Past Annual Conferences, 1876-Present

 

Annual Conferences of the Association are an Association-wide activity pertinent to all members regardless of divisional affiliation. The ALA Annual Conferences shall be devoted primarily to providing a range of program activities for its membership and to conduct the business of the Association.
(ALA Policy Manual, 7.4.9)

2000s | 1990s | 1980s | 1970s | 1960s | 1950s | 1940s | 1930s | 1920s | 1910s | 1900s | 1890s | 1880s | 1876-1879

ALA Annual Conferences, 2021-2029

Year Dates Location Conference Participants*
2025 June 26 - 30 Philadelphia, PA 14,250
2024

June 27-

July 2

 San Diego, CA 13,532
2023 June 22-27 Chicago, IL 15,851
2022 June 23-28 Washington, DC 14,003
2021 June 23-29 Virtual 9,448

* Conference participant totals include onsite and virtual attendees, plus exhibitors.

ALA Virtual - Community Through Connection, 2020

Year Dates Location Conference
Participants*
2020 June 24-26 Virtual 8,000

* Conference participants totals include attendees and exhibitors.

 

Annual Conferences, 2010-2019

Year Dates Location Conference Participants*
2019 June 20-25 Washington, DC 21,460
2018 June 21-26 New Orleans 17,599
2017 June 22-27 Chicago 23,485
2016 June 23-28 Orlando 16,597
2015 June 25-30 San Francisco 22,696
2014 June 26 - July 1 Las Vegas 18,626
2013 June 27 - July 2 Chicago 26,362
2012 June 21-26 Anaheim 17,642
2011 June 23-28 New Orleans 20,186
2010 June 24-29 Washington, DC 26,201

* Conference participants totals include attendees and exhibitors.

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Annual Conferences, 2000-2009

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
2009 July 9-15 Chicago 22,762
2008 June 26 - July 2 Anaheim 22,047
2007 June 21-27 Washington, DC 28,499
2006 June 22-28 New Orleans 16,964
2005 June 23-29 Chicago 27,962
2004 June 24-30 Orlando 19,546
2003 June 19-25 Toronto (ALA-CLA joint) 17,570
2002 June 13-19 Atlanta 21,130
2001 June 14-20 San Francisco 26,820
2000 July 6-12 Chicago 24,913

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Annual Conferences, 1990-1999

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
1999 June 24-30 New Orleans 22,598
1998 June 25 - July 1 Washington, DC 24,844
1997 June 26 - July 2 San Francisco 19,339
1996 July 4-10 New York 18,027
1995 June 23-28 Chicago 19,146
1994 June 23-30 Miami Beach 12,627
1993 June 24 - July 1 New Orleans 17,165
1992 June 25 - July 2 San Francisco 19,261
1991 June 29 - July 4 Atlanta 17,764
1990 June 23-28 Chicago 19,982

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Annual Conferences, 1980-1989

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
1989 June 24-29 Dallas 17,592
1988 July 9-14 New Orleans 16,530
1987 June 27 - July 2 San Francisco 17,844
1986 June 29 - July 3 New York 16,530
1985 July 6-11 Chicago 14,160
1984 June 23-28 Dallas 11,443
1983 June 25-30 Los Angeles 11,005
1982 July 10-15 Philadelphia 12,819
1981 June 26 - July 2 San Francisco 12,555
1980 June 28 - July 4 New York 14,566

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Annual Conferences, 1970-1979

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
1979 June 23-29 Dallas 10,650
1978 June 24-30 Chicago 11,768
1977 June 17-23 Detroit 9,667
1976 July 18-24 Chicago (centennial) 12,015
1975 June 29 - July 5 San Francisco 11,606
1974 June 7-13 New York 14,382
1973 June 24-30 Las Vegas 8,539
1972 June 25 - July 1 Chicago 9,700
1971 June 20-26 Dallas 8,087
1970 June 28 - July 4 Detroit 8,965

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Annual Conferences, 1960-1969

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
1969 June 22-28 Atlantic City 10,399
1968 June 23-29 Kansas City, MO 6,849
1967 June 25 - July 1 San Francisco 8,116
1966 July 10-16 New York 9,342
1965 July 4-10 Detroit 5,818
1964 June 28 - July 4 St. Louis 4,623
1963 June 14-20 Chicago 5,753
1962 June 17-23 Miami Beach, FL 3,527
1961 July 9-15 Cleveland 4,757
1960 June 19-24 Montreal (ALA-CLA joint) 4,648

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Annual Conferences, 1950-1959

Year Date Location Conference Attendees
1959 June 21-26 Washington, DC 5,346
1958 July 13-19 San Francisco 4,400
1957 June 23-29 Kansas City, MO 2,953
1956 June 17-23 Miami Beach, FL 2,866
1955 July 3-9 Philadelphia 4,412
1954 June 20-26 Minneapolis 3,230
1953 June 21-27 Los Angeles 3,258
1952 June 29 - July 5 New York 5,212
1951 July 8-14 Chicago 3,612
1950 July 16-22 Cleveland 3,436

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Annual Conferences, 1940-1949

Year Date Location Conference Attendees
1949   Regional Conferences *  
1948 June 13-19 Atlantic City 3,752
1947 June 29 - July 5 San Francisco 2,534
1946 June 16-22 Buffalo 2,327
1945   No Meeting  
1944   No Meeting  
1943   No Meeting  
1942 June 22-27 Milwaukee 2,342
1941 June 19-25 Boston 4,266
1940 May 26 - June 1 Cincinnati 3,056

   *As an experiment, ALA decided to have Regional Conferences in place of the single Annual Conference.

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Annual Conferences, 1930-1939

Year Date Location Conference Attendees
1939 June 18-24 San Francisco 2,869
1938 June 13-18 Kansas City, MO 1,900
1937 June 21-26 New York 5,312
1936 May 11-16 Richmond, VA 2,834
1935 June 25-30 Denver 1,503
1935 May 20-30 Madrid, Spain (international) * 42 **
1934 June 25-30 Montreal, Canada 1,904
1933 October 16-21 Chicago 2,986
1932 April 25-30 New Orleans 1,306
1931 June 22-27 New Haven, CT 3,241
1930 June 23-28 Los Angeles 2,023

   *The Second International Congress of Libraries and Bibliography
   **American attendance

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Annual Conferences, 1920-1929

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
1929 June 15-30 Rome and Venice (international) * 70 ***
1929 May 13-18 Washington, DC 2,743
1928 May 28 - June 2 West Baden, IN 1,204
1927 September 26 - October 1 Edinburgh
(international - British Library Association Jubilee) **		 82 ***
1927 June 20-27 Toronto, Canada 1,964
1926 October 4-9 Atlantic City, Philadelphia 2,224
1925 July 6-11 Seattle 1,066
1924 June 30 - July 5 Saratoga Springs, NY 1,188
1923 April 23-28 Hot Springs, AR 693
1922 June 26 - July 1 Detroit 1,839
1921 June 20-25 Swampscott, MA 1,899
1920 June 2-7 Colorado Springs 553

   *The world Library and Bibiliographical Congress. It is at this meeting that the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) was created.
   **The 50th anniversary of the founding of the British Library Association
   ***American attendance

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Annual Conferences, 1910-1919

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
1919 June 23-27 Asbury Park, NJ 1,168
1918 July 1-6 Saratoga Springs 620
1917 June 21-27 Louisville 824
1916 June 26 - July 1 Asbury Park, NJ 1,386
1915 June 3-9 Berkeley, CA 779
1914 May 25-29 Washington, DC 1,366
1913 June 23-38 Katterskill, NY 892
1912 June 26 - July 2 Ottawa, Canada 704
1911 May 18-24 Pasadena, CA 582
1910 June 20 - July 6 Mackinac Island, MI 533
1910 August 25-31 Brussels (international) * 46 **

   *This was actually two conferences: the first was for those interested in bibiliography and documentation, the second was for librarians and archivists.
   **American attendance

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Annual Conferences, 1900-1909

Year Dates Location Conference Attendees
1909 June 28- July 3 Bretton Woods, NH 620
1908 June 22-27 Lake Minnetonka, MN 658
1907 May 23-29 Asheville, NC 478
1906 June 29 - July 6 Narragansett Pier, RI 891
1905 June 4-7 Portland, OR 359
1904 October 17-22 St. Louis 577
1903 June 22-27 Niagara Falls, NY 684
1902 June 14-20 Boston and Magnolia, MA 1,018
1901 June 3-10 Waukesha 460
1900 June 6-12 Montreal 452

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Annual Conferences, 1890-1899

Year Dates Location Attendance
1899 May 9-13 Atlanta 215
1898 July 5-9 Lakewood-on-Chatauqua 494
1897 July 3-16 London (International) * 94 **
1897 June 21-25 Philadelphia 315
1896 September 1-8 Cleveland 363
1895 August 13-21 Denver and Colorado Springs 147
1894 September 17-22 Lake Placid, NY 205
1893 July 13-22 Chicago 311
1892 May 16-21 Lakewood, Baltimore, Washington DC 260
1891 October 12-16 San Francisco 83
1890 September 9-13 Fabyans (White Mountains) 242

   *This was the second International Conference of Librarians. Again, this was not sponsored by ALA, but was greatly influenced by ideas from America.
   **American attendance

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Annual Conferences, 1880-1889

Year Dates Location Attendance
1889 May 8-11 St. Louis 106
1888 September 25-28 Catskill Mountains, NY 32
1887 August 30 - September 2 Thousand Islands, NY 186
1886 July 7-10 Milwaukee 133
1885 September 8-11 Lake George, NY 87
1884   no meeting  
1883 August 14-17 Buffalo 72
1882 May 24-27 Cincinnati 47
1881 February 9-12 Washington, DC 70
1880   no meeting  

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Annual Conferences, 1876-1879

Year Dates Location Attendance
1879 June 30 - July 2 Boston 162
1878   no meeting  
1877 October 2-5 London (international) * 21 **
1877 September 4-6 New York 66
1876 October 4-6 Philadelphia 103

The 1878 meeting was eliminated by the Executive Board in favor of a meeting in Boston in 1879 to which foreign librarians would be specifically invited.

   *This was the International Conference of Librarians. It was not sponsored by the ALA, but "the idea of holding a Conference of Librarians originated in America...." (Holley, Edward G. Raking the Historic Coals; The A.L.A. Scrapbook of 1876. [Pittsburgh]: Beta Phi Mu, 1967.)

   **American attendance

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