Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-27
What Women Are
Doing in Washington

IIIOMEN are taking their places in army
w hospitals in new role. Not content with
with nursing sick soldiers, they are minister
ing to their needs as camp hospital librarians
under the direction of the war service OF the
American Library Association.
In the left wing or the great library of
Congress at Washington In the headquarters
OF the associations war service more than
sixty men and women are giving their time
TO providing books for soldiers. both over here
and over there. They are detailed from
libraries and library schools all over the
country to serve for three months or longer
in Washington, while their salaries are paid
by their home associations
In this way they carry on the clerical and
administrative machinery for dispatching
900 books a month TO France and of
supporting 500 camps stations and vessels
with million and a half volumes. In addl-
ton, they have sent l20 librarians after these
books to care for them In tho camps, and
are now supplying military hospitals with
women TO act as librarians.
C1CK soldiers create special demands which
y must be met in extraordinary ways These
camp hospital librarians are an example out
of the hosts of applicants for the position
only fifteen women have as yet been selected
There is not the slightest difficulty In securing
all the women needed but first the Library
Association must be sure of the right type
OF woman and second, a place for her to live
must be found
Undoubtedly the army looks with favor on
the lady librarian In camp hospitals, since
it has officially requested that she adopt a
uniform This means tha, she has been
accepted as an institution, part OF the
great war machine
Her pongee shirtwa.st suit, white collar
and dark-brown tie is ideal costume for
hot summer days brown brassard on the
left arm, lettered "A. /. A." and panama
hat and Library Association pin complete
the attractive picture. Some wonder tha,
candidates must be chosen with special at
tention 10 their dignity and experience.
DOCKS for sick men and those slowly pull
ID ing back to- health are selected rigor-
ously. Love stories, Of course lead all the
rest. Give me real love story. eagerly
demanded one fellow in a convaescent ward
An the men laughed" said the librarian,
bur as l went from bed 10 bed one after
another would say 7 want one like tina,
other fellow asked for "
Scrapbooks made Of CHEEKY clippings,
Illustrations and short stories are favorites.
for they are light 10 hold and their pages
easy TO turn. Book wagons 60 from ward to
ward, bringing small assortment OF special
books 10 tease the patients interest.
In the psychatric wards the librarian must
often turn Story-teller and take the books
TO the men in a spoken form. Anyone who
has cultivated the gift of vivid, sustained
story telling, such as used In the children's
hour in many city libraries, should offer
their services now al ali army hospitals for
as many hours q week as they can give
nETROlT'S public library system IL doins
- its BIT In the war emergency by loaning
Miss Marian Humble TO the library war serv-
| ice in Washington for the next few months
| She has been director Of publicity for De.
| trotts libraries and comes 10 the capital Il
| work along the same lines for the national
association
| II the American public can be made &c
| understand that more and better books are
wanted by the men who fighting theii
| battles they will strip the shelves o! ever,
| private collection In the country to provide
them
1t has been hoped tina, this ruling Of the
| Postmaster General would result in stead!
| stream Of our best periodicals into the camr
| libraries. on the contrary, the dear public
| seems TO have developed curious tendency
| to dump the accumulation Of years on to tho
| Postoffice Department Back numbers 70,
| three and four years, sometimes for ten, hay,
been sent, evidently in the at,emp, to clcal
| out the attic shelves