Libraries and the Life of the Mind in America: Addresses Delivered at the Centennial Celebration of the American Library Association.

The American Library Association is an organization committed to the broadest possible expansion of libraries and to the most inclusive membership as an educational and professional association. When plans were being made for the group’s 100th anniversary, members decided that the conference celebration ought at least recognize the relationship between libraries and American history, especially in the year of ALA’s centennial and of America’s Bicentennial. One of the organization’s most articulate members, Kathleen Molz, suggested a two-year series of lectures by distinguished scholars who would discuss the development of libraries and their influence upon the American mind. The ALA Executive Board approved this idea, along with Molz’s proposed series title of "Libraries and the Life of the Mind in America," and the series was launched in San Francisco in 1975. Contributors included: John Hope Franklin, Dan Mabry Lacy, R. Kathleen Molz, Herman Liebaers, Harriet F. Pilpel, Keyes D. Metcalf, and Daniel J. Boorstin. The lectures were well-received by large and enthusiastic audiences, with many commenting that the series did indeed achieve its original laudable aim of focusing on the contributions libraries and librarians have made to the evolution of the life of the mind in America. To help ensure their continuing usefulness for the library profession, the ALA has presented, with this volume, the entire series in permanent form for the benefit of a wider audience. Introduction provided by Edward G. Holley, Past President of the American Library Association.