Special Libraries, May 1923
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San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Special Libraries, 1923 Special Libraries, 1920s 5-1-1923 Special Libraries, May 1923 Special Libraries Association Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1923 Part of the Cataloging and Metadata Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, Information Literacy Commons, and the Scholarly Communication Commons Recommended Citation Special Libraries Association, "Special Libraries, May 1923" (1923). Special Libraries, 1923. 4. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1923/4 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Libraries, 1920s at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Special Libraries, 1923 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Special Libraries LEONORE A. TAFEL, Editor, 125 Washington Place, New Yorlc City. The Story of the American Merchant Marine Library Association ELIZABETH BATES TOWER, Executive to the President, The American Merchant Marine Library Association. This Library is still in its infancy, hav- unique conditions governing life at sea. ing been born in May, 1921, but as an off- Among other important departments, Mr. spring of the work done by the American Howard created a Social Service Bureau, Library Association during the war, it under the volunteer s~pe~visionof his wife. came into being almost full-fledgecl. Every- This Bureau was concerned witli the wel- body remembers the nation-wide drive for fare of the men and of their families. What books to be used by the American Library wonder that they mssed shore divcrslon? Association in furnishing library units to Few of us realize how utterly a sailor is be placed on war-ships, in army camps and cut off from everyday colaforts and what in military hospitals. Perhaps not every- seem to us necessities. Think for a mo- one knows that they extended this service ment of the few mornings when the news- to include the crews of the merchant ma- paper fails to conle in time for the usual rine. perusal before the day's work begins; then The men who manned the fleet operated think of the few days in the year when a by the United States Shipping Board were sailor sees a paper at all. Perhaps it is taken from all over the country, being a s~nallitem but it means being cut off frmn placed on deferred lists by various Draft contact with the progress of the world. Boards so that they might serve their coun- The seafarer hears no family or town news try by carrying the troops, and the neces- until the events have become history, sees sary supplies for their maintenance, over- no movies, has little nnwsement of any seas. These young men were as eager to kind, and all is stale from repetition. What take active part in the struggle of the na- wonder that these men are mentally hungry tions as any that entered the army and most of the time? navy; fully as patriotic in then desire for This fact soon became apparent to Mrs. service, and the calI for crews for the mer- Howard and she ~enlizeclthe need for books, chant ships appealed to them strongly as and more books than her Bureau could being an inlportant part of the war. So supply. In the emergency the A. L. A. great an authority as Admiral Sims has came to the rescue and out of thei~abund- said of them: "The Merchant Marine then ance supplied reading matter for the tram- came to our rescue. Don't underestimate ing ships and later for the entire merchant rthese men. They stuck the whole way marine fleet, thereby winning the ever- through. All our armies and our navies listing gratitude of thousands of seamen. would have availed us naught had it not But with the Armistice came the necessary been for these brave fellows. I have known cessat~onof activity in this fieId, since the many of them who were torpedoed five and A. L. A. coulcl not continue to function in a six times and who came back for more. capacity created to meet an emergency. It They were heYculean in strength and their was proposed to abandon the service on all resources. These merchant seamen were ships, and a mail went up over the seas. our backbone. Ha!, they weakened, me Thc protests were many and varied, but would have been lost. they all voiced the same spirit, '(We can't exist without books." A. L. A. Aids Social Service Bureau Marine Library Association Created Henry Howard, a prominent citizen of Boston, was apuointed a dollar-a-year man The crisis was acute. .4t a Convention to organize and direct the Recruiting Ser- of the A. L. A. in Cleveland, Mrs. Howard vice of the United States Shipping Board was asked to state the case and suggested which trained the personnel for these ships. that, since the continuance of the service It was no easy task, and many adjustments was quite outside the peace-time program were necessary to fit men from all over of the A. L. A. and no existing organiza- the country and all occupations for the tion mas equipped to carry on the work 70 SPECIAL LIBRARIES May, 1923 on the broad, absolutely non-sectarian basis service. The simple request for a library necessary to its success, some way should obtains one. On one occasion two men be thought out to meet the situation. To came to Headquarters asking for books. her amazeunent, a few days later, a letter Their ship had never had one because no came appointing her a committee d one pfficer was willing to take any responsibility to plan thls course. Again Mrs. Howard .n the matter and none had, therefore, been responded to the appcal and, with the active requested. These seainen said they vould cooperation of men and women interested personally guard a library night and day in the welfare of the men of the sea, founded and see that it was returned in good condi- the American Merchant Ma'ine Library tion if only they could be given the chance. Association which is now inc~rp~oatedas a They had come prepared to fight for the National Organization to supply libraries right to have a library and were disr.inctly for ships flying the American Flag. The surprised to get it without a struggle. A. L. A. then turned over all their books Seamen occasionally come to the office and scattered over the Sevcn Seas, on ships, in if they think the ,truck may not deliver the the various ports of this country, and at the case immediately, will hire a taxi them- offices of American Consuls abroad. On selves and take the library with them, paper this was a vast number, but some rather than run the risk of sailing without were lost, others worn out and in the end reading matter. One afternoon the Second about 100,000 were located and available. Officer and the Wireless Operator of a vessel The A. L. A. also contributed the remainder visited the Dispatch Office on Pier 10, East of their operating fund and the American River, in New York and joyfully roaming Merchant Marine Library Association from shelf to shelf, collected the books they opened a Dispatch Office in Boston in De- wanted. As soon as the Library had been cember, 1921, and became a vital fact in listed and packed, they carted it off with- the life of the sen. out delay. As their choice was fairly typl- It is noteworthy that Carl H. Milam, cal of the genera! taste uf crews, the list Secretary of the A. L. A., H. W. B. Meyer, follows : Chief Bibliographer of the Library of Con- gress in Washington, and Franklin F. Hop- pey, Chief of Circulation of the New York Public Library, are all Trustees of the American Merchant Marine Library As- sociation, and that heads of libraries in those cities having Port Service head Com- mittees in charge of the selection and dis- tribution of tha-books. The libraries themselves are really in- teresting selections of all kinds of reading matter. It is decidedly worth notice that, although fiction is most popular and nat- urally forms sixty-five pcrcent of the con- tents of each case, there is much demand for real literature, including the classics, biography, history, philosphy, as well as technical works having to do with the busi- ness of running a vessel. Such varied titles as "Modern Psychic Phenanlena" by Car- rington, "Historv of Philosophy" by Tur- ner, Well's "Outline, oi?, History," Knight's "Modern Seamanship, and Tennyson's "Complete Poenisl' are among requests sent to the Dispatch Agent for special books. All the books gathered in "drives" are care- fully ~ortedby experienced librarians who give their time ant1 skill most generously. In fact, the cooperation of these busy men and wrnnen makes the service possible, as otherwise. it could not continue for lack of funds to pay for so much trained ability. Many books sen! to the A. M. M. L. A. are, of course, unsuited to the need but ?very- thing is acceuted and some use made even of those not fitted for the sailors; children's books and '%rash" can be converted into money and in the end nothing fails to aid the libraries. Merchant Marine Library Service No particular red tape attaches to the May, 1923 SPECIAL LIBRARIES 7 1 The Stooping Lady ................. .Hewlett Educational Value of Service An Ui~soclal Soclallst .................. Shaw House of the Wolf ................1TTeyman Apart from the recreational aspect of Roaucs' I-1aven ...................B?~dses this service, there is a definitely educatlol~al Valndemnrlcs' ~olly...................