12/27/2006:
During this week in 1906, the newly organized North Dakota Library Association held its first annual meeting in Fargo.
The year before, on December 19, 1905, the Library Association of Fargo/Moorhead invited all librarians and others interested in library work in North Dakota to meet at the Fargo Public Library on January 18, 1906.
The meeting’s purpose was to discuss organizing a State Library Association. From this invitation, a statewide library organization developed.
Twenty-two attended the January 18 meeting. Walter L. Stockwell, superintendent of public instruction and president of the Board of the Carnegie Library, Grafton, spoke, along with Max Blatt of the North Dakota Agricultural College’s library committee.
After lengthy discussion, a motion was made and passed to form the North Dakota Library Association. Frank J. Thompson of the Fargo Public Library was elected as the first president. Other officers were Alice J. MacDonald, Valley City Public Library, as vice-president and Elizabeth Abbott, Grand Forks Public Library, as secretary-treasurer.
At the first annual meeting on December 28, 1906, the main item of business was promoting legislation to establish a State Library Commission, resulting in Senate Bill No. 207 that was introduced during the 1907 Legislative session.
SB 207 provided for a commission of three members, one being the NDLA president, and for an appropriation of $1,500. It also allowed for NDLA to take over the Education Reference Library and traveling libraries from the Superintendent of Public Instruction, for the establishment of a legislative reference bureau and for keeping statistics on all North Dakota libraries. The bill passed the Legislature, with several amendments.
The second annual convention was in November 1907 in Grand Forks, with tremendous news coverage. The original officers stayed in place until 1909, when Max Blatt became president.
In 1911, the NDLA constitution was amended, enlarging the Executive Board and lengthening the president’s term to two years. That year, R.A. Nestos, a lawyer and legislator from Minot and future governor, became president.
NDLA moved to western North Dakota for its eighth annual meeting in 1913. Minot hosted the meeting, and the highlight was an address by Governor Hanna and auto rides provided by the Minot Commercial Club.
The 1914 annual meeting brought a resolution to endorse creation of county libraries, a discussion that continued for the next 20 years. The annual meeting in 1915 was held in conjunction with the North Dakota Education Association.
After the 1916 conference in Williston, the next two conferences, scheduled for Valley City, did not take place—1917 because of financial issues and 1918 because of the Spanish influenza epidemic. Valley City did successfully host the 1919 conference.
As the years passed, the organization grew in numbers and issues, until it celebrated its 100th annual conference in September 2006 in Fargo, where it all started in 1906.
More on the history of the NDLA can be found at www.ndla.info or in the recently published NDLA Dakota Gold Cookbook, which includes interesting historical tidbits on the NDLA.
By Cathy A. Langemo, WritePlus Inc.