REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN 



7 



for reaching the homes of the people; and besides printing lists on 

 gardening, bee-keeping, and similar subjects, it has obtained and dis- 

 tributed thousands of pamphlets on diet, canning, vegetable-raising, 

 thrift, etc. It enlisted the aid of the high schools and the Hampden 

 County Improvement League in preparing and exhibiting model meals 

 for meatless, wheatless, and other days, all showing a correctly balanced 

 diet. It arranged with the Committee of Public Safety for a continuous 

 series of exhibits and demonstrations at the main library and also in the 

 branches. It has slipped in library books when borrowed, thousands of 

 excellent recipes to encourage the use of substitutes for meat, wheat, 

 fats and oils. In the same way, at appropriate branches, recipes have 

 been distributed in six different languages, and in one instance a gather- 

 ing was held of foreign housewives. Pictures, notices, posters, and lists 

 have been constantly displayed in aid of patriotic movements; in the 

 reference department is gathered material on women's war work, and 

 there is maintained also a directory and register of local organizations 

 engaged in war work. The hall and rooms of the library and museums 

 have been at the service of patriotic organizations, and have been used 

 for gatherings of the soldiers. Campaigns for the Red Cross, Red Tri- 

 angle, the War Chest, Liberty Loans, and allied projects have been 

 assisted, the librarian and members of the staff have participated, and 

 they also have represented the library on committees for food con- 

 servation, Americanization, and the like. Meetings of the librarians 

 from towns and villages in this part of the state have been called to 

 further war-gardening, conservation, and thrift. In short, the library 

 has tried to cooperate in every possible way with food and fuel con- 

 servation commissions, with the Council for National Defense, the 

 Committee of Public Safety, and all similar organizations. 



Not least important in these trying times is the opportunity the 

 library affords for relaxation from nervous strain. The war is continu- 

 ally present, consciously or subconsciously, and the resulting tension is 

 depressing. Many a man or woman finds in books which lead the 

 thoughts into other fields, the relief and refreshment that make for 

 sanity and emotional poise. With this in mind, a little booklist was 

 printed entitled "Nonsense and Humor." 



Perhaps the most fundamental service is rendered by the library 

 through its large collection of books on the war. A catalogue with 

 descriptive notes was printed and distributed widely, Hsting a hundred 

 of the best and most popular. Such books exert a powerful influence in 

 educating pubUc opinion. Circulated by the thousands throughout the 

 whole community, they give an intelligent comprehension of the issues 

 at stake, further unity of thought and action, stiffen the determination 

 to win, and promote in no small measure increased willingness to bear 

 the deprivations, hardships, and losses necessary for success. 



Statistics 



With a view to strict economy, little effort has been made to expand 

 the library's work. It is the more surprising, therefore, that in spite 

 of this policy, and notwithstanding the distractions of war activities. 



