Pictures From The Past: WWI Soldiers Reading

The 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War will soon be upon us. Newly digitized images of the day-to-day lives of WWI servicemen has been made available by the American Library Association's Archives, housed at the University of Illinois. Some of the images document the ALA War Service Campaign:

"Within a few weeks of America’s entrance into World War I, the American Library Association undertook an enormous campaign to send books and other reading materials to American forces at home and abroad.

The ALA collected $5 million in donations, amassed a collection of ten million books and magazines, and set up thirty-six camp libraries with the help of the Carnegie Corporation.  “A book for every man” was the initial aim."

                                                                                                           - Angela Jordan, Archivist

The following images from the Library War Service slide collection the are reprinted here with permission from the American Library Association Archive:

For access to more historic images from this collection, as well as access to image resources from other institutions, visit the Middle/Upper School Library's online research guide to databases and digital resources.