Who Were We? Where Did We Go? Voices from the Early Years of the Art Libraries Society of North America

The first Art Libraries Society of North America conference was held in New York City in 1973. The final session of the conference posed the questions, “Who are we? Where are we going?” Now in 2022, five long-time members of the society reflect on those questions, providing some perspective on the origins, early years, and accomplishments of ARLIS/NA. What was the impetus for a stand-alone organization, given the many other library associations with art librarian members? Who were the leaders who made it happen? How did regional chapters develop? Who were the exhibitors and sponsors? How did the publications advance the profession? What were some of the highlights along the way? [This article presents the talks from a special panel at the fiftieth anniversary ARLIS/NA Conference held in Chicago, Illinois, in April 2022.]