Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1920 — BOOKS BRING AID TO SOLDIER SICK [ARTICLE]

BOOKS BRING AID TO SOLDIER SICK

American Library Association Serves Ten Thousand Men in Nation’s Hospitals. EFFORTS BRING RESULTS. 7 ’ Works on Vocational Training Circulated Among Men Who Muat Tak* Up New Calling* Becauae of Their Injuriea. Hospital library service maintained by the American Library Association during the war was credited with great value in aiding In the recovery of many sick and disabled men. There are still In our hospitals more than 10,000 former service men. Of these nearly 8,000 are In Public Health Service hospitals, the remainder In civilian hospitals. Books, magazines and newspapers are sent to these men from the American Library Association. In the larger hospitals, containing over 300 patients, special librarians are placed. To the smaller hospitals, through the co-operation of many public libraries, library visitors are sent to visit the wards once or twice a week and learn the book needs of the patients. A special effort Is made te supply to ex-service men in hospitals the books In demand as a result of the training given by the Federal Board for Vocational Education. More Books for Blind. The A. L. A., In co-operation with other agencies already Interested In work for the blind, Is printing books in the new Braille type. Because of the newness of the revised Braille adopted for teaching to the American war blind, literature printed in it is limited to fewer than 200 books. Though the total number of blinded soldiers is small, their need of books is great, and the “magic of print” can do much to restorfe hope and usefulness to them. Not only for former service men who are sick or disabled Is the association working. The value of books proved so great to mpn in camps that efforts are still being made to connect discharged soldiers and sailors with libraries wherever they may be. Hundreds of letters have reached A. L. A. headquarters from former service men telling of the lack of library facilities in particular localities to which those men have returned. Direct Service Provided. In many cases there is a state library commission or a nearby library to which a man can be referred for the books he needs, but if there is no such organization through which he can be served, books for almost any serious purpose may be borrowed directly from the A. L. A. War Service, 24 West Thirty-ninth street. New York city. The only expense in connection with these loans is prepayment of return postage on books borrowed. The A. L. A. has published lists of books to help ex-service men who are studying to advance themselves in their work. “Five Hundred Business Books,” “One Thousand Technical Books” and reading courses on practical subjects are now in preparation. Other Work Being Done. Other branches of work which the A. L. A. War Servlcels carrying on include service to the Merchant Marine, Coast Guard and lighthouses, service to industrial communities which are resultant from the war, service to United States forces overseas. This work is carried on with money received from the United War Work funds, the use of which is limited by the condition* of the gift to these specific purpose*. The service of the Merchant Marine department provides free library service to seamen on American merchant ■hips in the form of “crews' libraries," Bookcase boxes, each containing about 80 books. Theso libraries are ®xchangeable at principal ports. Book* and magazines are sent also to men In coast guard stations, tn lightheuses and on lightship*.