Figure 1.--Only a small numbr of peoople could reach the American Committee's library in Blérancourt. Son the Volunteers began taking books with them out to the villages. And the children came running when they saw the Committee Ford vans coming.

One popular project was was mobile libraries in an area in which libraries were not readily available to the population. (Americans of course can thank Andrew Carnegie for the Library Movement.) France before the war did not have a major free public library system. And the librries tht dis exist generally did nit welcome children. Many French children, especially refugee chilren, had very little access to books. Middle and upper-class families had books in home. Working-class children and commonly rural children had virtually no saccess to books. Morgan was determined to change that. She brough in Jessie Carson, a librarian at the New York Public Library. She helped the Committee found a network of public lending libraries in Picardy. Thus was not yet common in France and woulld serve as a national model. The Committee's public libraries included children's sections with recreational activities such as a story hour. All new to France, especially rural sareas. The Committee opened up a library at its headquarters. But only a small number of locals could bebefit from this. The answer was books on wheels. The volunteers load up books on their vans--the first French book mobiles. The children came running when the volunteers show up with books. The Committee in contrast to Frenvh libraries give special attention to the children.

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Created: 7:45 PM 3/5/2021
Last updated: 7:45 PM 3/5/2021