When the American Library Association convenes its 2026 Annual Conference & Exhibition at Chicago’s McCormick Place from June 25 to 29, it will be marking far more than another year on the calendar. The event is a milestone marking ALA’s 150th Anniversary — a sesquicentennial for an organization that was founded in Philadelphia in 1876 amid the patriotic spectacle of the nation’s centennial, and which has called Chicago home for more than a century.
A Hometown Stage, and Big Numbers
The choice of venue is deliberate. ALA has been headquartered in Chicago since 1909, and the city has historically drawn the organization’s largest crowds. As a transportation hub between coasts, Chicago tends to draw big numbers; during ALA’s 2023 meeting there, nearly 16,000 attendees showed up. By comparison, last year’s Annual in Philadelphia drew 14,000 attendees.
The 2026 edition appears to be tracking toward similar scale. More than 600 exhibitors — 130 of them first-timers — have already booked booths, and registrations have surpassed 10,000. The conference will include hundreds of education programs and more than 630 exhibitors, alongside extensive networking opportunities.
ALA executive director Dan Montgomery has framed the anniversary as a singular occasion. “It’s such a marquee anniversary — it’s not like any other year,” he said, noting a notable historical alignment: “It’s cool that ALA’s 150th is happening during America’s 250th, because our own nation’s success is dependent on the health of libraries.” He has not shied away from the difficult climate facing the profession, acknowledging the significant challenges facing the profession and country.
Programming: Looking Back, Leaning Forward
The intellectual through-line of the conference is a balance between retrospection and speculation. The tone and content of this year’s slate of speakers, programs, and gatherings strike a balance between the retrospective and the speculative, as library workers and advocates stake out a brighter, stronger, and more inclusive and accessible future for libraries of all types.
For an audience tracking technological disruption, the AI thread running through the programming will be of particular interest. Programming will spotlight topics of contemporary and historical interest, from AI and literacy to policy and leadership. Sessions probing the present moment will examine how technological advancements and cultural upheaval continue to shape the profession. Among the ticketed conversations is a frank, forward-looking panel — a 75-minute moderated discussion titled “So Just When is AI Gonna Take My Job?”, focusing on when and how AI will show up in the work of library staff, with a panel including library directors, HR departments, and government funding experts.
Other sessions reflect the breadth of the profession’s social mission, from collecting and preserving immigrant histories to challenging ageism toward older adults and relationship-centered teen outreach for underserved youth.
Marquee Speakers and Signature Events
ALA has assembled a high-profile speaker roster. The first speaker announcement featured Rachel Maddow, host of The Rachel Maddow Show, whose six-part podcast series Burn Order topped Apple Podcasts’ charts, and Wayne Brady, the multiple Emmy Award-winning actor, Grammy-nominated singer, author, and longtime host of Let’s Make a Deal, who is making his sci-fi debut as an author. Eight additional mainstage speakers were announced to follow.
The civic dimension of the hometown celebration is pronounced. A Thursday evening panel event with special guests and ticketed entry is confirmed for the newly opened Obama Presidential Center, and Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson will welcome the assembly at Friday’s main stage opener.
On the exhibition floor, the Library Marketplace will feature exhibitors showcasing innovative products and titles, publishers hosting authors on live stages, the Meet the Authors and Autographing areas, makerspaces, a STEAM booth, and free advanced reading copies.
Why It Matters
For an industry-watch readership, the 2026 Annual reads as a bellwether. ALA frames the gathering as an effort to celebrate libraries and ignite the next era of innovation and access through future-focused learning, powerful keynotes, and a commitment to building libraries that reflect an adaptive, inclusive, and community-driven world. A sector navigating AI adoption, funding pressure, and contested cultural ground is using its 150th year not to rest on legacy but to test what comes next — and Chicago is where that argument will play out.
The conference runs June 25–29, 2026, at McCormick Place. Looking ahead, ALA’s Annual moves to New Orleans in 2027 and Denver in 2028 before returning to Chicago in 2029.
