Originally known as the American Library Association’s Service for the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) during World War I, the American Library in Paris was formally incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware in 1920 with a core collection of those wartime books. By the Armistice, nearly a million and a half books had been sent across the Atlantic to soldiers. Toward the end of World War I, when the United States entered the conflict, hundreds of American libraries launched the Library War Service, a massive project to send books to the troops fighting in Europe. History Ī reading room at the American Library in Paris, 10 rue de l'Élysée, circa 1927 Founding The library was established in 1920 under the auspices of the American Library Association's Library War Service with a core collection of books and periodicals donated by American libraries to United States armed forces personnel serving their allies in World War I. The library currently serves nearly 5000 members from more than 60 countries. Library members have access to more than 100,000 books and periodicals (of which 20,000 books, magazines, and CDs are for children and teens), plus reference and research resources in paper and electronic form. It operates as an independent, non-profit cultural association in France incorporated under the laws of Delaware. The American Library in Paris is the largest English-language lending library on the European mainland.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |