On October 6, 1876, 103 librarians gathered in Philadelphia at the Centennial Exposition to create a new association for librarians: the American Library Association (ALA). For 150 years later, ALA has endured to help shape the library profession; to advocate for librarians and the freedom to read; and to influence the course of American history.
On this day of ALA’s founding, I Love Libraries and so many more across the country are celebrating in big ways.
Here in ALA’s home of Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson has officially proclaimed October 6, 2026, American Library Association Day in Chicago. The proclamation recognizes ALA’s impact on libraries in the city and nationwide.
While ALA works at the national level, the Association has called Chicago home since 1909, when it was offered free space within the Chicago Public Library.
ALA connections to Chicago run deep. William F. Poole, the first Head Librarian of Chicago Public Library and first librarian of the Newberry Library in Chicago, was a founding member and the second president of ALA. The ALA Board of Education for Librarianship helped coordinate the establishment of the first graduate library school in the U.S. at the University of Chicago. And since 1893, ALA has held its annual conference in Chicago 16 times, more than any other city in the U.S.
Mayor Johnson encouraged all Chicagoans to celebrate the day by visiting their local library, exploring its many resources, and thanking library workers for their service to our communities.
Read the full proclamation here.
The ALA Archives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the home of ALA’s records and ephemera—official records, members’ papers, correspondence, publications, photographs, audiovisual recordings, scrapbooks, and more. It’s a true treasure trove of ALA and library history that’s heavily used by historians, faculty, students, and ALA staff and members to study the history of librarianship, censorship, ALA’s role in national and international events, and more.
To celebrate ALA’s birthday, the Archives held an open house today where the interested and curious could view an exhibit on the Association’s history that wowed conference-goers at ALA’s 2026 Annual Conference in Chicago, eat some cookies, and walk away with some vintage Banned Books Week posters and other ALA swag like temporary tattoos.
Finally, here at I Love Libraries, we’re celebrating ALA’s birthday with a special episode of our “How I Library” podcast featuring library and ALA pioneer, Dr. Betty Turock.
Turock, who served as ALA President from 1995 to 1996, was a faculty member at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information for 22 years. She’s authored more than 100 books, articles, and reports, and was the founding editor of “The Bottom Line,” a journal dedicated to the study of library finances. And that just scratches the surface of her amazing life, one that includes being a champion of diversity in librarianship; an early proponent of the internet and equity of access to information for everyone; working with the Black Panther Party in the 1960s; speaking before Congress and the FCC on dozens of occasions; being profiled in the New York Times; and so much more.
Turock joins the podcast to discuss her incredible life and career, her legacy, her thoughts on the future of librarianship and ALA at 150 years, and so much more. This was a fun, insightful, and inspiring conversation—we can’t think of a better way to help ALA celebrate.
“How I Library” is available for download or streaming on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or listen below.
If you’d like to learn more about ALA and its rich history, visit ala150.org, where you can find thought pieces, researched histories, oral histories, timelines, and more detailing the Association’s impact on librarianship and American life.
How you can support libraries
With library funding being gutted and censorship on the rise, supporting libraries is more critical than ever. If you’re looking for a way to help, we urge you to become a Supporter of the American Library Association by donating.
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Feature image: An invitation to the founding members of ALA to attend a reception at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania on October 6, 1876. From the ALA Archives.
