{"id":8260,"date":"2026-09-24T15:49:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T15:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/?p=8260"},"modified":"2026-09-24T15:49:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T15:49:56","slug":"the-curious-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/2026\/09\/24\/the-curious-case\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curious Case of the Two American Library Associations"},"content":{"rendered":"

On August 25, 1899, Robert Kilbourn of the H. Parmelee Library Company wrote to ALA President Reuben G. Thwaites, alerting him that a small commercial traveling library was operating under the name \u201cThe American Library Association.\u201d Kilbourn noted that while the traveling library was not outright fraudulent, it was \u201cof a bad character, and deceives the people who patronize it.\u201d He described the owner as a \u201ca person of questionable character and unsavory reputation. Authorities advise us that his not to be trusted.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

The questionable character and unsavory reputation was Reverand George F. Nason, of Franklin, Kentucky. He made himself known to the H. Parmelee Library Company by asking to become one of their agents, but the company declined his services.[2]<\/a> Afterwards, Nason established his own traveling library company while helping himself to ALA\u2019s name and lifting content from H. Parmelee Library Company\u2019s own publications.[3]<\/a> Worried about the poor quality of the materials Nason sold to communities and the potential damage to the reputation of traveling library companies as a whole, Kilbourn brought the matter to ALA\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

ALA Secretary Henry Carr reached out to Nason about the infringement of using ALA\u2019s name for his company. Carr noted that ALA was generally well known and that \u201ctherefore it seems hardly possible that any one [sic] would undertake to assume our name unless intending to mislead, or to carry on something not legitimate.\u201d[4]<\/a> Nason immediately pled ignorance about the existence of another American Library Association. He tried to reassure Carr that he was operating a legitimate business and that he had no desire to \u201csail under false colors.\u201d He then proposed to change his company\u2019s name to the \u201cNational Library Association.\u201d [5]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Portrait
Henry James Carr, November 1913.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carr wrote back, expressing that he didn\u2019t want to question Nason\u2019s good faith in saying that he didn\u2019t know about ALA, but found it difficult to understand considering that ALA had been established for over twenty years and their work with the public. Still, Carr said that the ALA Executive Board didn\u2019t object to his business, but they did take umbrage of the use \u201cLibrary Association\u201d in the proposed company name. Carr rightfully pointed out that Nason\u2019s business was not a library association and as a commercial company, could not be one.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

In a letter to H. Parmelee dated the same day as his letter to Nason, Carr further expressed his doubts about Nason. He wrote, \u201cThis plea it seems to us rather hard to take much stock in, but his good faith will be shown by what he may do in the immediate future. If he is inclined to \u2018see the error of his ways,\u2019 and cease to use the Association name, we shall have to be content, I presume.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

Nason did not take Carr\u2019s response kindly:<\/p>\n

We think you adopt a rather \u201chigh and might\u201d style in both of your letters to us. This last letter seems to be full of insinuations and inuendos [sic] for which you have absolutely no ground. It has more for a style of a judge reprimanding and passing sentence on a criminal than that of a business letter from one party to another.[8]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He nonetheless recognized ALA\u2019s right to its name and said that his company\u2019s name was changed to the \u201cAmerican Library Company,\u201d saying that \u201cThere can be no sane challenge to our right to this name.\u201d[9]<\/a> In his closing remarks, he wrote that if Carr wished for any further correspondence, which he did not, that Carr should \u201ckindly enclose stamp for reply.\u201d In the header of Nason\u2019s letter, one can see The American Library Association<\/em> with the Association <\/em>blotted out and a stamped Company<\/em> above it.[10]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Header<\/a>
Stationary used by George Nason with “Association” blotted out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carr merely acknowledged his response and trusted this was the end of the matter. He did not seem to enclose a stamp for Nason\u2019s reply.[11]<\/a><\/p>\n

Thwaites found humor in the situation, writing to Carr, \u201cYour Kentucky correspondence is truly delightful. For imprudence, and downright mendacity, he is monumental; he is an artist in his line, as witnesseth his closing sentence in letter of Nov. 17, in which he waves you off in the manner of Micawber spurning the contact of a creditor.\u201d[12]<\/a><\/p>\n

Thus ended the curious case of the two American Library Associations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All letters found in record series 2\/4\/20, Henry J. Carr Papers, 1889, 1898-1904, 1906, Box 3, Folder: Thwaites, 1898-1900, American Library Association Archives.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Robert Kilbourn to Reuben Thwaites, August 25, 1899.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Robert Kilbourn to Henry Carr, October 3, 1899.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Henry Carr to George Nason, October 10, 1899.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> George Nason to Henry Carr, October 13, 1899.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Henry Carr to George Nason, November 14, 1899.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Henry Carr to H. Parmelee, November 14, 1899.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> George Nason to Henry Carr, November 17, 1899.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Henry Carr to George Nason, November 20, 1899.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Reuben Thwaites to Henry Carr, December 5, 1899.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On August 25, 1899, Robert Kilbourn of the H. Parmelee Library Company wrote to ALA President Reuben G. Thwaites, alerting him that a small commercial traveling library was operating under the name \u201cThe American Library Association.\u201d Kilbourn noted that while the traveling library was not outright fraudulent, it was \u201cof a bad character, and deceives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":706,"featured_media":7934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[284,282,283],"class_list":["post-8260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ala-history","tag-george-nason","tag-henry-carr","tag-traveling-libraries"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8260"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8268,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8260\/revisions\/8268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ala\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}