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INTRODUCTION
More than one hundred years ago, a written appeal to establish a unique organization to address the needs and aspirations of Catholic-based information specialists representing the interests of their field was forwarded to the Catholic Educational Association's (CEA) Executive Board. This letter offered a general visionary synopsis, and posed the question to librarians as to whether they wanted to adopt such a formal alliance. The missive found its way into the pages of the CEA Annual Bulletin for 1919:
There should be within the Catholic Educational Association a permanent organization composed principally of librarians and those interested in library development, who should meet annually and discuss library problems and use every effort to upbuild and safeguard the interests of Catholics in this particular field. It is upon this Association then that the largest responsibility rests for the future welfare, progress and growth of the library movement in Catholic schools. The Catholic library world also looks to you for leadership in standards, example and practice. Will you accept the responsibility?1
An answer came back in the affirmative, and this proposal subsequently became an important document within the establishment of the Catholic Library Association (CLA) two years later. Although formally founded in 1921, the CLA has its roots in the evolution of libraries in general, while it specifically adopted the traditional and dynamic mission to support, promote, and reinforce Catholic-centered public service and information sharing objectives.
With the CLA having marked its centennial in 2021, we can look back on the life cycle of our organization with a feeling of distinction and pride. Jane F. Hindman, in her excellent chronicle on the history of the CLA, related within the opening narrative that the early pioneers possessed admirable qualities:
The founders of the Catholic Library Association (CLA) had vision, courage, and determination. At the organizational meeting of the library section of the Catholic Educational Association, in 1921, forty individuals were in attendance, not all of them librarians, but these few had the wisdom to persist.2
This diligence was based on a long history found within the development of libraries, and the CLA community's belief in the values of librarianship.
1919-21 | EARLY INFLUENCES AND CONTEXT ON CATHOLIC LIBRARIANSHIP AND THE CLA
The value of libraries and their...