150 YEARS STRONG

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.

Melcher established the Newbery Medal in 1921 for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” While the medal was met was great enthusiasm, some felt that the award excluded books for younger children. Writing on behalf of the Association for Childhood Education, Professor May Hill Arbuthnot of Western Reserve University communicated this concern to Elizabeth Briggs, the Newbery Committee chair, in 1935.

Caldecott Award Seal

Arbuthnot expressed the Association’s gratitude towards the Newbery Medal, citing that it stimulated better writing in children’s literature. However, she noted that the books chosen for the award “almost crossed over into the field of literature for young people rather than for children.”[1] The Association was concerned that books for young children were not being recognized. Arbuthnot pressed that there was a “hope that the Committee for the Newbery Award will consider carefully the field of literature for young children both because no award has ever been made at that level and also because the stimulation of such a distinction is greatly needed.”[2] Arbuthnot proposed that the Newbery could be awarded to books for the youngest children every so many years or that a Junior Newbery Award be established.

The letter came too late the sway any decisions made by the Newbery Committee for that awards cycle, but Briggs took the liberty of forwarding Arbuthnot’s letter to Melcher.[3] While Melcher did not weigh in on the decisions made by the Newbery selection committees, he remained involved in the awards process. He was a source of advice to committee chairs, paid for the medals to be struck and shipped, notified publishers of the award bestowed upon their authors, and encouraged publicity for Newbery, conscious of its prestige and influence. He was instantly intrigued by the idea of another award for literature for younger children.

Writing to Briggs, Melcher mused, “… the Executive Committee of the Children’s Section might think of possible plans for extending the influence of the award.”[4] He immediately dismissed the idea of having an award only every so many years as he felt the volume of children’s literature was so great that it would produce an outstanding book. Instead, Melcher thought an award should be given every year to be announced at the same time as the Newbery, though it had to be different enough to distinguish the two awards. He even came up with the name, “This might be called the Caldecott Award, for example.”[5] Then in the closing sentence to his letter, Melcher wrote, “This is only a hasty idea thrown out …”[6]

Frederic G. Melcher, 1926
Frederic G. Melcher, 1926
Letter from Melcher to Briggs, May 9, 1935.
Letter from Melcher to Briggs, May 9, 1935.

In a letter less than ten sentences long, Melcher created a preliminary sketch for what would become the Randolph Caldecott Medal. In hindsight, Melcher’s own downplaying of his idea is humorous as his “hasty idea” gained traction and became one of ALA’s most enduring and prestigious book awards.

Sources

[1] May Hill Arbuthnot to Elizabeth Briggs, April 26, 1935, Awards File, 1934-2009, Record Series 24/2/8, Box 3, Folder: Newbery Medal Committee, 1935.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Elizabeth Briggs to May Hill Arbuthnot, May 7, 1935, Awards File, 1934-2009, Record Series 24/2/8, Box 3, Folder: Newbery Medal Committee, 1935.

[4] Frederic Melcher to Elizabeth Briggs, May 9, 1935, Awards File, 1934-2009, Record Series 24/2/8, Box 3, Folder: Newbery Medal Committee, 1935.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

Images from the ALA Archives.

150 YEARS STRONG

THE OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY BLOG

ALA posters

Posters of Progress: Mapping ALA’s History Through Library Poster Art

American Libraries June 9, 2026

From wartime appeals to celebrity-studded reading campaigns, library posters have long captured the evolving role of libraries in American life. This feature traces ALA’s history through some of its most iconic visuals. Together, these images chart a story of the profession’s unflinching ideals of access, literacy, and intellectual freedom, showcasing how libraries continue to reimagine their place in public life.

An index card tracking an ALA conference exhibition hall exhibitor from 1924-1947.

The Heartbeat of the Hall: 150 Years of Exhibitors Who Shaped Our Conference

ALA Conference Services June 3, 2026

Every year as the doors of ALA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition swing open, the exhibition hall comes alive. It is a ritual that has been repeated, refined, and reimagined throughout ALA’s 150-year history. And at the center of it all, providing the innovations, solutions, and partnerships that have propelled our profession forward, are the exhibitors. To mark this milestone, we look back at the rich history of exhibitors at the conference—where it began, how it grew, and why, 150 years on, the exhibition floor remains one of the most vital spaces in our professional world.

Librarian at the Reference Desk in Camp Johnston Library, from the ALA Archives.

Charles R. Green at Camp Johnston: ‘We Can Find Such a Man’

Cara Bertram May 28, 2026

During the summer of 1918, Charles Green, a librarian from the Massachusetts Agriculture College, served as the Acting Librarian for Camp Johnston in Jacksonville, Florida. While his tenure was brief, the Charles R. Green Papers in the American Library Association (ALA) Archives reveal Green’s rapid appointment and promotion. It also shows how quickly circumstances could change within the ALA’s Library War Service and the adaptability of its volunteers.

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

‘Nothing Could Have Astonished Me More’: The Challenge of Consumer Reports

Cara Bertram May 21, 2026

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.

The History of the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund

Faith McConnon May 19, 2026

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.