THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE LIBRARY. [TO Tar EDITOR Or vas
SPECFATOR."1 firs,—The American Y.M.C.A. is engaged in the creation of an American Expeditionary Force Library for supplying books, periodical., and magazines to American soldiers in Europe. Although so far only twenty thousand volumes of carefully selected books are on their way from the publishers to Franca, destined for the Camp Libraries, which are being established in all the centres of the Y.M.C.A., additional orders are being placed to the value of 21,400, so that many thousands of volumes more will soon be finding their way to France. In addition to the purchase of books, the American Expeditionary Force Library, with its head- quarters at the American Y.M.C.A., 47 Russell Square, has DORS out an appeal for books to all Americans resident in the United Kingdom, and to English branches of the American publishing houses. Already a considerable number of volumes have been received. Since a large majority of Americans living in England reside in the London district, arrangements have been made whereby collections of books will be made by motor.
Detailed plane are being made for the arrangement of Camp Libraries here in England. Already there is an extensive library at the Eagle Hut in the Strand, and recently five hundred volumes were sent to a station in the northern woods of Scotland, where a Y.M.C.A. secretary is trying to brighten the lives of a group of lumbermen, who are doing their bit by cutting down Ross-shire fortieth Donated books will be made up into packets and sent from the depository of books at 47 Russell Square to the various centres. The libraries in the centres will be made up according to a care- fully reasoned plan. The same standard list of books, about one hundred and twenty-five in number, will form the foundation of each library. It will consist of a varied collection of works, meeting the demand for books of a religious, poetical, and purely literary nature, and containing also a certain number of fiction of recognised worth. This list of one hundred and twenty-five books will be supplemented by a somewhat larger list of books (which will vary somewhat in size and composition from centre to centre) of a more popular nature. These two groups together will constitute a permanent library for each centre of three hundred volumes. The volumes In the first will most of them have to be bought from the publishers. It is hoped to be able to make up the second group from partly donated books.
In addition to these stationary and permanent libraries, there will be circulating libraries, of about one hundred volumes, which will be kept a month at a time in each centre. These will be made up to a large extent of recent fiction, and of recently published books of all sorts. and of permanent value and timeliness, of which it is impossible to supply each library with an individual copy. The usual library of any centre will, therefore, at any limo be composed of from four to five hundred volumes. It is planned to have several sets of permanent groups for the libraries already selected and packed ready to be sent out from headquarters to any
new centre that is opened.—I am, Sir, Sc., F. W. LEISIITON' 47 Burrell Square, MC. 1.
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