Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-07
j. S. SOLDIER BUSY
STUDENT OF FIGHTING
Standard Works on War in Con-
slant Demand by Men in the
Army Camps.

Washington, August American sol
dIcrs and sailors in training Mt home or
IN service overseas are learning the game
| OF war "on 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 1T was that of some library workers
! that the library service would be mostly
| Tor recreational purposes is being dis
proved by the heavy demand for books
on military and naval science and related
| subjects
In nine months after a most humble
beginning, the Library War Service has
become the most universal library in the
world. In brief, its accomplishments
include: 36 camp library buildings
| erected; Al large camp libraries establish
ed; 9l hospital 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 branches and
stations placed in " NJ G. A. and Knights
of Columbus huts. barracks and mess
halls; 3S5,3l0 books shipped overseas;
III sos books bought, most of them
technical: ,, 100000 gift books in service.
Wherever there are American fighters,
there Is to be found the library, and in the
big military camps are numerous branches
and company stations, 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 country. The army with its combat
troops. its training areas and schools,
lines of communication, including con-
struction men, guards, stevedores, and
others, and the headquarters and detached
units Is reached by the Library War
Service The service extends to the navy
with its vessels. ship bases, mine bases
and aviation stations, as also to both the
army and navy at recreation ccnters, in
hospitals and in captivity.
While the interest now is marked in .
serious study Of war, the war libraries are
not confined to technical books on that
subject Instead these compose the
smaller part of the libraries, and are large
" the ones that have been bought BY the
library association Medical and veter-
mary books At hospitals are supplied by
the surgeon general. Other books are
provided from gifts gathered by public
libraries throughout the country. Books
to aid vocational training and scientific
studies usually are purchased. Recrea- |
tlonal reading, fiction, war books, history, |
biography and travel are supplied from the |
gift collections. sCrapbooks are useful for !,
bed patients and for illiterates. A de- |!
mand also has been supplied for books to |
classes in French and 10 classes of men with |
an imperfect knowledge of English. |
Magazines, in endless number, are added |
monthly
More than four million books were
collected during the gift campaign con-
Quoted recently by public libraries in
every city of the country The exact |
number reported TO headquarters here
was 3, 3,s96,054 but this does not include
thousands distributed by the city IL
brarics to nearby military, naval and /
marine camps and stations, of which no
record was sent TO headquarters.
summary of the distribution of gift books
follows; To IL large military camps and
naval station, 1917 .304; to 237 small
military camps. which include AZ aviation
schools and repair depots, 244,7A; TO
1l6 small naval stations, 1885, ,4S0; TO
II marine stations, 2l 1873; to 1l6 vessels.
81 ,029; to 81 hospitals, 29,503; to six
dispatch offices for overseas shipment
3S5 $40; total, 2,165, ,593
The service Of the library association Is
welcomed by both military and naval
leaders Vice Admiral Sims says the book
service is Of great value in increasing
the contentment OF our forces" and
General Pershing adds ''the scheme is
and the service is welcome"
In the army abroad, these words from the
are printed in the books:
These books come TO US overseas from
home
ITO read them is a privilege
ITO restore them promptly and un-
abused, duty"
The cost for the library service-aI-
though many of its workers are volun-
teers-has been about three-quarters of
million dollars and the future monthly
expenditures are expected to be about
sl50,000 The association has sufficient
funds q continue its work until next
December. The receipts Of the association
10 June last were S1,759, ,236I8.