Evening star., 1942-01-18
Library Of Congress
Gives 5000 Books
For Service Men
Contribution Pushes
District TotoI for
Campaign to 1900

Campaign to 1900
Service men stationed near WASH
ington next month will be reading
5000 books from the first library In
the land-the Library Of Congress.
Gift of 5000 books from the
library to the Victory Book Cam
paign in the District was announced
today by Mrs. Philip Sidney Smith,
drive chairman here. This pushed
the District total since beginning Of
the campaign to nearly II 900 books.
Counting 5000 more books sent by
the Newspaper Women's Club and
Loew's Theaters to Fort Belvoir a
few days before the ampaign
opened oficially last week. District
residents have contributed nearly
10000 books for service men.
Librarian of Congress Archibald
MacLeish made the Congressional
Library gift with the hope that
every library in the country would
do the same thing with its extra
books.
Libraries" he said. should not
act only as depots for the collection
Of books from the public for the
armed services.
Libraries Urged to Help.
Their trustees and librarians
should see that extra copies In their
collections that can be spared should
be sent on to the men together with
the volumes turned in by the public. +"
The Library Of Congress collec-
ton consisted mainly of recrea-
tional reading. 1t included, how
ever, biography, current affairs,
American history and technical
books. With the nearly 5000 books
contributed individually in the
opening week of the campaign, and
the thousands more contributions
expected, they will be sent at the
end of the campaign February to
camps and bases near Washington.
A few of the books contributed
here will be sent by the national
committee to large camps in
sparsely settled areas unable to
supply men quartered there with
enough books.
Libraries In the District collect
ing books now include the District
Public Library at Eighth and X
streets NV, and IL Of its branches;
George Washington University Ii
brary. Catholic University Of
America Library and American
University Library.
Collection DepOts.
Collection for delivery to these
libraries is now being made by the
District Grocery Stores, Brentano's S
Book Stores, the Masonic Temple,
the Junior League. the Business
and Professional Women's Club
and Kiwanis Club. One hundred
books and 532 phonograph records
have already been contributed by
The Star. Dozens of other business
houses and organizations are ex-
pected to deliver books to the
libraries during the next two weeks
An especially vigorous effort will
be made by, the Silver Spring MD
public library and schools to collect
books in that area Tuesday IN OBJ
servance of Maryland Day. The
library club Of the Montgomery
Blair Senior High School will set
up a stand at the Gift House in
the town business section.
The nationwide drive is being
sponsored by the American Library
Association, American Red Cross and
United Service Organizations.
Books contributed at the main
branch of the public library alone
ranged from the best seller. Wind
swept" to THE House of Seven
Cables" dozens of mystery stories
and q manual on practicing Eng
Nsh.
Little Poetry Contributed.
There has been little poetry con-
tributed as yet. The classics, how
ever, were represented even in the
small collection of books left yester-
day in the main public library's
storeroom, by Thackeray, Dickens
and Marcel Proust. Most of the
5000 books collected so far by the
public library are being stored in
branch libraries. About 500 books
and 1876 of The Stars records were
given last week to Boiling Field SOL
diers impatient to start reading and
listening.
Books for the Army will be sent
through libraries of the nine corps
areas. Miss Isabel Dubois. Navy
librarian, is sending all books for
destroyers and bases through a
warehouse on the Atlantic seaboard,
with perhaps addition of an auxih-
ary warehouse on the Pacific coast
About 400 U. S. o. units in camps
and other military centers will also
receive books, as will eight shipping
centers where the American Mer-
chant Marine Library Association
maintains stations. After these
official libraries have been stocked
any extra books will be sent to lib
raries abroad, to prisoners of war
here and abroad, to industrial CEN
ters here, and camps for conscien-
tous objectors.
Mrs. Smith emphasized yesterday
that technical books are as desir-
able as fiction. Send what you like
or find useful yourself" she said
Contributors can bring or mail their
books with 3 cents postage to any
Of the libraries listed above. or drop
them in boxes at Brentano's, D. G
s. stores or other agencies acting
rs depots.
BIumberg Trial Opening