Public Library Association (PLA)

Although there had been previous local events celebrating libraries, such as the 1937 “Library Week” in Youngstown, Ohio, the 1949 “Know Your Library Week” in Jackson, Mississippi, and the 1952 statewide “California Library Week,” national attention to libraries had grown substantially.

The first National Library Week, sponsored in 1958 by the National Book Committee and in cooperation with ALA, engaged more than 5,000 communities throughout the country. Hundreds of local and state communities and librarian committees engaged in public relations, promotion, and advertising campaigns to encourage reading and the use and support of libraries.

Upon the continued success of the following National Library Week in 1959, ALA Council voted to continue the annual celebration. When the National Book Committee disbanded in 1974, ALA assumed full sponsorship.

Read more about the history of National Library Week: https://bit.ly/41SdSll