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Julia Skinner,

The University of Iowa

Libraries understood in the context of 4 time periods:

Examined the administrative records

of 6 Iowa libraries

from 1912-1920:

Burlington, Davenport,

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa City,

Cedar Rapids, & Dubuque.

  • Increases in circulation
  • Several continued to acquire German books from 1914-1916.
  • These collections no longer mentioned after 1916 (exception: Cedar Rapids).

Public libraries came under pressure from

government and community members.

Letters from librarians detail

the removal of 'pro-German'

documents.

two separate requests

after the war.

Libraries supported the war in

a variety of other ways as well.

Libraries also provided meeting space,

supplied war-related literature,

and sent staff to engage in 'war work.'

Postwar Libraries

Libraries received Prohibition-related challenges,

but these were handled much differently.

Some eagerly participated

but their records suggest that they were less enthused.

Impact of censorship widespread:

Julia Skinner

  • Pre-war
  • Neutrality (1914-1916)
  • Wartime
  • Postwar

Censorship in the Heartland

Iowa Libraries During World War I

School of Library

& Information Science

Human Statue of Liberty.

Fort Dodge, Iowa. 1918.

Iowa Libraries Before the War:

(Carnegie-Stout Public Library, Dubuque)

(Herbert Metcalf's boss)

Senator Lafayette Young.

Head of Iowa State Council

of National Defense.

  • Many actively acquiring German-language books

Libraries During Wartime

  • Raised funds for war libraries
  • Sent books to Camp Dodge

Libraries reacted differently to wartime climate.

Base Hospital, Camp Dodge. Des Moines, Iowa.

By donating money and

volunteer hours,

and by removing materials.

http://juliaslibraryresearch.blogspot.com

Cedar Rapids removed books

in response to

julia-skinner@uiowa.edu

Iowa Libraries During U.S. Neutrality:

by different

organizations.

Other censorship activities are less clear.

No information about what happened

to these books

  • German-Iowans unable to access materials they can understand.
  • Rural residents in surrounding areas use the same collections.

Circulation continued to increase.

Were they discarded?

Returned to circulation?

Focus on assisting WWI veterans.

Other libraries participated in these same activities

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