Happy Library Week

In honor of library week, I'd like to direct your attention to a *very* cool thing. If you've read my blog for very long, you know I have a thing for bookmobiles. So, here is your chance to own your very own Parnassus on Wheels:

Ebay item: 270551067368. And believe me, I've shopped for horse-drawn vehicles in the course of my day job (museum curator), and this one is right on the money so to speak, judging by the photos. It would make a killer artifact for the currently forming American Writers Museum! Although, they've said they will not be an archiving institution (enough others do this, and do it well), they did not say if the new museum would be a collecting institution.

UCO Book Sale Report

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Last night I attended the 8th annual FOL sale benefiting the University of Central Oklahoma Library. I've visited the UCO campus a couple times before, and never the library. So I started in the visitor lot (mistake) and wondered around. There are no maps posted, so I relied on the kindness of students hanging around to point the library out. The Max Chambers library is in the Northwestern quarter of campus.

It was friends day, so I joined at the door. Membership levels start at $5, which is quite a bargain! Books were shelved along general topical lines. You know, environmental law in gardening, etc. I arrived at the end of the evening, long after the afternoon rush, so it was a little rummaged, but I still found some great books. There was a good mix of newer and older, hardback and paperback, ex-library and donated. Prices are very reasonable, and of course, go to a good cause. Follow the link at the top of the post for all the nitty-gritty.

Also, I found a flyaway for the record books. Flyaways are the stuff found in books. Usually postcards, receipts, etc. Well, this was nothing like that. The book published 1889, in cloth with a shaken spine and hinges starting. There seemed to be a good sized pebble or something in the spine. I tried to peek down the back strip-- something was down there alright, but I couldn't see what. I delicately prodded it with my Parker Jotter popping the invader loose. It clunked out on the shelf-- a chocolate chip. Whole and unsullied. Weird.

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Flu, Libraries and Sammies in Oklahoma

The American Library Association (ALA) sponsored camp libraries all over the US during WWI. Library directors serving at Camp Doniphan were Luther L. Dickerson and William K. Porter. If there was an existing facility, the ALA would use it. However, in many cases, including Camp Doniphan, the ALA would be required to meet their own space requirements. Luther L. Dickerson, of Grinnell College was sent to Europe after the Armistice to oversee a library there. William Porter replaced him in Oklahoma.

Luther Dickerson went to the American Expeditionary Force University at Beune in the Cote d'Or region. It was only operational for three months, March-June 1919, but Dickerson was able to accomplish many things. One being the number of books available to the soldier-students. One week after arriving and shelving 6000 books the library opened. Within a "very short time" the library exceeded 30,000 volumes, over 80% non-fiction. The three connected buildings that made up the library provided accommodations for 1,500 soldiers, twice the seating capacity of the central library of any American university. Daily circulation approached 1,100 volumes. In the short life of the Beune library 88,500 volumes circulated and attendance was estimated at 310,000.

November 1, 1919 Dickerson was appointed library specialist over army libraries. He oversaw army libraries until his resignation in 1924. In those intervening years, army command opinions declined on the necessity of troop libraries. Dickerson was not replaced.

Most of that information can be found in Arthur P. Young. Books for Sammies: The American Library Association and World War I. Pittsburgh, PA: Beta Phi Mu, 1981. ISBN 0910230153.


I have some interest in these libraries and those like them, like the libraries set up at camps for the Civilian Conservation Corps, POW camps, etc. The ALA processed millions of books during WWI. I'm sure they used many different markings for books, but mark them they did. My favorite to date is the bookplate which uses the art of the ALA book drives by CB Falls. I'm fortunate to have this plate in my collection. This weekend I found another label, more plain. It's a simple bookplate that reads "American Library Association/ Soldiers and Sailors/ Camp Library." Most bookplate collectors define labels as strictly typographic bookplates. They sometimes have ornamental borders, but are otherwise quite simple. Some of my favorite marks of ownership are typographic labels. Finding the book at the OKC Metro FOL sale, maybe this book came from Camp Doniphan. Sadly, there is no way to be sure. This label was applied directly to the cover and has the call number written on the spine and on the label. Many camps had the ALA library and then smaller "branches" in individual barracks, or with the Red Cross, the hospital, etc. So, the "Main Library" stamp likely means this book was kept at a building like the one pictured in the postcard.

In the back of another old book I found some neato postage stamps. There were programs with the Post Office during WWI and WWII (and perhaps other wars) that books could be sent in the mail to soldiers by simply applying postage to the book itself. Pardon my finger in the photo.


Then I noticed the rubber stamp on the paste down. I found it disturbing.

"Burn After Quarantine/ American Library Association"

1918 SPANISH FLU EPIDEMIC flashed involuntarily through my mind. I could feel the red rot on the spine dropping molecules into my white palms. Ugh. Wide-eyed, I stiffly pivoted at the waist to find the nearest door out. After all, I had to get my treasure home.

Now, if any of you out in bibliosphere-land have or know of a really great collection this book should go to, let me know. Does anyone know of other related bookplates or markings related to these camp libraries?

Library Strike Alternative

toothpastefordinner.com



If that strike doesn't work, there is always the efforts of patrons. We do what we can.

WPA October Library Poster

WPA October Library Poster
Originally uploaded by Exile Bibliophile

I love the month of October! The changing leaves, the cooler weather. How do we spell relief in Oklahoma? O-C-T-O-B-E-R. I grew up in Nebraska. There, it was typically Octo-brr-rrrrr. Confession: another big plus for me is College Football. I digress.

October seems to be a bookish month. Am I the only one who feels this way? I don't know if it's because school is in full swing, if the cooler weather slows us down, but it seems like more people read now than in the summer. Autumn makes me think of reading and libraries. I ran across some great WPA artists and thier posters somewhere on the internet. This little gem is probably my favorite. Does anyone know what "Bright Blue Weather" means? I have no idea, but this poster is just fantastic. I have some other very nice scans of WPA library related posters and will post them in the appropriate months. Pinky swear. Proof? Look below for one for September.

In other news, we at the American Book Trade Index group at Flickr, are now up and over 1000 images! Hooray! Also, please note: I said "we". That's right, there is now membership. Of course, I belong (who wouldn't?), but more importantly, a gentleman with interests in the history of Michigan has come aboard.

So, let me extend the invitation again: Enjoy this most-bookish month and get in on the ground floor of what could be an amazing tool for researching the history of the book in America: The American Book Trade Index.