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Library War Service

The Library War Service was established by the American Library Association in 1917 to provide library services to American soldiers training in camps and serving overseas in World War I. Between 1917 and 1920, the ALA raised $5 million from public donations, erected 36 camp libraries, distributed 7 to 10 million books and magazines, and provided library collections to more than 500 locations, including military hospitals. The Library War Service also provided books in Braille to soldiers that were blinded in battle. Library War Service librarians wore uniforms, similar to those worn by other volunteer groups like the American Red Cross, and the Library War Service provides some of the earliest examples of women participating in uniformed war service overseas. Millions of public libraries in the United States also participated in Library War Service activities, serving as collection points for books as well as places to organize and promote the War Service campaign. The efforts of the Library War Service eventually led to the creation of many modern library services, including the creation of library departments in the Army, Navy, Veterans' Association and Merchant Marine, as well as the establishment of the American Library in Paris, which remains the largest English-language lending library on the European continent today.

Establishment
In 1917, as America entered World War I, the American Library Association (ALA) established the Committee on Mobilization and War Service Plans. Shortly after its formation, the ALA's committee was invited by the Department of War’s Commission on Training Camp Activities to provide library services to soldiers. Joining the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), the Salvation Army, the Jewish Welfare Board, the Knights of Columbus and the War Camp Community Service, the American Library Association became one of the "Seven Sisters" providing social, health and welfare services to soldiers in camps under the auspices of the Commission on Training Camp Activities. Though the ALA had only 3,300 members and an annual budget of $25,000, the Library War Service eventually raised over five million dollars and collected over ten million books for distribution. At the height of the Library War Service, even this large collection was unable to meet all of the military's needs.

Camp libraries
With the help of a $320,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation, the Library War Service established 36 "camp libraries" at military bases and training camps. The Carnegie Corporation and the Library War Service also funded 1,100 library workers to staff camp libraries and military hospitals. The 36 camp libraries were simple wooden buildings, similar to World War I canteens. The libraries were designed by architect E.L. Tillman, and provided space for 10,000 volumes and around 200 readers, in buildings that were only between 90 and 120 feet long. Most camp libraries were also provisioned with a small car for the transportation of books.

The libraries were a place for soldiers to gather, relax and enjoy a touch of home and civilization. Libraries at Camp Upton and Camp Sherman received special permission to install fireplaces to encourage this environment. However, Library War Service books were not just used for entertainment and diversion. They also contained information required for effective military operations and they helped prepare soldiers socially and intellectually for life after the war. In 1918, a librarian at Camp Meade wrote the following to a reporter about his troops' need for books: "We are having repeated calls for technical handbooks and textbooks. We want all kinds of engineering handbooks, mechanics handbooks, books on engineering and books on all branches of the service. They cannot be too technical for the men. You will be interested to know how quickly the newly purchased books are snapped up. Of the six copies of Thompson's Electricity, four are out now and were out within a week of when they were ready."

At the height of the war, nearly every YMCA, Knights of Columbus, Young Men's Hebrew Association and base hospital at a barracks was used as distribution point for War Service books, and nearly every book was in constant use. Books and periodicals were minimally cataloged and camp librarians were either volunteers, or were paid a small annual salary of around $1,200.

Uniforms
Like other volunteers during the war, especially the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, Library War Service librarians wore uniforms while performing their duties. There were separate uniforms for camp librarians and hospital librarians, as well as separate uniforms for men and women. Camp librarians wore a forest green uniform, similar to a military uniform, with ALA pins and patches that marked the wearer as a War Service librarian. Female librarians working in hospital libraries had a unique uniform of naturally colored pongee.

Most women who wore uniforms during World War I were members of civilian relief services like the Library War Service. While men could have their uniforms locally tailored, women librarians' uniforms were custom-made by Best & Company of New York City, reflecting the challenges of providing military uniforms for women in the early 1900s.

Legacy
After the war, the U.S. military assimilated most wartime library services, and ALA-managed libraries were transformed into military-managed libraries. Following the example set by the Library War Service, formal, professional library departments were created in the U.S. Army and Navy. Library service in military hospitals also continued, first under U.S. Public Health Service, then under the sponsorship of the Veteran’s Bureau, and today under the Veterans' Administration (VA). In 1921, the Library War Service helped found the American Merchant Marine Library Association to benefit the Merchant Marine and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The War Service also has a lasting civilian legacy. The American Library Association established the American Library in Paris to provide English books to American soldiers serving in France. The library continues to operate today as the largest English-language lending library in continental Europe. Many library services, such as the distribution of Braille books through the mail, were first implemented by the Library War Service during World War I.