Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-10
Has More Than 5000 Volumes.

have the time to read.
Has More Than 5000 Volumes.
The beginning of the summer season
finds this library at a strong stage of
development. 1t has between 5000 and
1000 volumes, all useful. up-to-dSte
examples Of literature. Nearly all of
these represent donations. although
large per cent Of the technical books
were bought with the funds Of the
A. l.. A., which has made every pos
sible effort to carry out the purpose of
| the associations book, Your Job Back
Home" which has had a wide circula-
ton among the soldiers.
At least 1000 of the books are nom
| fiction. and include encyclopedias. die
| tionaries, directories, books in French,
| Italian, Spanish, Russian, Polish and
other languages. and all sorts Of voca-
ADnal works. All technical books are
(ward 93), where the classes of in
struction are held. and a special
librarian is in charge there.
Three bags Of mail were received
ltby the Walter Reed library today.
1--WE get the same amount Of pail
tevery day" said Miss Helen Harris,
the librarian in charge, land a large
part of it consists OF newspapers.
They are papers from the home towns
OF many of the men. We have 100
country. The men enjoy their home
newspapers perhaps more than any
thing else we have here"
100 Magazines Not Enough.
The library at the hospital sub
scribes to about 100 magazines and
also has many gifts Of such publ
cations. 1t cannot get enough of
them to meet all the demands. and
the public Is asked to furnish as many
| late issues as possible for the daily
reading of the soldiers"
Miss Arie Jones is assistant to Miss
Harris, and Miss Frances Cox is in
charge of the vocational works. In
terested persons in Washington have
given much assistance in bringing
the library to the state of perfection
that is now revealed. as plans are
near fruition for the complete fur
nishing IL the new reading rom.
Many volunteers have siTeu very
faithful service during the winter"
we couldn't have carried on the
work."
The library at the post has been in
existence for more than a year. and
| before the reading room was opened
the bookshelves were placed about
| the main recreation hall of the Red
Cross building. Some shelves are
still maintained in the big hall, but
the library work now centers in the
reading room.
From that center many other ave-
nues for reaching the soldiers are
maintained. Several hundred books
each are placed with the Jewish We'll
fare Board. Y. NJ c. A. knights of
Columbus and the Nurses Recreation
s,, o1f n n q nfol
Der available at the reading room.
| These are changed every two or
three months.
Library on Wheels for Wounded.
For the soldiers whose condition
makes it impossible for them to leave
the wards, little trucks. forty inches
high and eighteen inches wide, with
two shelves bearing from thirty to
fifty volumes, are wheeled by hand
into the fifty wards that have bed
patients. About half of the books on
| the trucks are non-fiction and the
men in the beds are able to look over
the carefully selected group of all
kinds and select those which appeal
most strongly to them. Often a well
remembered work which may have
been begun across the water is chos-
en-. AS they go through the grounds
the library representatives also serve
the men who may be sitting about.
| The same trucks bring back to head
quarters those which have been fin
ished.
Books Of adventure and descriptive
works on outdoor life are most popu-
| lar One soldier who was using the
reading room remarked today that
| certain popular writer of stories of ad-
venture was represented in every ward
| in the hospital. Magazines devoted to
| outdoor subjects also are wanted, for
| the men start such subjects in their
books and want to follow them up in
| the periodical publications.
Requests for specific volumes are very
| numerous. and when these are not on
| the shelves they are usually obtainable
either at the Congressional Library or at
| the local Public Library. One soldier
recently asked for Walton's "Compleat
Angler" A colonel wanted certain
book on clocks, watches and bells, which
| was obtained for him. Another was
able to get a work on embalming. All
turn to the library with great confidence
| and expect to get almost anything in
| the world that has been printed. -
Unlike the circulation of the ordinary
| library, that which is recorded at Wal
| ter Reed does not indicate the actuai
| extent of the reading. for each book
is read by at least half a dozen men
hat al . -t1o1r, Jt1nk