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AmericasEvent

American Library Association founded in Philadelphia

When
1876
Where
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Episodes
1

The American Library Association was founded in Philadelphia during the 1876 Centennial Exposition. A convention of librarians convened at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, where attendees signed a register to become charter members, establishing the organization's founding date as October 6, 1876.

Episodes

  1. October 6, 1876 · Historical Society of PennsylvaniaFounding Convention and Charter Signing

    Librarians gathered in Philadelphia for a convention, signing a register to establish the American Library Association as a charter organization.

Background and detail

Background. The American Library Association's founding took place during the Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia in 1876, the first official World's fair in the United States. Amid that exposition, a call was issued for a "Convention of Librarians" to meet in October 1876, drawing 103 librarians—90 men and 13 women—to respond.

Convention of Librarians. In October 1876, 103 librarians responded to a call for a Convention of Librarians. The meeting took place at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. At the conclusion of the gathering, a register was circulated for attendees to sign, formalizing their status as charter members of the new association.

Early Leadership. Justin Winsor served as the first president of the American Library Association from 1876 until 1885. His tenure marked the initial period of the organization's governance following its establishment during the Centennial year.

People involved

Sources

  1. American Library Association Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-14
  2. Philadelphia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-21

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.