Parisians find solace in American Library during war
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In the summer of 1918, Mary Josephine Booth of Illinois joined hundreds of other librarians sent by the American Library Association to France to establish a library in Paris during World War I.
Booth and fellow recruits worked to prepare the library despite ongoing shelling of the city, unpacking books and cataloguing titles without a standard reference system.
The American Library Association initially hesitated to include women in its war service, believing it would disrupt soldiers' camp life, but ultimately relied on their contributions. Booth first volunteered with the Red Cross, creating a small library for soldiers at an aviation training center. The ALA opened the American Library at 10 Rue L’Élysée on August 29, 1918, converting a former papal legate’s home into a reading space filled with over 7,000 books.
After the armistice in November 1918, Booth helped collect and redistribute books from the front lines back to Paris, recognizing the increased need for reading material among soldiers awaiting transport home. She later returned to her position at Eastern Illinois Normal School, but the American Library in Paris continues to operate today.
