Miss N. Louise Ruckteshler in Library War Service - 1918

Miss N. Louise Ruckteshler is to

Engage in Library War Service

Utica Saturday Globe, July 20, 1918

 

Miss N. Louise Ruckteshler

 

Norwich [Chenango Co., NY]:  At her ardent request, Miss N. Louise Ruckteshler, custodian of the Guernsey Memorial Library, has been granted a leave of absence to engage in library war service at an army cantonment under the auspices of the American Library Association.

 

Most of our citizens know something of the library war service, started about a year ago, and so far has shown results in 35 camp library buildings erected, 41 large camp libraries established, 51 hospitals and Red Cross houses supplied with books, 212 librarians in the service, 237 small military camps and posts equipped with book collections, 249 naval and marine stations and vessels supplied with libraries, 1,323 branches and stations placed in Y.M.C.A. and K. of C. huts, barracks and mess halls, 285,230 books shipped overseas, 411,505 books purchased largely technical, 2,000,000 gifts books in service.

 

Under an earlier ruling of the War Department men only could be accepted for library work in the camps, but with the commencement of book service in base hospitals, the opening was made for women volunteers.  This phase of the library war service is of recent date, but it has already placed librarians in 22 hospitals, seven of whom are in general hospitals or in small camps.  Most of the service is without pay and it is the work without financial remuneration only that makes it possible on so large a scale.  The release of Miss Ruckteshler shows assurance that Norwich will be worthily represented in the phase of war work.