ALA Bulletin Volume 14

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 Excerpt: ...and what disposition was made of them; there are hundreds of letters of appreciation from every corner of Europe; but most interesting of all Is a file containing the records of the mall department, which, from first to last, was administered by Mrs. Stevenson. There are perhaps forty thousand letters in this file, and ... Read More

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 Excerpt: ...and what disposition was made of them; there are hundreds of letters of appreciation from every corner of Europe; but most interesting of all Is a file containing the records of the mall department, which, from first to last, was administered by Mrs. Stevenson. There are perhaps forty thousand letters in this file, and practically all of them are from enlisted men asking that special books be mailed them, acknowledging their receipt, telling what they meant to them as they sent them back and asked for others. It was this service which brought us nearest the heart of the A. E. F., and we were always between smiles and tears when these letters were opened. They are first-hand evidence of what our men were thinking of and hoping for in the trying months following the armistice. They are the sources of history. Because of all this, it has been a pleasure, as well as a relief, to close my service as European Representative of the American Library Association. To all of us the experience has been a valuable and stirring one; and I believe our men have gone home with a new conception of what books can do for them and of the service which a public library can render. One thing more. No one else can realize as I do how greatly our work In France was indebted to the whole-hearted, unquestioning support which Mr. Putnam, yourself, and your staff gave us, and to your quick understanding that decisions, to be effective, must be made on the spot. To be trusted, to be free from red tape, meant all the difference between success and failure. For this confidence, which we all did our best to deserve, I wish to express my deep personal appreciation. Respectfully submitted, Burton T. Stevenson, European Representative, American Library Association. MINUTES OF THE WAR SERVICE ... Read Less