The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-08-03
Library War Service Doing
Great Work Fer Soldiers
(By Associated Press.)

(By Associated PresB.)
Washington, Aug. 2.-American sol
diers and sailors in training at hom,
or in service overseas are iearnins
the game Of war ION their own hook.
This is the use they are making o.
the Library War Service, conducted
by the American Library Association
for the previous idea-and it was
that Of some library workers-that
the library service would be mostly
for recreational purposes is being
disapproved by the heavy demand foy
books on military and naval science
and related subjects.
In nine months after most hum.
BILE beginning, the Library War Ser
lvice has become the most universal
library in the world. In brief, its
Accomplishments include: SO camp
library buildings erected; Al large
camp libraries established; 81 hospi-
tai and Red Cross houses supplied
with books; 212 libraries in service;
237 small military camps and posts
equipped with book collections; 249
naval and marine stations and vessels
Supplied with libraries; 1923 branch
es and stations placed in Y. M. G. A.
and Knights of Columbus huts, bar
racks and mess halls; 3S5,310 books
shipped overseas; 411,505 books
thought, most of them technical; 2,1O0,-
900 gift books in service.
Wherever there are American fight
ers, there Is to be found the library,
and in the big military camps are nu-
merous branches and. company sta.
lions. Even American prisoners Of
war in Germany are not neglected by
the library service, for arrangements
have been completed in Switzerland
for serving them through that coun-
TRY. The Army with its combat troops,
It's training areas and schools, lines OF
communication, including construc-
ton men, guards, stevedores and 9th.
ers, and the headquarters and de.
tached units, is reached by the LII
brary War Service. The service ex-
tends to the Navy with its vessels,
ship bases, mine bases and aviation
stations, as also to both the Army and
Navy at recreation centers, in hospi.
tails and in captivity.
While the interest now is marked In
serious study OF war, the war H.
braries, are not confined to technical
books on that subject. Instead these
compose the smaller part Of the H.
braries, and are largely the ones that
have been bought by the library asso-
citation. Medical and veterinary books
at hospitals are supplied by the sur
geon general. Other books are pro-
vided from gifts gathered by public
libraries throughout the country.
Books to aid vocational training and
scientific studies usually are pur-
chased. Recreational reading, fiction, |
war books, history, biography and
travel are supplied from the gift col ,
Scrapbnoks are useful for
bed patients and for illiterates. A de-
mand also has been supplied for books
to classes In French and to classes OF !,
men with an imperfect knowledge Of
English. Magazines, in endless num-
Der, are added monthly,
More than four million books were
during the gift campaign
conducted recently by public libraries
In every city of the country. The ex-
act number reported TO headquarters
here was 3,S96,054, but this does not
include thousands distributed by the
city libraries to nearby military, nav
ii and marine camps and stations of
which no record was sent to head
quarters. A summary Of the distri-
button Of gift books follows To Al
arge military camps and naval sta
ions, 1,317,304; to 237l small military .
lamps, which include AZ aviation
schools and repair depots, 244,7S4; to
L16 small naval stations, 135,499 to
Il marine stations, 21,1S3; to lie YES
sells, 32O29; to 81 hospitals, 29,503: {
o six dispatch Offices for overseas {
shipment 3S5,310; total, 2,165, 593. j,
The service of the library associa. :
on is welcomed by both military and {
laval leaders. Vice Admiral Sims /
lays the book service is of great 6
,alue in increasing the contentmen' I
# our forces,' and General Pershing c
dds "the scheme is commendable and
he service is welcome" In the army i
broad, these words from the com r
nander are printed in the books: t
"These books come to us overseas 7
rom home. Q
ITO read them is privilege, 6
ITO restore them promptly and un- n