ALA WASHINGTON OFFICE A CHRONOLOGY OF ITS FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF ACTIVITIES ON BEHALF OF LIBRARIES, LIBRARIANS, AND USERS OF AMERICAN LIBRARIES By Lawrence E. Molumby ‘American Library Association ‘Washington Office Washington, DC May 1996INTRODUCTION [As ALA celebrates the SOth anniversary ofits Washington Office, it faces an exciting future fom the launch pad ofits Goal 2000 initiative. It is time to look ahead with well founded high hopes. But itis also worth a brief look back tthe accomplishments wrought by Visionary Tibrary leaders atthe grassroots, inthe stats, in the Association and inthe Washington Office, “Although I have been a member of ALA for 28 years, I am stil an outsider when it comes tothe Tegisatve activities ofthe Association, In the course of doing this projec, atthe kid invitation of Carol Henderson, I have been awed by the extraordinary skill and savvy of those whose fctvities are outined in these pages. Most librarians know in a general way thatthe Washington Office has served us, our institutions and our patrons very well. But I doubt that many of us have any inkling ofthe wide variety of issues - issues that affect us profoundly - that are monitored land acted on by the Washington Office. There have been spectacular successes - sometimes “achieved only aftr years of effort, false stats and disappointments, The beneficiaries have been tot only our institutions many of which have been constructed, equipped and stocked by federal, State and local funds resulting ftom ALA activity, and not only qurselves. who now, for example, are covered by FLSA, Social Security and Medicare, but also the users of libraries who can today ‘make a photocopy of printed material and who ean tomorrow be assured of access to information in all its new forms. “This is not about the whole American Library Association; it s only about the Washington Office; its not a history; it does not te things together or develop themes or provide @ coherent narrative. Itis simply a chronological list of some of the more important activities ofthe Washington Office. Facts and events are recounted as and when they happened. But ifreaders ‘want to know their full context and how they relate to one another and what it all means, they ‘will have to dig deeper on their own. Citations in the text give sources and the prin index will help one find specific information in the text. The entire text is searchable in its digital form. “Thanks to Ray Fry, my fellow volunteer, who helped me with this while doing lots of more important work. And thanks especially to Carol Henderson and her staff forthe opportunity as ‘well as the office space, equipment and support to do this very gratifying volunteer project. Lawrence E. MolumbyEvents Leading to the Formation of the Washington Office 1943 Federal Responsibility for Libraries Acknowledged. Postwar Standards for Public Libraries svas published by ALA in June, 1943, This report was significant not only for its content, but because it was done atthe request of and under contract with the federal National Resources Planning Board, Its principal author, Carleton B. Joeckel, who was also chairman ofthe ALA ‘Committee on Postwar Planning, stated that this relationship with the federal government "may be the most significant result of the entie study.” The standards were also included ina federal goverment manual on city planning. Further, the Board affirmed the necessity of federal financial responsibilty in equalizing the tax burden for education among states. (Bul 1943, 267) ‘The ALA Committee on Postwar Planning had been established in June, 1941 by action of the Executive Board (Bul 1941, H39), [Although the need for federal assistance o library development had been raised many times in ‘he past it was the issuance of the Postwar Standards that seems to have led, step by step to the establishment of a Washington Office and the beginnings of major federal involvement i library evelopment in the US, “This report isthe first of three steps in planning forthe improvement and extension of public library service. Work on the second step, checking existing library facilities ‘against the standards, is already under way. The third step is the formulation ofa plan “for future library development." (Bul 1943, 267) ALA Issues Publication on Funetions of State Library Agencies. Inasmuch as state library agencies would play a key role in future federal library programs, itis noteworthy that ALA. {sued the fourth edition of The State Library Agency, lts Functions and Organization at this ‘ime. (Bul 1943, 297) Paul Howard Goes to Washington. Paul Howard took a leave of absence from his position as director ofthe Gary, Indiana, Public Library to become chief ofthe Library Program Division of the Office of War Information. (Bul 1943, 299) ALA Leaders Visit Capitol Hill. ALA President Althea Warren and Federal Relations Chait |W.A. Moon spent three days on Capitol Hill visting House members to get support for a proposed bill for federal aid for libraries. Rep. Graham Barden (D-NC), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, assured ther that if the large national organizations interested in education and rural welfare supported federal aid to libraries, he would put his strength behind it Bul 1943, 415)