Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- American Library Association. Library War Service
- Abstract:
- Photographs, postcards, blueprints, insignia, and reports, relating to the work of the American Library Association War Service in providing library buildings, books, and librarians, for American military servicemen in the United States and overseas during World War I.
- Extent:
- 1 manuscript box, 33 envelopes (3.7 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], American Library Association War Service records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Photographs, postcards, blueprints, insignia, and reports, relating to the work of the American Library Association War Service in providing library buildings, books, and librarians, for American military servicemen in the United States and overseas during World War I.
- Biographical / historical:
-
In June 1917, shortly after the United States entered into World War I, the American Library Association (ALA) convened a War Service Committee to distribute library materials to American soldiers. This committee oversaw what was to become known as the Library War Service program. Under the leadership of Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam, the program effectively demonstrated the importance of ALA membership, while at the same time showing the value of collaboration with other military and welfare agencies, such as the YMCA, YWCA, and the Red Cross. Moreover, it successfully raised more than five million dollars in public donations, as well as securing Carnegie Corporation funds. With these funds and donations, the Library War Service program established thirty-six camp libraries, distributed approximately ten million books and magazines, and sponsored 1,100 library workers for the war effort.
The ALA's war work had lasting legacies: the formation of the American Library in Paris, the establishment of the American Merchant Marine Library Association, the garnering of greater concern with international library development, and the assimilation of the wartime programs by the military departments and other government agencies. Additionally, the Library War Service instituted new library services, such as Braille text and books by mail.
After World War I, the program continued to operate under the auspices of the Enlarged Program, which focused on three areas: (1) continuation of war-related activity, (2) constitutional revision, and (3) new programs, which included increased expenditures for publicity, promotion of higher salaries for librarians, initiation of special services to immigrants, and creation of a board to set standards for library schools. The Enlarged Program never fully came to fruition; however, the ALA made inroads for the library profession as a whole during this period, particularly in terms of its visibility.
The ALA was founded in Philadelphia in 1876, and later chartered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was established to promote the profession of librarianship, to improve library and information services, and, more generally, to enhance learning and access to information for all people. The ALA is comprised of an elected council, which makes policies, and an executive board, which enforces policies. In addition, the ALA functions through a network of affiliates, chapters, and other organizations, such as the Merritt Humanitarian Fund, the National Forum on Information Literacy, and the Sister Libraries.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], American Library Association War Service records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563