KALAMAZOO, MI — The Kalamazoo Ladies’ Library Association has been named one of the seven inductees for the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame class of 2025.

Founded in 1852, the Kalamazoo LLA serves as the oldest women’s club in Michigan and is one of only 120 ladies’ library associations to ever exist nationwide.

It also serves as the the oldest women’s organization with open membership in the United States and is the second-oldest active women’s organization in the country. Only the Ladies Education Society of Jacksonville, Illinois, which is private, is older, according to Kalamazoo LLA club president and historian Sharon Carlson.

The Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame is honoring the Kalamazoo LLA in the historical category for its role in providing a model for dozens of similar organizati

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