round Table Oral History Project

This collection contains oral histories with Rainbow Round Table members for the fiftieth anniversary of the round table. Currently, the collection includes audio and video recordings of the interviews, along with transcripts. Interviewees include Kay Tobin Lahusen, Ann Symons, Dee Michel, and Michael McConnell. Look out for an upcoming web portal with access to the interviews!

Cassette tapes from the ALSC Oral History Project.
Cassette tapes from the ALSC Oral History Project.

Have a project pertaining to the oral histories of librarians and library workers and want to deposit them? Want to access any of the above oral histories or curious about our other collections? Contact the ALA Archives and we’ll be happy to help you!

 

This story first appeared on the ALA Archives blog on September 28, 2021.

150 YEARS STRONG

THE OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY BLOG

Detail of letter from Lynn Blaylock to the Intellectual Freedom Committee.

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Due to communist hysteria before and after World War II, many organizations and publications were under suspicion of being affiliated with or promoting the Communist party, including Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, the product testing and consumer advocacy magazine. As a result, Ohio schools banned the use of Consumer Reports in the classroom. While the ban was short-lived, the questions about it were not and the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee noticed the attempts to ban the publication.

A detail from the Library Bill of Rights, 1967.

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A Seat at the Table feature graphic

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The School of Economy at Columbia College in New York City, class of 1888. Photo: ALA Archives

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American Libraries May 12, 2026

As the American Library Association (ALA) celebrates 150 years, we’re drawing inspiration from key events since its 1876 founding: from the first conventions and library schools, through wartime and the fight for civil rights, to seismic technological advancements and the existential threats of the current moment. Though not a comprehensive timeline of library history, the milestones collected here demonstrate lasting impact and how libraries and the profession are intertwined with the American story itself—as repositories of memory, arenas of debate, and enduring instruments of democratic life.

Keynote speaker and author Phoebe Eng signing books

Shared Visions: The National Conference on Asian/Pacific American Librarians

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In 2001, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association and the Chinese American Librarians Association partnered to host the first and only National Conference on Asian/Pacific American Librarians. The theme, Shared Visions: Heritages, Scholarship, Progress, was chosen “with a sincere commitment to representing the rich diversity of East, South and Southeast Asian and Pacific American ethnicities, cultures and communities.”