PROBLEMS OF READJUSTMENT

WITH

7ITH this issue FOOD NEWS NOTES FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES passes to the Division of Educational Ex

tension of the Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior, under a new name-NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE.

The ending of the active stage of the war alters somewhat the scope of this periodical. There are still war messages of the Government to be transmitted to the people through the libraries, such as the need for the large production and saving of food, the continuance of thrift stamp and Liberty Loan campaigns, and the generous support of the Red Cross and other agencies ministering to our victorious soldiers and sailors at home and abroad. New problems, however, arise with the approach of peace, and to the solution of these also the libraries must lend their aid. The rehabilitation and placement of our returning soldiers; the reclamation of waste lands as a heritage with which to endow them; the furtherance of measures of our Government to prevent the recurrence of the scourge of war; above all, active aid in support of movements to assist our "melting pot" in casting out the slag of alienism and disloyalty, and fusing foreign born and native born in a single, homogeneous, progressive American stock-these are some of the new services. for which NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE bespeaks the active aid and support of the libraries of America.

the

The Division of Educational Extension has for its purpose direct service of the public in educational ways, and especially through cooperation with State university extension organizations in making more available the educative resources of the Government which are less widely known than they deserve to be. In both undertakings it asks the active aid of the librarians of America, to whom this periodical is addressed.

January, 1919.

99439-19

J. J. PETTIJOHN,
Director, Division of Educational Extension.

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NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE

N. L. S. stands for National Library Service, created in recogition of the war service performed by the librarians of the United States and in acknowledgment of the necessity for a progressive eadjustment.

Its main purpose will be to connect libraries more closely with heir communities, to the end that individuals may look to their own or city libraries for current as well as historic information, and that librarians may be alive to the needs of the hour and alert o advertise information that will give the background of knowledge necessary to produce intelligent action.

The service will aim to be a clearing house for organizations and departments with a message for the public which can be ppropriately delivered by librarians. In short, the Washington ffice will endeavor to give for the libraries a survey of that ield f service which makes for better American citizenship. An Information Bureau.

The Service will act as a library information bureau for the Division of Educational Extension.

Library.

Books, pamphlets, bibliographies, and distributive material of nterest to libraries from various Government departments, will be ssembled in the main office.

Current topic bibliographies.

Publishers will be requested to furnish this office with books n timely topics which the Division of Educational Extension wishes stressed, and short bibliographies of those approved will be repared.

Community cooperation.

Ways of cooperating with the community will be suggested.