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Naval Unit Book Requests, 1917-1919

By (Unknown)

Collection Overview

Title: Naval Unit Book Requests, 1917-1919

Predominant Dates:1918-1919

ID: 89/1/3

Creator: War Services Committee

Extent: 1.0 Cubic Feet

Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by subject title

Date Acquired: 04/26/1974

Languages: English [eng]

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Naval Unit Book Requests, contains correspondence of Carl H. Milam, Assistant to the Director of the War Services Committee, includes requests made by naval vessels and stations for books and periodicals.

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).


Box and Folder Listing

Box 1Add to your cart.
Folder 1: Ships Arranged Alphabetically, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 1 of 3
Folder 2: Ships Arranged Alphabetically, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 2 of 3
Folder 3: Ships Arranged Alphabetically, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 3 of 3
Folder 4: Subscription Inventories, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 5: Akron Ohio Naval Aviation Detachment, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 6: Algiers Naval Training Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 7: Anacostia, D.C. Naval Air Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 8: Annapolis, War Camp Community Service, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 9: Annapolis Naval Academy Radio Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 10: Bar Harbor Maine Naval Base, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 11: Bay Shore LI Naval Air Base, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 12: Belmar NJ Naval Radio Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 13: Bensonhurst, LI Naval Reserve Camp, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 14: Berger, April 14, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 15: Black Rock Naval Base, October 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 16: Booth Bay Harbor, ME Naval Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 17: Boston Naval Stations, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 18: Brooklyn Naval Yard, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 19: Brooklyn Naval Stations, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 20: Brooklyn, Navy YMCA, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 21: Brunswick, GA, Naval Aviation Camp, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 22: Camp Glenn, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 23: Cape May, NJ, 1917-1918Add to your cart.
Box 2Add to your cart.
Folder 1: Cardiff Wales Naval Base, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 2: Charlestown, S.C. Naval Station, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 3: Charlestown Radio Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 4: Cherrystone Naval Base, Charles, Va., 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 5: Colonial Beach Service Club, Va., 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 6: Cross Island Me. Naval Radio Station, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 7: Detroit Naval Training Camp, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 8: Dinius, G., 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 9: Farallou Island, Cal., 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 10: Frankford Mich. Naval Radio Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 11: Great Lakes Hospital, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 12: Goat Island naval Station Hospital, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 13: Gulfport Miss. Naval Hospital, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 14: Gulfport Naval Training Camp, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 15: Harvard Radio School, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 16: Hingham, Mass. Naval Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 17: Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 18: Hamburg, Germany US Naval Station, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 19: Hampton Roads, Naval Base Hospital, November 2, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 20: Hampton Roads, Naval Hospital, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 21: Imperial Club, Barkley, Va., 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 22: Indian Head, MD Naval Proving Grounds, 1917-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 23: Iona Island NY, Ammo Department, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 24: Johnswood Naval Radio Station, Dummond Island, Mich., 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 25: Keyport Washington Torpedo Station, October 1, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 26: Key West Fl. Naval Air Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 27: Key West Naval Hospital, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 28: League Island Naval Yard, Philadelphia, January 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 29: Lewes Del. Naval Base, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 30: Machodoc Naval Proving Grounds, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 31: Mare Island Naval Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 32: Mare Island Naval Hospital, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Box 3Add to your cart.
Folder 1: Marshall Cal. Naval Radio Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 2: Marshfield Naval Radio Station, October 10, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 3: MIT Naval Training Station, April 6, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 4: Melville Coaling Station RI, January 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 5: Miami FL Naval Station, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 6: Mobile Ala Seaman's Bethel Association, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 7: Montauk, NY Naval Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 8: New Haven, Conn. Naval Reserve, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 9: New London, Conn, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 10: New London District, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 11: New Orleans, 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 12: New Orleans Naval Hospital, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 13: New Orleans Naval Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 14: New Orleans West End Naval Training Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 15: Newport RI Naval Hospital, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 16: NY Navy Yard, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 17: North Haven ME Naval YMCA, October 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 18: North Sidney, N.S. US Naval Air Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 19: Paris Islands, S.C., 1919Add to your cart.
Folder 20: Pearl Harbor, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 21: Peekskill, NY US Naval Rifle Range, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 22: Philadelphia Naval Yard, 1917-1918Add to your cart.
Folder 23: Portland ME Naval Station, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 24: Portsmouth, NH Naval Yard, 1918-1919Add to your cart.
Folder 1 of 2
Folder 25: Portsmouth, NH Naval Yard, 1918Add to your cart.
Folder 2 of 2
Folder 26: Submarine Chasers, 1918-1919Add to your cart.