Finding Aid for European Projects File, 1939-49 | The American Library Association Archives

Title: European Projects File, 1939-49

ID: 7/1/52

Primary Creator: International Relations Office (IRO)

Extent: 4.0 Cubic Feet

Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by country name and chronologically by date or alphabetically by subject title thereunder

Subjects: Aid to Libraries in War Areas Program, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, European Projects, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, War Damaged Libraries, World War II, Yugoslavia

Languages: English, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Greek,Modern(1453-), Portuguese, Spanish;Castilian

Files of European Projects contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, publications, reports and lists relating to aid to libraries in war areas, war damaged libraries, the distribution of periodicals, university libraries, international meetings, foreign visitors and related topics, includes The University Library Oslo: A brief survey of its history, collections, and building (1947), Losy Bibliotek Polskich (The Fate of Polish Libraries) by Maria Danilewiczowa (1942), The Black Book of Poland by the Ministry of Information (1942), The Libraries of Poland by Maria Danilewicz (1943), and the Polish Research and Information Service's Cultural Life in Poland (1949), Social Welfare in Poland (1949), and Vocational Education (1949). The series includes files on Austria (1944-48), Belgium (1940-48), Bulgaria (1944-48), Czechoslovakia (1944-48), Denmark (1939, 1943- 49), Finland (1939-41, 1945-48), France (1939-48), Germany (1944- 49), Great Britain (1940-48), Greece (1942-49), Greenland (1940-42), Hungary (1945-49), Ireland (1939-40, 1949), Italy (1942-48), Netherlands (1939-48), Norway (1939-49), Poland (1942-49), Portugal (1940-41), Rumania (1945-48), Russia (1941-47), Spain (1938-48), Sweden (1939-48), Switzerland (1939-49), Ukraine (1944-46), and Yugoslavia (1941, 1945-48).

The International Relations Board (International Relations Round Table) creatred the International Relations Office (IRO) in June 1942 (1).  The IRO was set up to "carry on its work in cooperation with the other committees of the Association whose work had international implications" (2).  The IRO also functioned as an advisory agency for libraries abroad (3).  In 1942-45, the IRO served "as an operational agency for various projects of the Department of State, the Rockefeller Foundation, and other foundations and libraries" (4).  A "new" IRO was created in 1956 (5).  The IRO concentrated its efforts on library development and the director was charged to "study and investigate the state of library education in various parts of the world" (6).  The director was expected to spend several months of each year in nations on the continents of Asia, Africa, and South America (7).  In 1959, the IRO sponsored (with Rockefeller Foundation monies) a group of ten visiting Japanese librarians who studied reference and advisory services in the United States (8).  The IRO was disbanded in 1972 (9). The office reopened in 1976 before closing again in 1982, then reopening.

Repository: The American Library Association Archives

Accruals: 4/26/74

Other Note: 6 Pages

URL: https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/alasfa/0701052a.pdf

PDF finding aid for European Projects File (7/1/52)