the first meeting was publicized in an announcement in the st. paul pioneer press. the initial meeting was held at the minnesota historical society in st. paul, mn, and the purpose of the first meeting was to organize a state library association by using a plan recommended by the american library association. early meetings usually consisted of presented papers and discussions, and the 1896 annual meeting was collaborative with the minnesota education association. gratia countryman, secretary of mla at the time, elaborated, "early in the history of the association, librarians recognized that schools and libraries should cooperate closely as the two arms of the educational system."