Finding Aid for Library Advisory Committee Minutes and Correspondence, 1967-1980 | The American Library Association Archives

Title: Library Advisory Committee Minutes and Correspondence, 1967-1980

ID: 18/1/1

Primary Creator: Headquarters Library

Extent: 0.3 Cubic Feet

Arrangement: Chronological

Subjects: American Library Association Archives, Headquarters Library of The ALA

Languages: English

Minutes of the Library Advisory Committee contains discussions of Headquarters Library budget guides, self-evaluation, open house events, policy statements, and exhibits. The series includes the 3rd edition of A Guide to the ALA Headquarters Library for ALA Staff (1976); correspondence with any reports of the ALA Archives including negotiations of the Deposit Agreements with the University of Illinois, Archives' user applications, regulations, and policies; quarterly reports, and discussions of file transfers.

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).