Celebrating 150 Years: How Libraries Can Celebrate the ALA’s Sesquicentennial
As the American Library Association prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026, libraries nationwide have a unique opportunity to participate in this historic milestone. Founded in 1876 during Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition, when 103 librarians answered a call for a “Convention of Librarians,” the ALA has grown into the foremost national organization supporting library professionals (1). The 2026 Annual Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for June 25-29 in Chicago at ALA’s headquarters, will serve as the centerpiece celebration (2).
Creating Community Connections
Libraries can leverage the sesquicentennial to strengthen bonds with their communities. The ALA’s 150th Commemoration Committee is developing events, programs, products, and a public awareness campaign that focuses on the impact the association has made while taking a forward-looking approach to exploring a vision for the next 150 years (3). Individual libraries can mirror this dual focus by hosting exhibitions that showcase their own institutional histories alongside programming that imagines future library services.
One practical approach comes from Madison Public Library, which celebrated its own 150th anniversary in 2025. The library created a “150 Items Challenge,” encouraging patrons to check out 150 items throughout the year and offering commemorative drawstring bags as rewards. They also designed special edition library cards featuring artwork by local artists and hosted birthday celebrations at all nine locations with cake, mini-parades, and interactive activities (4).
Collecting and Sharing Stories
ALA is actively seeking website and podcast contributions from members that reflect experiences with the organization, its legacy, and history to be featured on ala150.org and the How I Library podcast (5). Local libraries can implement similar storytelling initiatives by inviting patrons to share their library memories through oral history projects, community writing workshops, or digital story collections.
These narratives can highlight pivotal moments in local library history, the impact of library policies on communities, and how libraries have shaped individual lives. By documenting these stories, libraries create valuable archives while demonstrating their enduring relevance to their communities.
Educational Programming and Advocacy
The anniversary presents an ideal moment for educational initiatives. ALA’s 2026 conference call for proposals welcomes perspectives that celebrate, commemorate, or educate about the impact that ALA and its affiliate partners have made on the profession and libraries nationally and internationally over the last 150 years—or will make in the next 150 years (6). Local libraries can develop programming that explores their history, the evolution of information literacy, and the changing role of libraries in a democratic society.
As ALA president Emily Drabinski noted, the association has played a key leadership role in supporting free and unfettered access to information and has battled censorship attempts that are on the rise throughout the country (3). Libraries can use the anniversary to reinforce these values through programs on intellectual freedom, banned books, and community conversations about the freedom to read.
Looking Forward While Honoring the Past
The 150th anniversary isn’t just about looking back—it’s about rallying together to protect what matters now and to imagine the libraries needed for the next 150 years (7). 
Libraries can organize future-focused activities such as visioning sessions with community members, technology showcases that demonstrate emerging library services, or panels discussing how libraries can address evolving community needs.
The 2026 conference aims to bring together thousands of library professionals, educators, authors, publishers, and advocates from around the globe to celebrate libraries and ignite the next era of innovation and access through future-focused learning, powerful keynotes, and transformative resources (2). Local libraries can organize their own mini-conferences or professional development days, bringing together regional library workers to share innovations and best practices.
Fundraising and Sustainability
The ALA has established a 150th Fundraising Campaign Committee to support librarians in creating libraries of the future (3). Individual libraries can launch their own anniversary-themed fundraising campaigns, offering commemorative memberships, special edition merchandise, or legacy giving opportunities tied to the 150-year milestone.
Whether through historical exhibitions, community storytelling, educational programming, or forward-looking initiatives, libraries have countless opportunities to participate meaningfully in ALA’s sesquicentennial celebration. By connecting local library histories to the national narrative, institutions can demonstrate their vital role in supporting democracy, literacy, and lifelong learning—values that will remain essential for the next 150 years.
Sources
- American Library Association. (2025, July 22). ALA’s 150th Anniversary. https://ala150.org/
- American Library Association. (n.d.). 2026 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition. https://2026.alaannual.org/
- American Library Association. (2024, February). ALA launches campaign as it nears its 150th anniversary. https://www.ala.org/news/2024/02/ala-launches-campaign-it-nears-its-150th-anniversary
- Madison Public Library. (2025). 150th Anniversary Celebration. https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/anniversary
- American Library Association. (2025, September 17). ALA Wants to Hear from You During Its 150th Anniversary. https://ala150.org/ala-wants-to-hear-from-you-during-its-150th-anniversary/
- American Library Association. (2025, August). ALA Opens 2026 Annual Conference & Exhibition Call for Proposals. https://www.ala.org/news/2025/08/ala-opens-2026-annual-conference-exhibition-call-proposals
- American Library Association. (n.d.). Celebrating ALA’s 150th Anniversary. https://www.ala.org/