Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-09
WAR LIBRARY IS
POPULAR WITH
YANKS IN CAMP
Scientific Books on Military
and Naval Tactics in Con-
slant Demand at Camp
Libraries.

Washington, Aug. l0.--American
soldiers and sailors in training at
home or in service overseas are learn
ing the game of war ION their own
hook" This is the use they are
making of the Library War Service,
conducted by the American Library
association, for the previous idea
and it was that OF some library work
ers--that the library service would
be mostly for recreatonal purposes
is being disproved by the heavy de-
mand for books on military and naval
science and related subjects.
In nine months after a most hum
bic beginning, the Library War Ser
vice 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 hos
pital and Red Cross houses supplied
with books, 2l2 libraries in service;
237 small military camps and posts
equipped with book collections; 24o
naval and marine stations and vessels
supplied with libraries; 1928 branches
and stations placed in Y. M. c. A.
and Knights Of Columbus huts, bar.
racks and mess halls; 385,3l0 books
shipped overseas; 4ll,505 books
bought, most of them technical; e.
100000 gift books in service.
Library in All Camps.
Wherever there are American fight
ers, there is to be found the library,
and in the big military camps are
numerous branches and company sta.
tons. Even American prisoners in
Germany are not neglected by the
library service, for arrangements have
been completed in Switzerland for
serving them through that country.
The army with its combat troops, its
training areas and schools, lines of
communication, including construc.
ton men, guards, stevedores and 9TH
ers, and the headquarters and at.
tached units, is reached by the Li-
brary War Service. The service ex-
tends to the navy with its vessels, ship
bases, mine bases, and aviation sta
tons, as also to both the army and
navy at recreation centers, in hos
pitals and in captivity.
While the interest now is marked
in a serious study of war, the war
libraries are not confined to technical
books on that subject. Instead these
compose the smaller part of the IL
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 ane
travel are supplied from the gift col
lections. Scrapbooks are useful fo
bed patients and for illterates. A de
mand also has been supplied for book
to classes in French and to classe
of men with an imperfect knowledg
Of English. Magazines, in endies
number, are added monthly.
More than 100000 books were col
1ected during the gift campaign cor
Quoted Recently by public librarie
in every city of the country. Tn
exact number reported to headquar
tiers here was 3,8o6054, but this doe,
not include thousands distributed by
the city libraries to nearby military
naval and marine camps and stations
of which no record was sent to head.
quarters. A summary of the distribu-
ton of gift books follows: To Al
large military camps and naval sta
tons, l,3l7,304; to 237 small military
camps, which include AZ aviation
schools and repair depots, 244,7S4; to
1l6 small naval stations, 13s,4so; to
II marine stations, 2l,lS3; to ll6 yes
sells, 5000; to 81 hospitals, 49, SOB; to
six dispatch Offices for overseas ship
ment, 385,3l0; total, 2,165,593,