Category: ALA History

Books on Wheels

Posted on by Cara Bertram

In 1904, the Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown, Maryland, outfitted a wagon with bookshelves to serve as a mobile library unit to reach people who could not normally make it to the library. A few times a week, the book wagon was able to reach rural areas of the county and deliver books to residents.

BookWagon
Pamphlet by the ALA, 1921, RS: 29/7/4

The Washington County Free Library book wagon would meet a tragic end in 1910 when it was struck by a freight train at a railway crossing. This event would suspend the county’s library extension service as there were no funds to purchase a new wagon. However, in 1912, a generous donation of $2,500 by William Kealhofer, Esq. allowed the library to replace the book wagon. Instead of getting another horse drawn wagon, the library purchased a truck that could be fitted with shelves to hold 300 books.[1] The truck allowed the library to extend its reach by being able to add more routes. Continue reading “Books on Wheels” →

Library Service to Prisoners, 1936-39

Posted on by Lydia Tang
Prison Library Unit, Chillicothe OH, 1941
From Record Series 18/1/57, Folder: “Prison Libraries, 1936-1957”

In the mid-1930s, the American Library Association formed a Committee on the Libraries of the American Prison Association.  Found in Record Series 23/40/5, this collection contains the Committee’s surveys[1] from 1936-38 of prison libraries across the nation; reports on prison librarianship which include historical information on recommended book titles and magazine subscriptions, cataloging, circulation protocols, staffing, readership habits, and testimony from prisoners; correspondence[2] of librarians, prison administrators, and prisoners; and a selection of prison newsletters and newspaper clippings. Continue reading “Library Service to Prisoners, 1936-39” →

Librarians in Uniform

Posted on by Denise Rayman

Continuing our coverage of ALA during World War I, this post will highlight the now very rare uniforms of the first military librarians. The Library War Service was not unique in having a uniform, as many volunteer groups active in World War I had their own distinctive uniforms, notably the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. However, World War I was the first war when many women had the opportunity to wear a uniform while serving their country, and these particular uniforms are especially interesting: as they embody a time in which women were were first starting to get official status within the military, as well as beginning to exert more power in the leadership of librarianship in general and ALA in particular.

Continue reading “Librarians in Uniform” →

After the Eleventh Hour

Posted on by Cara Bertram
"Your Next Job and Where to Look For It" RS: 89/1/13
“Your Next Job and Where to Look For It,” Record Series 89/1/13

Veterans Day honored the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, bringing an end to the fighting of the Great War.  Angela Jordan has already detailed the work done by the American Library Association during the war, however the ALA’s role did not end on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  The time after the signing of the armistice would actually account for one of the busiest periods for the ALA during the war. Continue reading “After the Eleventh Hour” →

“Lots of Love (of both the revolutionary and non-revolutionary kind)”: the History of the ALA’s GLBT Round Table

Posted on by Denise Rayman
A Gay Liberation March Flyer, found in RS 49/35/1.
A flyer for a Gay Liberation march, found in the GLBT Round Table Subject Files, Record Series 49/35/1.

The GLBT Round Table is a group with a lot of firsts. Formed during the 1970 Annual Conference in Chicago as the “Gay Liberation Task Force,” a part of the larger Social Responsibilities Round Table, they were the first profession-based gay organization. [1] The next year, they established the first award for gay literature, now called the Stonewall Award. That same year they also published the first gay bibliography, which was a response to the lack of gay-positive books in libraries.

Continue reading ““Lots of Love (of both the revolutionary and non-revolutionary kind)”: the History of the ALA’s GLBT Round Table” →

40 Years of ALA Archives at the U of I

Posted on by Cara Bertram
One of many photos at the ALA Archives
Book Week Publicity, circa 1940. One of many photos at the ALA Archives.

With its approaching centennial in 1976, the American Library Association noticed the increased interest in the history of the librarianship and the association by historians, writers and archivists.  Because of this greater awareness in their records, the ALA expressed concern over the management of their archives and the preservation of their history.  At the time, most of the ALA archives were housed in a warehouse in Chicago and, while it was conveniently located near ALA Headquarters, the records were not easily accessible.  The ALA Librarian and staff had worked hard to care for the archives, however it was a great task in addition to their other obligations. [1]

Continue reading “40 Years of ALA Archives at the U of I” →

Banned Books Week

Posted on by Cara Bertram
"Open Your Mind To A Banned Book," 2003.
“Open Your Mind To A Banned Book,” 2003.

This week is the 31st annual Banned Books Week, an event when the American Library Association and numerous other sponsors encourage the reading of banned and challenged books.  The week was first inspired by the success of the Banned Book Exhibit at an American Booksellers Association (ABA) convention in 1982, which featured almost 500 banned and challenged books.[1] Continue reading “Banned Books Week” →

“To meet him was to always meet an old friend”: F. W. Faxon

Posted on by Lydia Tang

In honor of the upcoming American Library Association Conference:

A TOAST TO THE TRAVEL COMMITTEE
(Tune: “Lord Goffrey Amherst was a soldier of the King.”)

Oh, here’s to Mr. Faxon and our jolly A. L. A.
And the travel committee too,
And here’s to Mr. Phelan, who has left us by the way,
And forsaken our merry crew,
And here’s to Mr. Brown, who came direct from Brooklyn town;
To chaperone the party was his cue.
And here’s to Mr. Wellman, who’s our leader all the way,
and last, but not least, HERE’S TO YOU.

Chorus: A. L. A., A. L. A.,
‘Tis a name that’s known
From sea to sea,
A. L. A., A. L. A.;
From the A. L. A. are we. [1] 

ala-9901014-5-004
A Group of Librarians in Colorado
Record Series 99/1/14

Continue reading ““To meet him was to always meet an old friend”: F. W. Faxon” →

American Library in Paris

Posted on by Lydia Tang

As described by Director Dorothy Reeder, the American Library in Paris was a “war baby, born out of that vast number of books sent to the A. E. F. by the American Library Association in the last war.  When hostilities ceased, it embarked on a new mission, and has served as a memorial to the American soldiers for whom it has been established.”[1] Continue reading “American Library in Paris” →