Pacific Northwest Library Association Photograph Collection, 1919-1949

The Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) was founded in 1909 during a three day conference at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. The original members included librarians from Washington and Oregon, as well as the Provincial Librarian of British Columbia, but the membership grew to include librarians from Idaho, Montana and Utah. The PNLA affiliated with the American Library Association (ALA) in 1914. Among the achievements of the PNLA was the creation of the Subscription Books Bulletinin 1917, which eventually merged with another publication to become the ALA's Booklist. Although experiencing restructuring through the years, the PNLA celebrated its centennial in 2009 and remains the only regional library association to incorporate an international border.