The ALA Archives has an exhibit this month curated by Ella McDonald in the Center for Children’s Books at the School of Information Sciences. The exhibit opens on October 4th for the Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE) conference and explores the history of school librarians and the role of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association. You can see a preview of the exhibit here but make sure to stop by the Center for Children’s Books to view the exhibit. You can also visit the American Library Association Archives to find more materials about school librarians in the United States.
AASL was established as a committee within the American Library Association (ALA) at the December 1914 Midwinter Meeting However, AASL’s origins can be traced back further to the Round Table of Normal and High School Librarians, which first met in 1913, and the Committee on Cooperation with the National Educational Association (later the School Libraries Committee), which was formed in 1896, and merged with the School Libraries Section in 1935.
In 1951, AASL was granted division status, allowing the organization more autonomy within ALA. Division status allowed the organization to publish its own journal, School Library Research, to develop their own professional standards, and to create standards for the quality of services provided.
Today, AASL is centering engagement in its strategic plan. This includes the promotion of high standards, professional development for school librarians, and advocacy for the inclusion of library programs in discussion of education. These goals are supported by the 2018 New National School Library Standards which focus on the important role school librarians play in helping teachers go beyond the curriculum to further student curiosity and learning.
Alongside the creation of national organizations for school librarians, local organizations for school librarians have also emerged. In Illinois, the Illinois School Library Media Association, which would later become the Association of Illinois School Library Educators, was founded March 3, 1988. AISLE gave school library media professionals in Illinois a formal organization that could advocate for school libraries, facilitate professional development, and protect intellectual freedom. ISMA’s first conference in October 1988 attracted 411 attendees. By the end of the year, over 500 school library media specialists had become members.
To see more materials from the American Association of School Librarians or about school librarians, visit our exhibit at the Center for Children’s Books in the School of Information Sciences, on view from October 4 to the end of the Fall 2025 semester, and visit the ALA Archives to see the full collection!