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By (Unknown); Salvatore V. De Sando
Collection Overview
Title: Photographs and Slides, 1917-20
ID: 89/1/13
Primary Creator: War Services Committee
Extent: 1.2 Cubic Feet
Arrangement: Arranged by media format and by subject title thereunder
Date Acquired: 01/17/1974
Subjects: Camp Libraries, Dispatch Offices, Hospital Libraries, Photographs, War Library, War Library Slides, War Services Committee, World War I
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Photographs, glass plate slides, and postcards of the ALA War Service, depict American Library Association work during World War I, contains photographs of volunteer librarians and library service overseas in LeMans, France, military camps and camp libraries, subjects include book campaigns, dispatch offices, military hospitals and hospital library services, transports, ALA personnel involved in war services, publicity materials used for hospital, camp, and public libraries, military training schools receiving library service, and overseas services to hospitals, the army, navy, and marine corps.
Biographical Note
In an April 1917 meeting between Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress, and the Secretary of War, Putnam suggested that the ALA provide books for the American Army. The President of the ALA then decided that it should assist the war effort (1). The Louisville Conference of June 22, 1917 accepted the recommendation of the Preliminary Committee that a War Committee be appointed to study the supply of reading matter to the troops; construction, equipping and maintenance of library buildings at military garrisons; and the possibility of raising funds for that purpose (2). This mandate to study the problem was broadened by the Executive Board on August 14, 1917 with the appointment of a War Services Committee authorized to raise and distribute funds to supply books to the troops (3).
To facilitate the Committee's mandate, the Executive Board named Herbert Putnam Director General of the War Services Committee and gave him broad authority to hire staff, design and equip buildings, contract for equipment, determine lists of books to be provided, and accept or reject gift reading matter (4).
The War Services Committee ended its operations after the War. By August 21, 1919 the Committee proposed that Army and Navy librarians take over the fund for distributing books to service men, and that the service to hospitals be continued only until the Public Health Service could assume responsibility (5). On January 3, 1920 the Executive Board took over the work of the Committee, and at its July 15-16, 1920 Meeting, the Board transferred the Library War Services Fund to the ALA Treasury, and abolished the position of Director General of the Library War Services Committee (6). The ALA continued to provide funds for books for ex-servicemen as late as 1923 (7).
During World War II there was an attempt to revive war services. To prepare for the possibility of war, the Executive Board authorized the President to INT a Committee on Defense Activities on October 7, 1940. This Committee was to report directly to the Executive Board (8). On December 20, 1941 the Executive Board changed the name of the Committee to the Committee on Libraries and the War. The mission of the Committee to the Committee on Libraries and the War. The mission of the Committee was to disseminate information to libraries on "civilian defense and civilian moral" (9). Subsequently the Executive Board appointed a Committee on War Information and Education, but by June 21, 1942, this Committee was dropped because the government was doing the Committee's work and it was no longer useful (10).
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
The American Library Association Archives
Other Note:
2 Pages
PDF Box/Folder List
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Glass Slides, 1917-1920],
[
Series 2: Photographs and Postcards],
[All]
- Series 1: Glass Slides, 1917-1920
- Sub-Series 1: Originals
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Army Camps
- Folder 2: Book Campigns
- Folder 3: Dispatch Offices
- Folder 4: Hospitals-Army
- Box 2
- Folder 1: Hospitals-Army
- Folder 2: Navy
- Folder 3: Navy and Marine Corps
- Folder 4: Personnel
- Folder 5: Publicity
- Box 3
- Folder 1: Publicity
- Folder 2: Schools
- Folder 3: Transports
- Folder 4: Overseas: Army
- Folder 5: Overseas: Paris and General
- Sub-Series 2: Duplicates
- Box 3
- Folder 6: Army Camps
- Folder 7: Book Campigns
- Box 4
- Folder 1: Dispatch Offices
- Folder 2: Hospitals-Army
- Folder 3: Navy and Marine Corps
- Folder 4: Personnel
- Folder 5: Publicity
- Folder 6: Schools
- Folder 7: Transports
- Folder 8: Overseas: Hospitals
- Folder 9: Navy and Marine Corps
- Folder 10: Paris and General
- Sub-Series 3: Damaged Slides
- Access Restriction: Access may be restricted depending on the condition of the slides.
- Box 5
- Folder 1: Army Camps
- Folder 2: Book Campigns
- Folder 3: Dispatch Offices
- Folder 4: Hospitals-Army
- Folder 5: Personnel
- Folder 6: Publicity
- Folder 7: Schools
- Folder 8: Transports
- Folder 9: Overseas: Army
- Folder 10: Overseas: Navy and Marine Corps
- Folder 11: Overseas: Paris and General
- Series 2: Photographs and Postcards
- Sub-Series 1: Photographs, 1918
- Box 6
- Folder 1: Librarians, 1918
- Folder 2: Library Dispatch Office, circa 1918
- Folder 3: LesMans, France, circa 1918
- Sub-Series 2: Postcards, 1917-1920
- Box 6
- Folder 4: Hospital Libraries [2 folders], 1917-1920
- Folder 5: War Service - Alabama
- Folder 6: War Service - Arkansas
- Folder 7: War Service - California
- Folder 8: War Service - Colorado
- Folder 9: War Service - Connecticut
- Folder 10: War Service - Washington, D. C.
- Folder 11: War Service - Florida
- Folder 12: War Service - Georgia
- Folder 13: War Service - Illinois
- Folder 14: War Service - Iowa
- Folder 15: War Service - Kansas
- Folder 16: War Service - Kentucky
- Folder 17: War Service - Louisiana
- Folder 18: War Service - Maryland
- Folder 19: War Service - Massachusetts
- Folder 20: War Service - Michigan
- Folder 21: War Service - Missouri
- Folder 22: War Service - New Jersey
- Folder 23: War Service - New Mexico
- Folder 24: War Service - New York
- Folder 25: War Service - North Carolina
- Folder 26: War Service - Ohio
- Folder 27: War Service - Oklahoma
- Folder 28: War Service - Pennsylvania
- Folder 29: War Service - South Carolina
- Folder 30: War Service - Texas
- Folder 31: War Service - Virginia
- Folder 32: War Service - Washington
- Folder 33: Merchant Marine Service
- Folder 34: Merchant Marine Service - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Folder 35: Merchant Marine Service - Charleston, South Carolina
- Folder 36: Merchant Marine Service - Virginia
- Sub-Series 3: 3x5 Cards
- Photographs on 3x5 cards of camp libraries
- Box 7
- Folder 1: Book Collection Campaigns
- Folder 2: Personnel
- Folder 3: Transports
- Folder 4: U.S. Army Camps
- Folder 5: Navy
- Folder 6: Parris Island, South Carolina
- Folder 7: England
- Folder 8: Beaune, France
- Folder 9: France, Bordueax-St. Nazaire
- Folder 10: Paris, France
- Folder 11: Coblenz, Germany
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Glass Slides, 1917-1920],
[
Series 2: Photographs and Postcards],
[All]
War Services Committee 
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