Information for the Allies: Office of War Information Libraries in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

Abstract

In 1942 the U.S. Office of War Information (OWI) was created by the federal government to increase domestic understanding of America's war effort and to facilitate the flow of American information overseas. As part of this operation, fourteen information libraries were established throughout allied and neutral territory. The OWI librarians sent to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa arrived in those countries at critical periods in their library development, since all three nations were in the process of reevaluating their library services in the light of recent critical Carnegie Commission reports. By offering strong models of modern information service and by energetically supporting emerging local movements for tax-supported public libraries, three OWI librarians in particular made contributions to library development in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa that endure to this day.