The following is a list of presidents of the American Library Association.
The American Library Association (ALA), founded in 1876 and chartered in 1879, is the largest professional organization for librarians in the United States. The headquarters of the American Library Association is in Chicago, Illinois.
Since 1889, the President of the ALA serves a term of one year, and during each election (held every two years), the president's immediate successor is also elected, serving as Vice President until the start of their own term. The Vice President appoints members of committees on recommendation of the presidents-elect of the divisions, subject to approval from the Board.
In practice, despite being the legal head of the Association, the President of the ALA is mostly a figurehead, with most of their unique duties revolving around representing/acting as spokesperson for the Association to the public and other organizations, maintaining unity and values in the organization, protecting the Executive Director from inappropriate interference by members, and presiding at Board and Council Meetings, although they can appoint interim members of committees in the case of a vacancy until a successor is determined. The Executive Board administers established policies and programs and manages overall affairs of the organization (such as financial and progress reports) while giving policy recommendations to the Council, while the Executive Director (elected at the pleasure of the Board) manages day-to-day operations and the headquarters. The President, Vice President, immediate past President, Treasurer, and Executive Director are all members of the Executive Board (along with other members selected by the council for three-year terms), with the President acting as Chairperson. The governing body is the Council, which determines the policies of the Association, and to which all American Library Association units are responsible. Members of the Board are also ex-officio members of the Council, although the Executive Director cannot vote, and the President can only vote in case of a tie. [1] [2]
Image | Name | Term | Other ALA posts | Other accomplishments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Winsor [3] | 1876–1885 | Also served as president July–Oct. 1897. | President of the American Historical Association, 1887. Director, Boston Public Library; Director Harvard Library. | |
William Frederick Poole [4] | 1885–1887 | President of the American Historical Association, 1888. Librarian, Boston Mercantile Library; Director, Boston Athenaeum; Director, Cincinnati Public Library; Director, Chicago Public Library; Director, Newberry Library. | ||
Charles Ammi Cutter [5] | 1887–1889 | Developed the Cutter Expansive Classification system which became the basis for the top categories of the Library of Congress Classification; Director of the Boston Athenaeum,1869-1892. [6] | ||
Frederick Morgan Crunden | 1889–1890 | Director St. Louis Public Library, 1877-1909; First president of the Missouri State Library Association. | ||
Melvil Dewey [7] | 1890 – July 1891 | Also served as president 1892–1893; Served as treasurer, 1876–1877 and 1880–1881; Served as secretary 1879–1890 and 1897–1898. | Developer of the Dewey Decimal System. | |
Samuel Swett Green | July–Nov. 1891 | "Father of reference work." [8] | ||
Klas August Linderfelt | October 16, 1891 – May 22, 1892 | Councilor 1883–1891, vice president 1890–1891. Resigned following his arrest for embezzling from the Milwaukee Public Library and the executive board voted Fletcher the new president, retroactive to the beginning of the term. To this day, Linderfelt is absent from official ALA lists of its past presidents. [9] [10] | First librarian of the Milwaukee Public Library, 1880–1892 | |
William Isaac Fletcher | May 22, 1892 – 1892 | Editor of ALA Index to General Literature. | Director, Amherst College library, 1883-1911. | |
Melvil Dewey | 1892–1893 | See above. | ||
Josephus Nelson Larned [11] | 1893–1894 | Chair ALA Advisory Committee to select 5,000 volumes for a model library at the World's Columbian Exposition | President of the New York Library Association in 1896. | |
Henry Munson Utley | 1894–1895 | Director of the Detroit Public Library 1885-1913. [12] | ||
John Cotton Dana [13] | 1895–1896 | Founder of the Newark Museum, 1909. Founder of the Special Libraries Association. | ||
William Howard Brett | 1896–1897 | Developed the library school program at Western Reserve University. Dean, 1903. | ||
Justin Winsor | July–Oct. 1897 | See above. | ||
Rutherford P. Hayes | Oct. 1897-Jan. 1898 | Vice-president Hayes (son of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes) assumed the office of Acting President upon the death of Winsor without election by the executive board, despite the fact that it was unclear whether or not the ALA constitution allowed this. His successor, Putnam, was elected president following a special election. [14] | ||
Herbert Putnam [15] | Jan.–Aug. 1898 | Also served as president 1903–1904. | Librarian of Congress, 1899–1939. | |
William Coolidge Lane | 1898–1899 | Served as ALA secretary and treasurer for fourteen years and as chairman of its publishing board. | Director of Harvard University Library, [16] President of the Bibliographical Society of America. | |
Reuben Gold Thwaites | 1899–1900 | President of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, 1910. | ||
Henry James Carr | 1900–1901 | Also served as treasurer, 1886–1893; Served as secretary 1898–1900. | Director of Scranton Public Library, 1891-1929. | |
John Shaw Billings [17] | 1901–1902 | First director of the New York Public Library. Modernizer of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office. | ||
James Kendall Hosmer | 1902–1903 | Director, Minneapolis Public Library, 1892–1904. Author of many history books including The American Civil War. [18] | ||
Herbert Putnam | 1903–1904 | See above. | ||
Ernest Cushing Richardson [19] | 1904–1905 | Richardson Classification. [20] | ||
Frank Pierce Hill | 1905–1906 | Also served as secretary 1891–1895. | First director of the Newark Public Library, 1889. | |
Clement Walker Andrews | 1906–1907 | President of the American Library Institute from 1922 to 1924. | ||
Arthur Elmore Bostwick | 1907–1908 | Director of Saint Louis Public Library, 1909-1938. | ||
Charles Henry Gould [21] | 1908–1909 | Chaired ALA Committee on Interlibrary Loan. [22] | First university librarian at McGill University, 1892, President of the Bibliographical Society of America | |
Nathaniel Dana Carlile Hodges | 1909–1910 | Director of the Cincinnati Public Library, 1900-1924.Notable Ohio Librarians Hall of Fame, 1980. | ||
James Ingersoll Wyer | 1910–1911 | Also served as secretary, 1902–1909. From 1916 to 1920, chaired Library War Service Committee. | Director of the New York State Library, 1908-1938. [23] | |
Theresa West Elmendorf | 1911–1912 | American Library Association's first woman president. | President of the New York Library Association 1903–1904. | |
Henry Eduard Legler | 1912–1913 | Secretary, Wisconsin Library Commission, 1904-1909. Librarian, Chicago Public Library, 1909-1917. Curator, Wisconsin Historical Society | ||
Edwin Hatfield Anderson | 1913–1914 | Also served as treasurer, 1895–1896 | Director of the New York Public Library, 1909–1934. | |
Hiller Crowell Wellman | 1914–1915 | Librarian for the Springfield (Massachusetts) City Library from 1902- 1948. | ||
Mary Wright Plummer | 1915–1916 | Member of the first class taught by Melvil Dewey at the School of Library Economy, 1887. | ||
Walter Lewis Brown | 1916–1917 | Created the ALA War Service Committee 1917. | Director of the Buffalo, NY Public Library, 1906-1931; President of the New York Library Association, 1906. [24] | |
Thomas Lynch Montgomery | 1917–1918 | Founded the Pennsylvania Library Club, 1890. Established the first branch of the Philadelphia Free Library, 1892. | ||
William Warner Bishop [25] | 1918–1919 | Director University of Michigan Library, 1915-1941, reorganized Vatican Library and archives, President of the Bibliographical Society of America | ||
Chalmers Hadley | 1919–1920 | Also served as secretary, 1909–1911. | Director, Denver Public Library,1911–1924. Director Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 1924–1945. | |
Alice S. Tyler | 1920–1921 | Dean of the School of Library Science at Western Reserve University, 1912–1929 | ||
Azariah Smith Root [26] | 1921–1922 | Founding member of the ALA College Library Section, 1899. | Director, Oberlin College Library, President of the Bibliographical Society of America | |
George Burwell Utley | 1922–1923 | Also served as secretary, 1911–1920. | First director of the first tax supported public library in the state of Florida, Jacksonville Public Library, 1905. | |
Judson Toll Jennings | 1923–1924 | Director of the Seattle Public Library, 1907-1942. | ||
Herman H. B. Meyer | 1924–1925 | Initiated the Library of Congress services for the blind,President of the Bibliographical Society of America | ||
Charles F. D. Belden | 1925–1926 | Director of the Boston Public Library, 1917. [27] | ||
George H. Locke | 1926–1927 | Chief Librarian at Toronto Public Library, 1908–1937. | ||
Carl B. Roden | 1927–1928 | Also served as treasurer, 1910–1920. | Chief librarian of the Chicago Public Library, 1918 to 1950, President of the Bibliographical Society of America | |
Linda A. Eastman | 1928–1929 | Founding member and later president of the Ohio Library Association. | ||
Andrew Keogh | 1929–1930 | Librarian at Yale University, President of the Bibliographical Society of America | ||
Adam Strohm | 1930–1931 | Director Detroit Public Library, 1912–1941 | ||
Josephine Adams Rathbone | 1931–1932 | Director, Pratt Institute Library School. [28] | ||
Harry Miller Lydenberg [29] | 1932–1933 | Director of the Board of International Relations of the American Library Association, 1943–1946. | Director of New York Public Library, 1934–1941, President of the Bibliographical Society of America. | |
Gratia A. Countryman | 1933–1934 | Director of Minneapolis Public Library, 1904–1936. President of the Minnesota Library Association,1904–1905. | ||
Charles H. Compton | 1934–1935 | Library War Service | Director, St. Louis Public Library, 1938–1950. | |
Louis Round Wilson [30] | 1935–1936 | Dean, University of Chicago Graduate Library School | ||
Malcolm Glenn Wyer | 1936–1937 | Library War Service | President, Iowa Library Association, Nebraska Library Association, Colorado Library Association | |
Harrison Warwick Craver | 1937–1938 | Director, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh [31] | ||
Milton James Ferguson | 1938–1939 | Appointment of Librarian of Congress Committee 1937-1939 | President Oklahoma Library Association; State Librarian of California, President, California Library Association,Chief Librarian of the Brooklyn Public Library, President, New York Library Association. | |
Ralph Munn | 1939–1940 | Director, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 1928–1964. Pennsylvania Library Association President, 1930–31 | ||
Essae Martha Culver [32] | 1940–1941 | First state librarian of Louisiana [33] | ||
Charles Harvey Brown | 1941–1942 | Founder, Association of College and Research Libraries [34] | Director, Iowa State University Library 1922- 1946 | |
Keyes D. Metcalf | 1942–1943 | |||
Althea H. Warren | 1943–1944 | Director of the American Library Association, National Defense Book Campaign. [35] | President, California Library Association, 1921; Director of the Los Angeles Public Library, 1933-1947 [36] | |
Carl Vitz | 1944–1945 | Director, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 1946–1955 | ||
Ralph A. Ulveling [37] | 1945–1946 | Director, Detroit Public Library, 1941–1967. President, Michigan Library Association, 1937–1938. | ||
Mary U. Rothrock [38] | 1946–1947 | Supervised the Tennessee Valley Authority libraries from 1934 to 1948; president of the Tennessee Library Association | ||
Paul North Rice | 1947–1948 | U.S. Army World War I, Director of the New York University Libraries, Executive Secretary of the Association of Research Libraries | ||
Errett Weir McDiarmid | 1948–1949 | University Librarian of the University of Minnesota. | ||
Milton E. Lord | 1949–1950 | |||
Clarence R. Graham | 1950–1951 | Director, Louisville Public Library, 1942-1977. | ||
Loleta Dawson Fyan | 1951–1952 | Michigan Library Association President, 1934–1935. Michigan State Librarian, 1941–1961 | ||
Robert Bingham Downs [39] | 1952–1953 | |||
Flora Belle Ludington [40] | 1953–1954 | Chairman of the board on International Relations, 1942–1945 | Librarian, Mount Holyoke College, 1936–1964 | |
L. Quincy Mumford | 1954–1955 | Librarian of Congress, 1954–1974. | ||
John S. Richards | 1955–1956 | President, Public Library Association | Director, Seattle Public Library | |
Ralph R. Shaw | 1956–1957 | Director of U.S. National Agricultural Library, 1940–1954. Founder of Scarecrow Press. | ||
Lucile M. Morsch | 1957–1958 | First Chief of Descriptive Cataloging Division at Library of Congress, 1940. President, District of Columbia Library Association, 1954–1955 | ||
Emerson Greenaway | 1958–1959 | Chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee | Director, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Director, Free Library of Philadelphia | |
Benjamin E. Powell | 1959–1960 | University Librarian, Duke University, 1946–1975. | ||
Frances Lander Spain | 1960–1961 | Head of Children's Services at the New York Public Library. | ||
Florrinell F. Morton | 1961–1962 | Director of the Library School at Louisiana State University, 1944 to 1971 | ||
James E. Bryan | 1962–1963 | President, New Jersey Library Association, 1952–1954 | ||
Frederick H. Wagman | 1963–1964 | |||
Edwin Castagna | 1964–1965 | |||
Robert Vosper | 1965–1966 | Director of Libraries of University of Kansas, 1952-1961 [41] | ||
Mary V. Gaver | 1966–1967 | |||
Foster E. Mohrhardt [42] | 1967–1968 | Director of the United States National Agricultural Library, 1954–1968 | ||
Roger McDonough | 1968–1969 | First State Librarian for New Jersey. | ||
William S. Dix | 1969–1970 | |||
Lillian M. Bradshaw | 1970–1971 | |||
Keith Doms | 1971–1972 | |||
Katherine Laich | 1972–1973 | Librarian, University of Southern California | ||
Jean E. Lowrie | 1973–1974 | |||
Edward G. Holley [43] | 1974–1975 | |||
Allie Beth Martin | 1975–Apr. 1976 | Author- A Strategy for Public Library Change. [44] | Director, Tulsa City-County Library, Oklahoma. | |
Clara Stanton Jones | 1976–1977 | She was the ALA's first African-American president, serving as its acting president from April 11 to July 22 in 1976 and then its president from July 22, 1976 to 1977. [45] | Director, Detroit Public Library. | |
Eric Moon [46] | 1977–1978 | |||
Russell Shank | 1978–1979 | President, Association of College and Research Libraries | Director of Libraries of the Smithsonian Institution; [47] Chief Librarian at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) [48] | |
Thomas J. Galvin | 1979–1980 | Executive Director of American Library Association, 1985–1989 | ||
Peggy A. Sullivan | 1980–1981 | Executive Director of American Library Association, 1992–1994 | Library historian, [49] library educator, library administrator. | |
Elizabeth W. (Betty) Stone | 1981–1982 | |||
Carol A. Nemeyer | 1982–1983 | |||
Brooke E. Sheldon | 1983–1984 | |||
E. J. Josey [50] | 1984–1985 | |||
Beverly P. Lynch | 1985–1986 | |||
Regina Minudri | 1986–1987 | |||
Margaret E. Chisholm | 1987–1988 | |||
F. William Summers | 1988–1989 | |||
Patricia Wilson Berger | 1989–1990 | |||
Richard M. Dougherty | 1990–1991 | Association of College and Research Libraries Academic Librarian of the Year (1983),Joseph W. Lippincott Award | Director of libraries at University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan. | |
Patricia G. Schuman | 1991–1992 | Treasurer, 1984–1988. American Library Association Honorary Membership | founder and President, Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1973–2012 | |
Marilyn L. Miller | 1992–1993 | |||
Hardy R. Franklin | 1993–1994 | |||
Arthur Curley | 1994–1995 | Deputy Director, New York Public Library Research Libraries. Deputy Director, Detroit Public Library. Director, Cuyahoga County Public Library. Director, Montclair Public Library. Director, Palatine Public Library. Director, Avon Public Library. [51] | ||
Betty J. Turock | 1995–1996 | American Library Association Honorary Membership | Dean and professor, Rutgers School of Communication and Information, Author, Envisioning a Nation Connected : Librarians Define the Public Interest in the Information Superhighway. [52] | |
Mary R. Somerville | 1996–1997 | President of the Association for Library Service to Children | Director of the Miami-Dade Public Library System | |
Barbara J. Ford | 1997–1998 | President of the Association of College and Research Libraries | Director, Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003–2014. | |
Ann K. Symons | 1998–1999 | Also served as treasurer, 1992–1996. | ||
Sarah Ann Long | 1999–2000 | |||
Nancy C. Kranich | 2000–2001 | Editor, Libraries & Democracy: The Cornerstones of Liberty. Chicago: American Library Association, 2001 | ||
John W. Berry | 2001–2002 | President of the Freedom to Read Foundation; trustee, American Library in Paris | ||
Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman | 2002–2003 | President, Library and Information Technology Association | ||
Carla D. Hayden | 2003–2004 | Librarian of Congress (appointed 2016) | ||
Carol Brey | 2004–2005 | |||
Michael Gorman | 2005–2006 | Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century [53] | ||
Leslie Burger | 2006–2007 | Established "Emerging Leaders Program" at the American Library Association. [54] Appointed interim Executive Director of the American Library Association in 2023. [55] | President of the Connecticut Library Association. President of the New Jersey Library Association. | |
Loriene Roy | 2007–2008 | She was the ALA's first Native American president. [56] [57] | Convener on Indigenous Matters for the International Federation of Library Associations, 2008-2009 | |
James R. Rettig | 2008–2009 | |||
Camila A. Alire | 2009–2010 | She was the ALA's first Hispanic/Latina American president. | ||
Roberta A. Stevens | 2010–2011 | |||
Molly Raphael | 2011–2012 | |||
Maureen Sullivan | 2012–2013 | |||
Barbara Stripling | 2013–2014 | President of the Freedom to Read Foundation | ||
Courtney Young | 2014–2015 | |||
Sari Feldman | 2015–2016 | |||
Julie Todaro | 2016–2017 | President, Association of College and Research Libraries, 2007-2008. | Dean of Library Services, Austin Community College. President, Texas Library Association, 2000-2001. | |
James G. Neal [58] | 2017–2018 | Senior Policy Fellow, American Library Association to advise the Washington Office on Public Policy and Advocacy | ||
Loida Garcia-Febo | 2018–2019 | |||
Wanda Kay Brown | 2019–2020 | President, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, 2006-2008. | First president from a HBCU (historically black college or university). C. G. O'Kelly Library at Winston-Salem State University. | |
Julius C. Jefferson Jr. | 2020–2021 | President of the Freedom to Read Foundation, 2013–2016. | ||
Patricia "Patty" Wong | 2021–2022 | She was the ALA's first Asian American president. | ||
Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada | 2022–2023 | ALA's first Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander American president. | ||
Emily Drabinski | 2023–2024 | ALA councillor-at-large (2017-2020), chair International Relations Committee, board Association of College and Research Libraries. [59] | Associate Professor at the Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. [60] | |
Cindy Hohl | 2024–2025 | First SPECTRUM scholar to be ALA President. | President of the American Indian Library Association, 2020–2021. | |
| | Sam Helmick [61] | 2025–2026 | American Library Association Executive Board. [62] | President, Iowa Library Association |
Melville Louis Kossuth "Melvil" Dewey was an influential American librarian and educator, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system of library classification, a founder of the Lake Placid Club, and a chief librarian at Columbia University. He was also a founding member of the American Library Association. Although Dewey's contributions to the modern library are widely recognized, his legacy is marred by his sexual harassment of female colleagues, as well as his racism and antisemitism.
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
Justin Winsor was an American writer, librarian, and historian. His historical work had strong bibliographical and cartographical elements. He was an authority on the early history of North America and was elected the first president of the American Library Association as well as the third president of the American Historical Association.
William Frederick Poole was an American bibliographer and librarian.
Wayne August Wiegand is an American library historian, author, and academic. Wiegand retired as F. William Summers Professor of Library and Information Studies and Professor of American Studies at Florida State University in 2010.
Jesse Hauk Shera was an American librarian and information scientist who pioneered the use of information technology in libraries and played a role in the expansion of its use in other areas throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
Ralph Adrian Ulveling was an American librarian best known for his support of intellectual freedom, interracial understanding, and the advancement of the library and information science profession. He is listed as one of the most important contributors to the library profession during the 20th century by the journal American Libraries.
Margaret Hayes Grazier was an American librarian, educator, and published author in the field of Library and Information science, who specialized in school librarianship. She worked as a school librarian at various high schools and, later in her career, as a professor of library science at Wayne State University. Grazier had developed a model to guide library media specialists to become fully immersed in the entire cycle of the student's learning process, everything from storytelling to planning and evaluating curriculum. She was active in several important library organizations, including the American Library Association, and received awards for her contributions to her field of study.
Alexander Peter Allain was a lawyer and library advocate known for his work securing the freedom of expression. His career was devoted to securing First Amendment rights for libraries.
Klas August Linderfelt was an American librarian. A native of Sweden, he emigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became a teacher and a librarian. As the first librarian of the Milwaukee Public Library, he became a significant figure in the city and in the library profession, becoming the seventh President of the American Library Association. He left both the city and the profession permanently following his arrest for embezzlement.
Carl Peter Paul Vitz was an American librarian and author. He received a certificate from Western Reserve University Library School, a degree from Adelbert College and a bachelor's degree in library science from New York State Library School at New York State Normal College. He served as a library director for the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library (1922–1937), the Minneapolis Public Library (1937–1945) and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (1946–1955). He served as the president of the American Library Association from 1945 to 1946. During that time, Vitz wrote a letter to the President of the United States on behalf of the profession, addressing potential candidates for the vacant position of Librarian of Congress. In the letter, Vitz suggested that the position "requires a top-flight administrator, a statesman-like leader in the world of knowledge, and an expert in bringing together the materials of scholarship and organizing them for use—in short, a distinguished librarian". Over the course of his career, Vitz planned or consulted on more than sixty library projects involving construction, site selection and remodeling.
Walter Lewis Brown was an American librarian. Brown served as president of the American Library Association from 1916 to 1917. Brown was instrumental in establishing a public library in Buffalo, New York, now the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Brown led the American Library Association at the beginning of the first World War. In that role, Brown initiated a partnership between the American Library Association and the Library of Congress to create the ALA War Service Committee.
Emily Drabinski is an American academic, librarian, author, and teacher who served as president of the American Library Association from July 2023 to July 2024.
Essae Martha Culver was an American librarian, the first state librarian of Louisiana and president of the American Library Association.
Tommie Dora Barker was an American librarian and founding dean of Emory Library School in Atlanta, Georgia. She also served as a regional field agent, representing southern libraries, for the American Library Association.
The Louisiana Library Association (LLA) is a professional organization for Louisiana's librarians and library workers. It is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The LLA publishes The LLA Bulletin (est. 1937) and Louisiana Libraries magazine.
The Georgia Library Association (GLA) is a professional organization in the United States for Georgia's librarians and library workers. It is headquartered in Savannah, Georgia. It was founded as The Georgia Library Club by members of the Young Men's Library of Atlanta and Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs. The organization changed its name to the Georgia Library Association at its first business meeting. GLAs first president was Anne Wallace, elected at the organization's first meeting May 31, 1897, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Carrie Coleman Robinson was an African American educator and librarian. Robinson was a founding trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation and a founder of the Alabama Association of School Librarians.
Honorary Membership conferred by the American Library Association is the Association's highest award. "Honorary membership may be conferred on a living citizen of any country whose contribution to librarianship or a closely related field is so outstanding that it is of lasting importance to the advancement of the whole field of library service. It is intended to reflect honor upon the ALA as well as upon the individual." The Honorary Membership award was established in 1879.
The ALA Medal of Excellence is an annual award bestowed by the American Library Association for recent creative leadership of high order, particularly in the fields of library management, library training, cataloging and classification, and the tools and techniques of librarianship. It was first awarded in 1953 to Ralph R. Shaw, Director of the National Agriculture Library.