Introduction : "imposing frontages on important streets" -- Ch. 1. "More than pleasant luxuries" : background -- Ch. 2. "We have to act immediately" : responding to the national emergency -- Ch. 3. "Moving picture houses and dance halls" : seeking support -- Ch. 4. "To meet the needs of a nation at war" : libraries respond -- Ch. 5. "Avoid frightening the librarian" : implementing the policy statement -- Ch. 6. "Praise the Lord and pass the new editions" : victory book campaigns -- Ch. 7. "A spell of rough weather" : wartime challenges -- Ch. 8. "Beginning a new era" : postwar hopes -- App. 1. American Library Association presidents, 1939-1946 -- App. 2. Total circulation, 1939-1945 -- App. 3. Adult fiction and nonfiction circulation, 1940-1945 -- App. 4. Circulation of adult and children's books, 1939-1945 -- App. 5. ALA membership, 1939-1945
Summary
World War II presented America's public libraries with the daunting challenge of meeting new demands for war-related library services and materials with Depression-weakened collections, inadequate budgets and demoralized staff, in addition to continuing to serve the library's traditional clientele of women and children seeking recreational reading. This work examines how libraries could respond to their communities need through the use of numerous primary and secondary sources
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-281) and index
