Timeline

Lis Professional Timeline

1638: Harvard University Establishes First Academic Library
This collection began with a donation of 400 books by John Harvard and grew to become one of the largest libraries in America over the next century. Early items were mainly theological works with a few classics and general philosophy items, but later growth reflected the changing priorities of the institution. The expansion and evolution of academic libraries is best understood as a mirror to American higher education.
1699: First Parish Libraries Established
Organized by Church of England cleric Reverend Thomas Bray, seventy collections were established in churches throughout the English colonies. These included works on both religious and general subjects. Items were lent to the public. Collections emphasized literature and classics as they were intended for educational purposes. While short-lived, these libraries established precedents of free public access, variety in holdings and home circulation that became the basis of American public libraries.
1800: Library of Congress (LOC) Established
Originally founded as a research tool for members of congress, in time the library's collection was opened to public viewing. In addition to maintaining a collection of over 100 million items, the LOC serves as the copyright agency of the United States and developed a cataloging scheme used in many academic and public libraries today. In 1901 the LOC began offering catalog cards to local libraries, the first instance of outsourcing in library services.
1835: New York Establishes First School Libraries
Lobbying by education pioneer Horace Mann resulted in legislation for funding the first libraries in American public schools. At first these libraries were open to the public and served a dual role, although later public libraries would be established as a separate government service. While it took some time for the first collections to arrive in schools, this landmark legislation firmly established libraries as an essential part of American public education.
1848: First Public Library Established in Boston
The Massachusetts State Legislature established funding for the Boston Public Library, which opened its doors in 1854. While items in private collections had been made available to subscribers for a fee for over a century, this was the first free municipal library to be supported by taxpayer funds. The success of the Boston Public Library led to the establishment of libraries in virtually every municipality in the United States by the latter half of the 20th century.
1876: American Library Association (ALA) Established
A Philadelphia conference marked the birth of the ALA. Over the years the ALA has played an invaluable role in establishing standards and professionalization in librarianship. In addition, their lobbying arm helped secure much needed additional funds from federal and state sources.
1876: Dewey Decimal Classification Devised
Melvil Dewey developed the eponymous catalog classification system that uses digits for identifying the subject of non-fiction books. It was an invaluable boon to libraries as new classifications could be easily developed simply by adding another decimal point. It was in wide use by 1900 and is still used by most small libraries today.
1906: Carnegie Grants Increase Library Funding
From 1906 to 1941 the Carnegie Corporation of New York gave $310 million in grants to libraries throughout the United States. These grants allowed the construction of 1,679 public libraries, 108 academic libraries as well as the development of 248 book collections for undergraduate students at colleges and universities. This significant increase in private funding for libraries helped American library system become the ubiquitous institution it is today.
1932: First Graduate Library School Established
The University of Chicago established the first research department in Library Science with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. Faculty was assembled from various social science departments as well as directors of large academic libraries. The research generated by faculty and graduates was essential to improving library services throughout the country and the Graduate Library School helped to further the professionalization of librarianship.
1939: ALA Passes Library Bill of Rights
The ALA made the position of the profession on intellectual freedom clear with this declaration. It stated that all library resources are provided for the education and enlightenment of the entire community it serves and items will not be excluded from a collection based on objectionable ideas. While censorship had taken place in American libraries in the past, particularly during the First World War, the modern library has grown to be a bulwark of the freedom of information.
1956: Library Services Act Passed
After 5 years of lobbying this important bill was passed by both houses of congress and signed into law by President Eisenhower. It increased federal funding for library services by $7.5 million a year and established state library agencies. The resources appropriated by this legislation were crucial to establishing library services in rural areas.
1964: Library Services and Construction Act Passed
Enacted as a part of President Johnson's "Great Society" legislation, this act authorized an additional $73 million in funding for libraries. It made funds for the construction of new libraries available just as the Carnegie buildings were falling into disrepair. It also authorized federal funds for all library systems, removing a previous stipulation that such aid could only be granted to library systems serving a population of 10,000 or more.
1967: Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) Founded
The OCLC was established as an electronic cataloging resource for colleges and universities in Ohio. The network began offering online cataloging data to subscribing libraries in 1972 and quickly grew in scope. Today known as the Online Computer Library Center, their "WorldCat" database includes the holdings of almost every library in the country. It is the largest library cooperative in the world.
1991: Periodicals Go Online
In response to the "serials crisis" of rising prices, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) began publishing a directory of electronic journals that was available as a searchable online database. While only 110 titles were listed the first year, that list had grown to 5,375 titles by 1997. Networked access to electronic resources helped libraries to control costs as well as manage the size of their physical collections.
1996: Library Services and Technology Act Passed
The latest step in federal aid to libraries, it established the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This legislation helped bring libraries into the 21st century by adding computer workstations and internet access. It highlights the changing role of the library as librarians became custodians of a great deal of information not physically stored on the premises.
1996: ALA and Microsoft Corporation Launch Libraries Online! Project
This joint venture involved both financial and software assistance from Microsoft to allow over 200 library systems in economically disadvantaged areas of the country to offer computer and internet services. It marked the beginning of library efforts to bridge the "digital divide" between rich and poor. Today most libraries offer internet access, the only route to the information highway in many historically underserved areas.
2009: Library Services Go Mobile
"AirPac" software launched by the library system in Orange County, Florida gives users the ability to search library public access catalogues from mobile devices anywhere they are. This inaugurates a new generation of mobile library access. Services being tested allow users to search for an item, get directions to the nearest library and call the library using data phones and other mobile devices.