Brief Description: Annual (1934-57) and monthly (1926-33, 1939-58) reports of the library; budget requests (1944/45-1967/68); reports and surveys concerning the library (1929-57); new buildings (1960-61); Statement for an Enlarged Program for the Headquarters Library, 1955; reorganization and extension of services (1945-46); What's New (1952-53); News Notes (1963-65); ALA Clearinghouse for Library Problems (1939-45, 1946-52) and A Guide to the Headquarters Library for ALA Staff( 1969, 1972, 1976), Periodicals Available For Routing to ALA HQ Staff (1974, 1976). The material includes bibliographies of holdings (1958-1980).

Record Series Number: 18/1/2

Created by: Headquarters Library

Volume: 1.0 Cubic Feet

Acquired: 11/12/76; 7/80; 1/18/81

Arrangement: By type of material and chronological thereunder

Biographical Note for Headquarters Library : The main function of the Headquarters Library is to provide basic services to the Executive Board and the membership (1). The Librarian reports to the Deputy Executive Director for Management (2). The Library is first referred to in the Secretary's Report of 1925-26: "A better professional library must be provided at ALA Headquarters if satisfactory service is to be given to members?" (3). In 1929 the ALA appealed to the Secretary of the Wieboldt Foundation for funds to establish a library at ALA Headquarters, but the appeal was denied (4). In the proposed budgets for 1931 and 1933, the Library was funded under the Department of Information and Advisory Services, a part of the Public Library Division (5). Its mission was "the task of building up and organizing a professional collection, of rendering reference service to the staff, and of answering reference questions. . ." (6). It also collected and compiled library statistics (7). By 1955 the Headquarters Librarian reported to the Executive Secretary (8). With the reorganization of Headquarters in 1958, the Library became a part of Unit IV under the direction of the Deputy Executive Director (9).

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Languages of Materials