1879
ALA is officially incorporated under the laws of the state of Massachusetts.
In addition to the American Library Association's Executive Board's statement on racism, several ALA chapters have stated their dedication to...
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ALA is officially incorporated under the laws of the state of Massachusetts.
The ALA Council was first established in 1892 by a revision of the ALA Constitution. The Council consisted of 10 members who were elected by the membership and given authority for the creation of policy and new sections.
The ALA has produced a number of publications during its history. The Booklist, a guide to current library materials, began publication in 1905. It continues to be published today.
The location of ALA headquarters has moved several times since the 1876 conference. The first office was established 1906 at 34 Newbury Street, Boston. It closed at the end of the following year.
ALA Bulletin, now American Libraries, began very shortly after Booklist in 1907.
ALA began holding an annual business meeting, which became the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
In 1909 the council was enlarged to include the Executive Board, all ex-Presidents of ALA, and fifty additional members--half chosen by the Council, half by the membership. This new enlarged council took over the business affairs of ALA. This year also saw the appointment of the first salaried executive secretary: Charles Hadley.
After the closure of the ALA headquarters in Boston, the first of the Chicago headquarters opened. The next headquarters were established in 1909 in space donated by the Chicago Public Library. Headquarters were at that location until 1924.
The Chicago Cultural Center was the main public library building in Chicago at the time.
In 1919, the Executive board becomes the governing board of ALA.
The second move for the headquarters in Chicago (third overall) was to the John Crerar Library at 86 E. Randolph Street, Chicago.