American Library Association Archives

American Library Association Archives Home to the records of the American Library Association since 1973 at the University of Illinois.

The American Library Association Archives is the repository for the American Library Association, the world’s oldest and largest national library association. ALA records, dating primarily from the 1920s to the present, are heavily used by historians, library school faculty, students, and ALA staff and members to study such topics as the history of librarians, library schools, and ALA’s role in na

tional and international events. The ALA Archives was established in the summer of 1973, when ALA entered into an agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to have its non-current records of value housed at the University Archives. The ALA Archives consists of official records, correspondence, publications, photographs, sound recordings, films, and videotapes. Research material is arranged in five general areas: administrative and staff offices, associations and divisions, round tables, committees and members’ papers, and affiliated and associated organizations.

For Memorial Day, the ALA Archivist took a field trip to the Museum of the Grand Prairie, browsed their exhibits, and vi...
05/26/2026

For Memorial Day, the ALA Archivist took a field trip to the Museum of the Grand Prairie, browsed their exhibits, and visited the gift shop! The museum, located at the beautiful Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet, IL, is free!

We're really excited to announce the launch of the online ALA history timeline! This timeline heavily utilizes assets fr...
05/20/2026

We're really excited to announce the launch of the online ALA history timeline! This timeline heavily utilizes assets from the ALA Archives. It features over 50 people, events, and policies that highlight ALA's 150 year long history! The archives staff is gratified to see it come together and hopes that it sparks some curiosity about the history of ALA and librarianship.

Check out the timeline at https://ala150.org/

I don't think I like the "Lizzie Borden Budget Cut Game" ... Found while processing the Agnes Griffen Papers.
05/19/2026

I don't think I like the "Lizzie Borden Budget Cut Game" ... Found while processing the Agnes Griffen Papers.

It's a Graduation Library Postcard Monday! This weekend, our graduate assistants, Ella and Logan, graduated from the Sch...
05/18/2026

It's a Graduation Library Postcard Monday! This weekend, our graduate assistants, Ella and Logan, graduated from the School of Information Sciences at Illinois! Congrats to them and all the students that graduated 😊

Postcard of graduation day at the University of Minnesota Library. (One day we'll get graduation library postcard of the University of Illinois.) https://tinyurl.com/2k4cwa9t

Good luck to all the students on campus taking their finals this week! Finals had a rough start this semester, so we're ...
05/11/2026

Good luck to all the students on campus taking their finals this week! Finals had a rough start this semester, so we're sending extra encouraging thoughts ❤️

Love seeing so many images from the ALA Archives in this special issue of American Libraries Magazine! Lovely work AL te...
05/06/2026

Love seeing so many images from the ALA Archives in this special issue of American Libraries Magazine! Lovely work AL team!

Our May issue, commemorating ALA's 150th anniversary, is now live— with a look at moments that changed librarianship, barrier-busting library leaders, and more than a century of library poster art. Read the full issue at https://bit.ly/AL-May26issue or by article at https://bit.ly/AL-May26stories.

05/05/2026

The ALA Archivist feels both seen and called out by this gift from a graduate assistant. It's a little toy person that will flip a table when you hit the button!

It's Preservation Week! Get inspired to preserve collections!
04/27/2026

It's Preservation Week! Get inspired to preserve collections!

A call to action that is close to our hearts. Writing library history!
04/24/2026

A call to action that is close to our hearts. Writing library history!

Colleagues: In the next 25 years hundreds of public and academic libraries will be celebrating their 150th anniversaries.  I have chosen to do a history of the San Francisco Public Library for…

Read up on the history of National Library Week! This was first posted on our blog in 2015 and written by former graduat...
04/24/2026

Read up on the history of National Library Week! This was first posted on our blog in 2015 and written by former graduate assistant, Lydia Tang. https://tinyurl.com/mrs3pa49

Address

1707 S Orchard Street
Urbana, IL
61801

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 12pm
1pm - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 12pm
1pm - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 12pm
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Thursday 8:30am - 12pm
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Friday 8:30am - 12pm
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+12173337841

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