ALA history Archives | Page 2 of 2 | American Libraries Magazine

ALA's first permanent headquarters at 50 East Huron Street opened in 1963.

The Saga of Huron Plaza

By Wayne A. Wiegand | May 5, 2016

ALA hoped to add 25,000 square feet of office space by taking title to the ground and six floors in the new building, then lease three of those six floors to offset expenses for furnishing and finishing the new space and renovating 50 East Huron Street. Many doubted the wisdom of the move. That ALA … Continue reading The Saga of Huron Plaza →

National Library Week

By Wayne A. Wiegand | April 13, 2016

By any measure, the event was a huge success: Some 68 million subscribers to 22 national magazines could read well-placed articles about libraries. A total of 170 million homes served by radio and TV could hear or view 14 network programs on libraries. Readers could glean 11,607 stories celebrating libraries running in newspapers at the … Continue reading National Library Week →

US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Dartmouth President John Sloan Dickey at the Dartmouth College commencement, June 14, 1953. Courtesy of Dartmouth College Library

The Freedom to Read

By Wayne A. Wiegand | March 15, 2016

Eisenhower’s words shocked many because they constituted his first public challenge to McCarthyism—an ethos enveloping the country at the time and fed by Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.), who inferred communist conspiracies everywhere in American culture, including books on the shelves of 194 information libraries that the US State Department operated in 61 foreign countries. Like-minded … Continue reading The Freedom to Read →

ALA officials stand in front of the Hall of Congresses at the St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904: (left to right) ALA President-Elect Ernest Cushing Richardson, former ALA President Reuben Gold Thwaites, and ALA President Herbert Putnam. Richardson wears one of the white buttons that identifies him as an ALA conference attendee. Credit: ALA Archives

Meet Me in St. Louis

By George M. Eberhart | February 19, 2016

Imagine a conference where, after listening to a “characteristic address” by Melvil Dewey—“full of the enthusiasm of invention and the ardor of prophecy, which never fails to kindle a responsive spark in his audience”—you venture out to ride on the biggest Ferris Wheel in the world, eat some new-fangled ice cream cones, watch Alexander Graham … Continue reading Meet Me in St. Louis →

First page of War Libraries: Official Organ of the War Service Committee, American Library Association, 1918.

The Library War Service

By Wayne A. Wiegand | February 18, 2016

The ALA established its Library War Service in 1917 to provide books and library services to US soldiers and sailors both in training at home and serving in Europe. This second book drive in early 1918 generated 3 million books, many going overseas, others ending up on the shelves of 36 training-camp libraries erected through … Continue reading The Library War Service →

After the 1894 ALA Annual Conference in Lake Placid, New York, attendees took an excursion by train and steamboat to Sagamore House on Lake George, where this photo was taken.

American Libraries Marks ALA’s 140th Anniversary

February 2, 2016

We are marking the occasion in print and online with features that showcase the Association’s rich history, including: a Pinterest board chronicling a visual history of ALA special ALA history-themed Throwback Thursday (#tbt) photos on Facebook and Twitter blog posts from Wayne A. Wiegand on ALA’s greatest moments throughout history, such as this first entry detailing the … Continue reading American Libraries Marks ALA’s 140th Anniversary →

Card from the first American Library Association conference in Philadelphia, October 4-6, 1876, possibly showing the library of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Present at the Creation

By Wayne A. Wiegand | January 29, 2016

The forces that brought them together were diverse. In 1875, US Commissioner of Education John Eaton was looking for a venue to announce a Special Report on Public Libraries he planned to publish the next year. On July 2, he asked Boston Public Library Director Justin Winsor about a library conference. (We don’t know whether … Continue reading Present at the Creation →

Latest Library Links

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Emma Ockerman writes: “In recent weeks, parents have complained to school boards in Missouri, Virginia, Texas, Florida, and other states about novels they consider to be obscene or inappropriate—most often, books that illuminate stories of marginalized identities. As a result, some districts have pulled books for review, while a handful of conservative politicians have seized upon the movement as a rallying cry to their side. In a few instances, parents or school board members have also tried to elevate their concerns to law enforcement.”

Vice, Nov. 22
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Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian write: “Libraries resist privatization because they are not just about the books. We could easily replace the transactional part of libraries with corporations, but we’d be left with a place where you come in, get your books, pay, and leave. You’d lose the opportunity to get help with homework or trade quilt patterns or meet people who are eager to recommend their favorite reads. And that’s just the surface of what libraries do, especially in a time when most other social services have been slashed. Author Deborah Fallows, after crisscrossing the nation, decided that libraries have become ‘second responders.’”

Lit Hub, Nov. 22
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In our November/December issue, we’ve got stats celebrating the culinary cornucopia found in books, libraries, and collections, including the number of classes offered annually through Free Library of Philadelphia’s Culinary Literacy Center (350), the number of copies that the novel Like Water for Chocolate has sold (4.5 million), and the number of individually wrapped Kraft Singles bound together in the book 20 Slices of American Cheese at University of Michigan’s Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library in Ann Arbor (20).

American Libraries Trend, Nov./Dec.
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Lara Ewen writes: “As a second pandemic holiday season rolls in, even the cheeriest folks are fraying a little around the edges. This year, give them effortless presents that will make their lives gentler, simpler, and sweeter. And since you could probably also use a little break, we’ve done most of the work for you by rounding up a collection of bookish gifts that, despite inflation, are still easy on the wallet (everything is under $50) and suitable for just about everyone on your list (including you).”

American Libraries feature, Nov. 23
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Emily Ashcraft writes: “Sonya Sones, author of The Opposite of Innocent, said she was ‘saddened and disturbed’ when she learned this week that a book she wrote was removed from four high school libraries in Salt Lake County (Utah). Although the book has sexual content, it was written in response to Sones’ experiences, and she hoped it would have a positive effect on teenagers who are in situations of abuse. The Opposite of Innocent is one of nine books that was removed by Canyons School District officials from high school libraries after a Sandy woman sent an email expressing concerns about the books’ content.

KSL-TV (Salt Lake City), Nov. 20
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The North Kansas City (Mo.) School District said November 22 that it’s returning All Boys Aren’t Blue and Fun Home to high school library shelves, according to a copy of a letter to families provided to The Associated Press by a spokeswoman, who said it was sent November 19. The books were pulled following parent concerns raised in a late October school board meeting. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri on Monday wrote a letter to school officials urging that the books be returned, arguing that banning the books would violate students’ First Amendment rights by restricting their access to ideas. Students had also petitioned to keep the books in libraries.

KSHB-TV (Kansas City, Mo.), Nov. 22
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April Umminger writes: “It‘s the time of year for soups, sautées, and stories! If you’re looking for a palate-cleansing nonfiction to listen to, this roundup has memoirs that are both sweet and salty. These audiobooks serve up the true stories of celebrity chefs, restaurant critics, movie stars, and famous foodies.”

Goodreads, Nov. 22

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