Conference Program Committee | The American Library Association Archives

The librarians who called the first meeting of the ALA in 1876 appointed a Committee which was intrusted with "arrangements for the Conference of Librarians" including the provision of papers, discussions, plans for a permanent organization, and other business (1). In 1901 a special Program Committee was appointed (2), and by 1908 the Program Committee was a standing committee of the Council (3). The function of the committee was the selection of topics and venue for the annual conference (4). In 1956 the name was changed to the Conference Program Committee and the membership expanded. The membership of the Conference Program Committee consisted of the ALA President, First Vice President, Executive Secretary, the presidents of ALA divisions, and such other members as the committee desired (5). In 1967 three members-at-large were added and in 1976 the First Vice President was dropped (6). The name of the committee was changed to the Conference Program Planning Committee in 1972 (7).

The present function of the committee is:

"To plan programs for the general sessions of the annual conferences; to insure, insofar as practicable, that the content of all program meetings of divisions, sections round tables and committees, together with the general sessions, present an integrated conference program with a minimum duplication" (8).

Sub-Groups:

1-Annual Meeting

1. "Library Conference" announcement by Melvil Dewey, 1876.Ã??  Series 5/1/1/, Box 1, ALA Archives.

2. ALA Handbook, 1901, p. 20.

3. ALA Bulletin: Handbook, 1908, p. 54.

4. ALA Fifty-Fourth Annual Conference, Official Program, 1932, p. 29.

5. ALA Committee on Boards and Committees, Report of Council, June 21, 1956, Exhibit 5, p. 2-3.

6. Eighty-Sixth Annual Conference, Program, 1967, p. 31; ALA Handbook of Organization, 1976-77, p. 8.

7. ALA Handbook of Organization, 1972, p. 1055.

8. ALA Handbook of Organization, 1985-86, p. 12.