In early October 1926, almost sixty librarians from twenty-five countries gathered in Atlantic City and Philadelphia to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the American Library Association along with over two thousand American librarians.[1] By all accounts, the conference was a great success.[2] The international delegates held sessions on foreign librarianship and participated in discussions about improving international relations among librarians. But the best part of this all-expenses-paid trip to the US didn’t happen during the actual meeting: when the conference ended, about thirty international delegates went on a multi-state excursion, visiting twelve cities in the span of two weeks. From Atlantic City to Boston, Chicago to Washington, D.C., the delegates traveled by bus, train, car and steamer to see as much of the US as possible—and as many libraries as possible—ensuring they would return home with minds brimming full of library innovations and international amity.
Continue reading “Librarians Go on a Road Trip! The 1926 Foreign Delegate Post-Conference Excursion”
