An Active Instrument for Propaganda: The American Public Library During World War I

(Hardback)

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This study effectively addresses the question: What was the involvement of the American public library community in The Great War A comprehensive introduction provides an overview of public library history prior to World War I, touching on such topics as the growth of the public library from the genteel, early nineteenth-century social libraries of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states and the founding of the American Library Association in 1876. The A.L.A. provided for an exchange of information and a means to address common problems encountered in librarianship. It facilitated the adoption of the Dewey classification system, pressed for the publication of periodical indexes, and began publishing its own collection guides. Wiegand details the socioeconomic characteristics of turn-of-the-century library professionals and their determination to address industrialization, urbanization, and immigration as these issues came within their sphere of influence. He identifies two perplexing problems of the period: the inability of public librarians to force Americans to actually use their libraries, and the challenges posed by new forces in the cultural, intellectual, and literary worlds. It is against this background that American public librarians and their institutions responded to the call for united action during World War I. Chapter 1 deals with the response to the Great European War before the United States entered on the allied side in 1917, while Chapters 2 and 3 analyze library-initiated wartime activities on both the local and national levels. The role of the public library in food conservation and the infrequently addressed issue of censorship and book burning are scrutinized in Chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 6 outlines programs for the Americanization of immigrants. A concluding chapter offers a synthesis of the volume. An essay on primary sources is included in the bibliography. An Active Instrument for Propaganda inaugurates the Beta Phi Mu's Monograph Series that, in the tradition of the International Library Science Honor Society's Chapbooks, will add significantly to the scholarly literature of the library profession. The book will be an important addition to collections dealing with World War I, and a valuable resource for historians of that period. Because wide coverage has been given to the wartime activities of hundreds of public libraries across the nation, many local public library collections will be enriched by this important volume.

Reviews

. . . In preparing this history, Wiegand has used public library archives across the country as well as mroe commonly used sources. Many pages of the book are virtual catalogs of library activities throughout the nation, but his writing style keeps them from becoming dull or boring. His introduction, notes, and bibliography provide useful information for would-be library historians as well as for the generally informed reader. Enhanced by a good index and attractive format, the book is a good addition to American library history.-The Library Quarterly
Because I have reviewed it so recently, I will only comment briefly on Wayne Wiegand's outstanding analysis of the role of the American public library in World War I. An Active Instrument for Propaganda': The American Public Library during World War I is a well-written historical analysis of a critical period in library development that makes excellent use of a variety of new sources. Only one of several imporant works that Wiegand produced in the 1980s, this is, perhaps, the most important. We will continue to be reminded by this story that libraries are not meant to be active instruments of porpaganda.-Wilson Library Bulletin
This book, An Active Instrument for Propaganda: The American Public Library During World War I is the mecca' of all recorded public library history that I can think of. Considering its scholarly content and depth of research, Wiegand deserves to be congratulated for his efforts.---College & Research Libraries
." . . In preparing this history, Wiegand has used public library archives across the country as well as mroe commonly used sources. Many pages of the book are virtual catalogs of library activities throughout the nation, but his writing style keeps them from becoming dull or boring. His introduction, notes, and bibliography provide useful information for would-be library historians as well as for the generally informed reader. Enhanced by a good index and attractive format, the book is a good addition to American library history."-The Library Quarterly
"This book, An Active Instrument for Propaganda: The American Public Library During World War I is the mecca' of all recorded public library history that I can think of. Considering its scholarly content and depth of research, Wiegand deserves to be congratulated for his efforts.--"-College & Research Libraries
"Because I have reviewed it so recently, I will only comment briefly on Wayne Wiegand's outstanding analysis of the role of the American public library in World War I. An Active Instrument for Propaganda': The American Public Library during World War I is a well-written historical analysis of a critical period in library development that makes excellent use of a variety of new sources. Only one of several imporant works that Wiegand produced in the 1980s, this is, perhaps, the most important. We will continue to be reminded by this story that libraries are not meant to be active instruments of porpaganda."-Wilson Library Bulletin

Author Bio

WAYNE A. WIEGAND is Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the widely acclaimed author of scores of articles and books on the library profession including Politics of an Emerging Profession: The American Library Association, 1876-1917 (Greenwood, 1986), which won the 1986 G.K. Hall Award for Outstanding Contribution to Library Literature. He is currently working on a biography of Melvil Dewey.