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In 1889, a group of 13 college librarians caucused at the Annual Conference in St. Louis and recommended that a college library section be formed.

In 1897 the section acquired a new name, the College and Reference Library Section (to recognize the participation of reference librarians) and, after the turn of the century, began to select officers to plan annual meetings. Not until 1923, however, did the section adopt its own bylaws.

In 1936 the chair of the section appointed a Committee on Reorganization to develop plans for restructuring the section. The final report of the committee in 1938 recommended the adoption of new bylaws that would transform the section into an Association of College and Reference Libraries with full autonomy over its own affairs. The new bylaws provided for the creation of subsections within the association for college libraries, junior college libraries, teachers college libraries, university libraries, and other groups that might wish to affiliate.

The section approved the proposed bylaws in June 1938 and officially became the Association of College and Reference Libraries (ACRL) by the end of the year. The ¾«¶«´«Ã½Council responded by ratifying a new ¾«¶«´«Ã½constitution that made provision for the creation of self-governing divisions within ALA, entitled to receive a share of ¾«¶«´«Ã½dues. ACRL swiftly prepared a new constitution to meet the conditions for division status, and the ¾«¶«´«Ã½Council recognized ACRL as ALA's first division on May 31, 1940.