ALA was founded in Philadelphia in 1876 amid the patriotic spectacle of our nation’s centennial celebrations. But it’s Chicago, the Association’s home for more than a century, that will welcome the library community for a milestone 150th anniversary celebration at the 2026 Annual Conference and Exhibition, to be held June 25–29 at the McCormick Place Convention Center. This year’s speakers, programs, and gatherings strike a balance between the retrospective and the speculative, as library workers and advocates stake out a brighter, stronger, and more inclusive and accessible future for libraries of all types.