Exhibit - "Book Scandal of 1919": North Dakota State Library

The reputation of the State Library Commission (SLC) suffered following the book scandal. Although the SLC was exonerated by the House Book and Library Investigating Committee, the legislature slashed its appropriation at the end of the 1919 special session. The book scandal and falling grain prices after World War I had taken a financial toll. In 1917, the SLC received an all-time high of $23,195 for the biennium. During the special session of 1919, its funding was reduced to $12,710.

By the summer of 1920, the SLC experienced significant staff turnover. Much of the SLC's staff that went through the book scandal had left. Ethel Lane quit in February and other staff members also left, including Anne E. Peterson.

In May 1920, newspapers reported the SLC was forced to close temporarily due to a lack of staff and funding. It is not clear how long the SLC was closed. Showing little sympathy for the SLC, newspapers pointed out that although the SLC's appropriation had been cut during the special session, the SLC would not be financially impacted until July 1.

In August 1920, S. Blanche Hedrick, a librarian at the University of Missouri, was hired as State Librarian, succeeding Peterson. Hedrick inherited a SLC that was in disarray. Following the book scandal, the SLC faced significant budget cuts, staff turnover, and it had just recently been forced to close for a time.

In November 1920, the Board of Administration submitted its second annual report. The section on the SLC is brief. There is nothing about Charles E. Stangeland, Peterson, the book scandal, or having to temporarily close the SLC. It did mention:

• Hedrick was recently appointed State Librarian
• The SLC is "suffering from cramped quarters" but moving into the Liberty Memorial Building (which was under construction) should help
• A "liberal appropriation for new books and adequate salaries is requested..."

The SLC biennial report for 1918-1920 (undated and unpublished until it was included in the 1922 report) is much more detailed and speaks to the hardships faced by the SLC following the book scandal. Hedrick stated her report must "be very brief, since there is no one on the present staff who was connected with the [SLC] during any portion of the period covered by this report," and the current staff was unable to locate "any records which would aid materially in compiling a statistical record of any absolute value."

Hedrick also added because of the significant staff turnover before her arrival:

"...the work became much confused and disarranged and the present staff found it rather difficult to pick up the threads of the work and get things back into systematized running order. We have found it necessary to go back over the work of the past three or four years in order to complete some of the records. To do this and at the same time keep up with the work of the present day has been a considerable task..."

1921 saw some positive outcomes for the SLC. In the early months of 1921, the state legislature convened for its regular session. With control of the legislature split between the Nonpartisan League (NPL) and the Independent Voters Association (IVA), the session was full of strife. The IVA held many hearings and investigations into the programs of the NPL. However, the legislature did manage to agree on an appropriation increase for the SLC. The SLC's funding for the biennium was increased to $19,100.

After roughly a year as State Librarian, Hedrick resigned in the summer of 1921 because of her mother's failing health and moved back to Missouri. Hedrick did what she could to fix the mess that the SLC was in after the book scandal, but there was still much more work to be done.

In September 1921, Mary E. Downey was appointed State Librarian. She had previously worked at the State Library Commission in Utah. She set to work and initiated a program of reconstruction, reorganization, and rearrangement. About two years later, in October 1923, Downey resigned as State Librarian and moved to Ohio. She was replaced by Lillian E. Cook. Capitalizing on Downey's momentum of rebuilding the SLC, Cook was able to provide needed stability. She served as State Librarian for more than 20 years.

After celebrating the SLC's 20th anniversary in 1927, Cook wrote in the 1928 biennial report:

"The governing organization has differed from time to time and the staff personnel has had many changes, but the purposes of furnishing worth while reading to the residents of the small towns and the open country, and of aiding and encouraging the small libraries of the state, have remained constant."

In its October 1974 issue of North Dakota Library Notes, the SLC reprinted the survey conducted by Dr. Charles E. Stangeland. In the preface, Richard J. Wolfert (State Librarian, 1969-1981) wrote that "[much] of the commentary and some of the recommendations contained in this 1919 survey of the [SLC] are appropriate today." He added, that since the survey's publication, there has not been "enough progress toward the general goal of improved library service on a statewide basis." There is still work to be done, but the SLC is dedicated to "point a way toward which all libraries in the state can move."

In 1919, the State Library Commission (SLC) unwittingly faced a crisis. In a modern parallel, as libraries today encounter similar issues, the SLC was essentially confronted with a challenge over books that were deemed to be controversial or inappropriate. Fueled by the press, the Red Scare, and the political battle between the Nonpartisan League (NPL) and the Independent Voters Association (IVA), the issue quickly became compounded.

The book scandal claimed many causalities, including the SLC. It took time, but the NPL-IVA battle eventually faded and the SLC bounced back.

In 1979, the SLC changed its name to the North Dakota State Library and continues to serve North Dakota's libraries, state government, and residents to this day.