The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. The organization is the oldest and largest library association in the world.Ghikas, Mary W. (2018). "The American Library Association," pp. 66-84 In McDonald, John D., and Michael Levine-Clark, eds. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences. Fourth edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2018.ALA Membership Statistics, 1900-2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20240409035701/https://www.ala.org/membership/updates. Wayback machine. Accessed June 14, 2024
History 19th century
During the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, 103 librarians (90 men and 13 women) responded to a call for a "Convention of Librarians" to be held October 4–6, 1876, at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
In his seminal essay "ALA at 100", Edward G. Holley describes how "the register was passed around for all to sign who wished to become charter members" at the end of the meeting, which is why the date of the founding of the ALA is considered to be .
Among the 103 librarians in attendance were:
Justin Winsor (Boston Public Library and Harvard University) William Frederick Poole (Chicago Public Library and Newberry College) Charles Ammi Cutter (Boston Athenæum) Melvil Dewey Charles Evans (Indianapolis Public Library) Richard Rogers Bowker
Attendees came from as far west as Chicago and from England. Another important founder was Frederick Leypoldt, publisher of Library Journal, who published the conference proceedings.
In 1879, the ALA was chartered in Massachusetts. From 1876 until 1885, Justin Winsor served as the first president of the ALA. Many early presidents were also officers in the Bibliographical Society of America.See List of presidents of the Bibliographical Society of America.
20th century
During World War I the ALA Executive Board initiated by Walter Lewis Brown established the Library War Service Committee to supply books and periodicals to military personnel at home and overseas.Young, Arthur P. Books for Sammies: The American Library Association and World War I. Beta Phi Mu chapbook, no. 15. Pittsburgh, Pa: Beta Phi Mu, 1981. The American Library in Paris was founded as part of this effort.
In the 1930s, library activists pressured the American Library Association to be more responsive to issues such as peace, segregation, library unions, and intellectual freedom. In 1931, the Junior Members Round Table (JMRT) was formed to provide a voice for the younger members of the ALA.(Samek, 2001, p. 7)
The first Library Bill of Rights (LBR) was drafted by Forrest Spaulding to set a standard against censorship and was adopted by the ALA in 1939. This has been recognized as the moment defining modern librarianship as a profession committed to intellectual freedom and the right to read.(Robbins, 1996, p. 166) ALA appointed a committee to study censorship and recommend policy after the banning of the novel The Grapes of Wrath in Kern County, California and the implementation of the Library Bill of Rights. The committee reported in 1940 that intellectual freedom and professionalism were linked and recommended a permanent committee – Committee on Intellectual Freedom.(McCook, 2011, p. 63) The ALA made revisions to strengthen the Library Bill of Rights in June 1948, approved the Statement on Labeling in 1951 to discourage labeling material as subversive, and adopted the Freedom to Read Statement and the Overseas Library Statement in 1953. The ALA has worked throughout its history to define, extend, protect and advocate for equity of access to information.| Submitted to the Executive Board of the American Library Association June 14, 2002.| ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)| ED462981| Retrieved December 21, 2011
In 1945, the ALA established an Office in Washington, D.C. named the National Relations Office under the direction of Paul Howard.Molumby, Lawrence, E. "ALA Washington Office: A Chronology of its First Fifty Years." American Library Association, Washington Office, May 1966.
In 1961, the ALA took a stand regarding service to African Americans and others, advocating for equal library service for all. An amendment to the Library Bill of Rights was passed in 1961 that made clear that an individual's library use should not be denied or abridged because of race, religion, national origin, or political views. Some communities decided to close their doors rather than desegregate.Rubin, R. E. (2010). Foundations of library and information science (3rd edn). New York: Neal-Schuman, p.294 In 1963, the ALA commissioned a study, Access to Public Libraries, which found direct and indirect discrimination in American libraries.(McCook, 2011, p. 55)
In 1967, some librarians protested against a pro-Vietnam War speech given by General Maxwell D. Taylor at the annual ALA conference in San Francisco; the former president of Sarah Lawrence College, Harold Taylor, spoke to the Middle-Atlantic Regional Library Conference about socially responsible professionalism; and less than one year later a group of librarians proposed that the ALA schedule a new round table program discussion on the social responsibilities of librarians at its annual conference in Kansas City. This group called themselves the Organizing Committee for the ALA Round Table on Social Responsibilities of Libraries. This group drew in many other under-represented groups in the ALA who lacked power, including the Congress for Change in 1969.(Samek, 2001, pp. 67–8) This formation of the committee was approved in 1969 and would change its name to the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) in 1971. After its inception, the Round Table of Social Responsibilities began to press ALA leadership to address issues such as library unions, working conditions, wages, and intellectual freedom.
The Freedom to Read Foundation was founded by Judith Krug, Alexander Allain, and Carrie C Robinson and established by ALA's executive board in 1969.(Samek, 2001, p. 69)
Centennial The American Library Association celebrated its centennial in 1976. In commemoration the association published Libraries and the Life of the Mind in America.Libraries and the Life of the Mind in America: Addresses Delivered at the Centennial Celebration of the American Library Association. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1977.
The American Library Association Archives, established at the time of the centennial, created an online exhibit which includes a history of the centennial. Clara Stanton Jones, president, Inaugural address was titled, "The First Step into ALA's Second Century."Clara Stanton Jones, "The First Step into ALA's Second Century," in Step into 200: American Library Association Gala Inaugural Banquet, July 23, 1976, Record series 5/1/1, Box 18, Folder: 1976.
1976–2000 In 1979 and 1991 the ALA collaborated with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science on two White House Conferences.Mathews, Virginia H. 2004. Libraries Citizens & Advocacy: The Lasting Effects of Two White House Conferences on Library and Information Services. Washington D.C.: White House Conference on Libraries and Information Services Taskforce.
In 1983 in response to the National Commission on Excellence in Education Report, A Nation at Risk, leaders in library and information science launched the project, "Libraries and the Learning Society." Librarians examined how public libraries, academic libraries, library and information science training institutions, and school library media centers could best respond to A Nation at Risk.
In June 1990, the ALA approved "Policy on Library Services to the Poor" and in 1996 the Task Force on Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty was formed to resurrect and promote the ALA guidelines on library services to the poor.(Berman, 2001, p. 12)
The Office for Information Technology Policy was established in 1995 to act as a public policy advocate for libraries in the area of information technology.Whitwell, Stuart C.A. 'Understanding the New Office for Information Technology Policy.' American Libraries. V. 26. Chicago: American Library Association, 1995
The "Congress on Professional Education" took place from April 30 to May 1, 1999, in Washington, D.C.Sullivan, Peggy. "The congress on professional education: Lessons learned from library school, past and future." American Libraries. 1999;30(7):14-15. Its purpose was to reach consensus among stakeholder groups on the values and core competencies of the profession and on strategies for action to address common issues and concerns.Reichel, Mary, and Marion T. Reid. "Reports from the Congress on Professional Education." College & Research Libraries News 60, no. 6 (June 1999): 473.American Library Association Congresses on Professional Education.
21st century At the beginning of the century The Congress on Professional Education recommended that the Association develop a set of Core Values.
In 2018, the ALA Council unanimously adopted a resolution acknowledging ALA's accountability for not participating in the fight against library segregation during the era of Jim Crow laws and honoring African American librarians who did fight, including Clara Stanton Jones, E. J. Josey, Albert P. Marshall, and Virginia Lacy. The day it was signed, ALA President Jim Neal read the resolution at an event where Joan Mattison Daniel of the Greenville Eight, Ethel Adolphe, Ibrahim Mumin, and Teri Moncure Mojgani shared their experiences participating in library protests and sit-ins during the 1960s. Two years later, ALA expanded its accountability to include the organization's history of "upholding unjust systems of racism and discrimination against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) within the association and the profession" and further resolved "to build a more equitable association" moving forward.
In 2023 the Public Library Association of ALA published the Public Library Services for Strong Communities Report addressing the myriad ways libraries nationwide serve and sustain their communities.Public Library Association. Public Library Services for Strong Communities Report: Results from the 2022 PLA Annual Survey. Chicago: Public Library Association, 2023 That same year, the Montana State Library Commission withdrew from the ALA, citing comments made by Emily Drabinski, who self-identified as a "Marxist lesbian".
The Digital Public Library Ecosystem was published by ALA in 2023. It is a comprehensive overview of the current state and operations of the relationships and roles of stakeholders including authors, agents, publishers, distributors, the library community, governments, and trade organizations.Noorda, Rachel and Kathi Inman Berens.2023. Digital Public Library Ecosystem American Library Association.
In 2024, in response to proposed Georgia legislation that would prohibit public expenditures on the ALA, the ALA responded that the legislation "is based on false narratives", and the ALA "does not promote any 'ideology'".American Library Association Opposes Proposed Georgia Legislation.American Library Association, February 5, 2024.
Also in 2024, Association received the Toni Morrison Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle.American Library Association to receive lifetime achievement award from National Book Critics Circle. American Library Association, January 25, 2024.
Also in 2024, the Library History Round Table published the "Bibliography of Library History" database containing over 7,000 entries for books, articles, and theses in library history and related fields published from 1990 to 2022.Bibliography of Library History American Library Association, Library History Round Table, April 24, 2024.