Promotion of Public Libraries in the Second World War

Abstract

In the following brief look at the history of public libraries in the Second World War, I shall look at two areas of interest which I think helped to ensure the success of the public library service on the home front. Firstly, at the political level where the Library Association took steps to defend the interests of the service as soon as war seemed to be a possibility; and secondly there are the activities at the local level which ensured that public libraries made an important contribution to the communities whom they served. My research on the history of public libraries in the Second World War is based on London, and most of the examples used in this paper are drawn from the experience of the service in London. However, the fact is that similar activities were taking place in public libraries throughout Britain. This paper was read at the Library History Group's ‘Libraries and Modernity’ conference held at Manchester in June 1997.