Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-09-29

! library war service OF tho American
Library association inaugurated "a
jsystcm which insures every man In
the army or navy II wealth OF read
ing on all his journeys, beginning
with HIS trip to training camp.
When a man leaves homo for camp
he finds on the train Y. NJ, e. A.
secretary. part OF whose function II
Is to supply him with current maga-
zines, When he gets aboard a troop
train 10 prodcced TO tho port OF en-
barkment, he meets the same vel
Comu attention tho war library scrv-
ice, IN both cases furnishing the
magazines.
n the Journey Is a very long one
the trains ara met at central points,
like Cincinnati, BouisyilIe, Chicago
and Buffalo, by representatives. of
the local public libraries. who offep
more reading matter. When the
soldier goes aboard the transport ne
finds awaiting him library OF good
books. carefully chosen with a view
Of dispeling homeslckness apd
charming away tho mOnOtOny Of y
ten days sea voyage.
Ina big. light loft of New York
sky scraper the books for these army
transport libraries arc received.
sorted, selected. packed and shipped
to the dispatch office In HobOken.
From this point the cases are sent
TO ships according to orders.
All the books the generous public
contribute To our fighting men go TO
the big loft or 10 n room In the
central branch OF the New York pub
lie library. The cases in which the
books are packed are OF uniform
size and pattern, and when piled
evenly form sectional book shelves.
In each case are packed about eighty
books, mostly fiction ana light read
ing. one or two books Of poetry
travel and adventure are always IN
cluded. and IL IN worth noting that
every case contains at least one Of
Mark TwaIns works. A few MILL
tary books are always present.
German BRcdckcrs In Demand.
Added 10 the gift OF books In each
case there are ten newly purchased
books Of n serious character, French
and American history, biography and
technical works. Some soldiers want
TO study when they travel. Most Of
them want To know something about
the countries to which they are
bound. For their benefit the llbrar-
les contain BaedelScrs OF England,
France, Italy and Germany. GER
many? Certainly. Every American
soldier expects TO gO 10 Germany
not later than the Autumn OF 1919.
The German baodekers on the trans
ports are always In lively demand.
or the maps which accompany tho
libraries the one showing the roads
to Berlin are always well frlnged.
our lada have n pretty clear Idea or
where they are going from here.
From twenty to fifty of these port
able library cases go aboard each
transport, 1900 to 1000 books What
they mean to the young soldiers.
bound on the great adventure and
perhaps little bewildered and
homesick, II is easy to imagine. The
Y. NJ. C.. A. transport secretary who
acts as librarian Is kept hopping dur
ing library hours. To this secretary
falls the duty OF rcpacking the book
cases at the end OF the voyage. and
of seeing them safely back TO the
Hoboken dispatch office. The re-
sponsibility for their return really
rests on the officer commanding the
troops aboard each transport Major
General Shanks having issued recent
orders to that effect.