Chapter History

A Brief History of the Pacific Northwest Chapter

In the fall of 1944, a group of librarians from the University of Washington began to organize a local chapter of SLA. At their first official meeting in April of 1945, the fledgling Puget Sound Chapter had forty-one members. Annual dues were five dollars. The first annual business meeting was held on May 23, 1946 by which time the membership had swelled to seventy-one, representing librarians from Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

In 1963, the Chapter changed its name to the Pacific Northwest Chapter, and by 1965 the geographic boundaries included Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta. Oregon librarians organized their own chapter in 1973, and the Western Canada Chapter formed in 1980. Montana was aboard by 1976. Finally in 1984, when British Columbia joined Western Canada, the PNW Chapter reached its current size including the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Washington.

Over the years the membership continued to grow, but times were often rocky. Chapter presidents in 1951 and again in 1957 warned that the Chapter was in danger from lack of participation. By the late 1970's, Chapter membership had grown to around 300 and as many as 100 members attended meetings. With most members residing in Western Washington, occasional Saturday seminars, Annual Conferences, and joint-meetings with other chapters, as well as the quarterly INTERFACE newsletter, helped to keep members in touch.

Past Presidents

2007-2008  |  Julie Cook

2006-2007  |  Barbara Wetzel

2005-2006  |  Julia Parker

2004-2005  |  Katherine Foster

2003-2004  |  Christina Byrne

2002-2003  |  Becky Withington

2001-2002  |  Chris Mulready

2000-2001  |  Nola Sterling

1999-2000  |  Toni Emerson

1998-1999  |  Alison Keyes

1997-1998  |  Trish Camozzi-Ekberg

1996-1997  |  Sophia Smith

1995-1996  |  Lyn Sauter

Past Presidents | 1945-Present