Before the war After the war An exhibit by the Oregon State
Archives the Home Front "Libraries for our soldiers and sailors"
The American Library Association mobilized during the war to
help create, stock, and staff war service libraries. Defense
Council Records, Publications and Ephemera, Box 8, Folder
"Keener, better soldiers" Drives for both books and the money to
buy them began just after the American entry into World War I.
The government recognized boost to morale that books could
provide and asked the American Library Association for help.
Once again a national and state structure followed, headed by
the national War Library Council. Among the aims was the initial
goal of raising one million dollars to provide libraries and
books for cantonments, training camps, posts, forts, naval
stations, ships and overseas facilities. The money would buy
about 350,000 books that could be rushed to various camps to
make the men "more efficient, keener, better soldiers." The
reverse side of the argument was that the