While the American Library Association (ALA) is currently preparing for the celebration of its 150th anniversary in 2026, the occasion also offers the opportunity to look further into the future.
A panel of ALA and library leaders speculated on how the association might evolve to better serve libraries during “ALA at 150: Envisioning the Next 50 Years—How Will ALA Empower Libraries and Library Workers in 2076,” a June 28 session at ALA’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia.
Moderator Joe Thompson, director of public services for Carroll County (Md.) Public Library and chair of ALA’s Committee on Legislation, started the session by reciting the original aim of the Association, established in a resolution during the 1876 Convention of Librarians that formed it: “To enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense.”
“I think this is a statement that’s very transactional, when it needs to be inspirational,” said Stephanie Chase, ALA Executive Board member and executive director of Libraries of Eastern Oregon. While learning and efficiency will always be important, that statement is “so Henry Ford” and reflective of 1876 needs rather than modern and future librarianship.
Chase pointed to a proposed mission statement, “Empowering and advocating for libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all,” that ALA Council will be voting on in its sessions this weekend as a step toward a more forward-thinking option.
The panel discussed the complex structure of ALA and its relationship with chapters and other library associations. Emily Knox, interim dean and professor at the School of Information Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, recognized that ALA’s current structure can sometimes make it seem like the divisions work in opposition to one another.
Knox specifically highlighted ALA’s cost recovery model, which requires ALA units to formally recover costs from other units for services. “It’s one of my least favorite things of working with ALA,” she said.
Executive Board Member Kathy Carroll, director of Westwood High School Library in Blythewood, South Carolina, observed that ALA’s focus on intellectual freedom resonates with the public and especially young people. At the American Association of School Librarians’ 2023 National Conference in Tampa, Florida, she recalled a delegation of students from South Carolina: “They were outraged and indignant as only teens can be about censorship.”
Librarians trained the students in advocacy, but the students provided much-needed energy. “Something about seeing those young people so indignant invigorated the rest of us,” Carroll said.
Regardless of structure, the panel agreed that ALA remains a vital and valuable organization. “If being an ALA member was not important, certain people would not be working so hard to make it illegal for you to join ALA,” Knox reasoned.
