St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1917-09-26
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WAR LIBRARIES
FOR SOLDIERS

p
soldiers and sailors III Because that is
the least amount, in the experience Of
the American. Library Association and
the library War Council needed to
supply libraries to our soldiers at 1.-THE
front, in the field, lin ecantonments,e in
training camps and on : board Ky the
troop ships.
How is all this money to be spent?
There are 80 cantonment library
buildings to be erected. Each build
ing will be 4Dx120 feet in size, one
story high, and will have accommo-
dations for ten thousand books, news
papers and magazines, and living
quarters for. the staff. Each of these
libraries will be in charge of a trained
librarian In each camp it is planned
to have a library Headquarters with
books and periodicals for reading
room use, together with complete
system of distributing agencies, af-
fording to the soldiers a first-class-
city public library service. Without
this character of service any library
would be a useless thing. At once
$4,000 fresh, clean books must be
purchased for the larger environments.
and these andsth other reading mat
ter must. be properly kept up and
| maintained and transported.
| Why doesn't the government supply
these libraries because we are en-
gagged In a war in which the entire
energy of the government is needed
for the actual conflict. 1t was Secre-
tary of War Newton D. Baker who
appointed ethexLibrary War Council,
because he knew that with the -co-op-
Grafton of the American Library AS
ISOLATION the need for library facili-
| ties for the soldiers and sailors could
Ibest be presented to the country, and
| the necessary funds raised. The
Library War Council is carrying out
the commands of the government.
Do other peoples supply libraries
for their fighting men Yes, early il
the war the Germans instituted Ii
brary service for all their soldiers, and
fitted out as a necessary part of their
field equipment travelling libraries Of
about two thousand volumes for eacl
army corps. The people of our ally
Great Britain, provide Libraries fol-
their soldiers which go wherever the
British soldier is fighting.
Aren't the Y. M. c. A. and knights
of Columbus doing this work Mo
they cannot do it in addition to theil
other welfare work, but they are en-.
Enthusiastically CO. operating. Every Y
M. G. "A. hut and knights of Columbu.
building will be a branch library, a.
will the camp drug stores, banks, an6
other business and recreation place!
on the main streets Of the canton
ments.
1 Will all our soldiers and sailor.
Ihaveylibraries? Yes. The field to b,
lowered by these libraries include!
iserviee for recruits. for men in train
j ing. for men being modified, for mer
in garrisons, for men in their res
4 periods while on the march, and ever
for the men at the front. The, Ii
I braries will serve the crippled ant
i manned men returned from service
wounded soldiers, .interned groups ant
prisoners of war, men awaiting TIL,
mastering. out, sailors on shipboard
and sailors at the various naval sta
tions. Not a man in any branch O
Uncle Sans war service must be ne
elected.
i What will be done with these Ii
i braries after the war MANY of tn,
books will be worn out by USE Again
as camps are closed in America
books wills follow our troops to Eng
I land and France for camp and hospi
tai use. Others. will be sent to per
i manent regular Army and Navy post
in America.
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