Discover the range of 340 libraries found in the DoD.
By Sarah Walton Taylor, MLIS, Darnall Medical Library, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Communities grow around libraries. Often, one thinks of the public library setting as the quintessential third space. It is a location that is not home or work, where individuals in a community can come together and interact without a feeling of pressure to perform. The
Department of Defense libraries are no exception, with over 340 worldwide providing diverse services, each with its unique focus and purpose. It is with respect to this variety that the Military Library community is celebrating Military Libraries Week from Nov. 12 -15.
In this inaugural year of honoring military libraries, we are highlighting the quote by Harry S. Truman, “Not all readers become leaders. But all leaders must be readers.” We are emphasizing the importance of libraries across all disciplines and showcasing just how influential these repositories of knowledge are in how they inspire our established and diverse military leadership, from the humble recruit to the top brass.
Personal Connection
As a military spouse, I have used my fair share of MWR Libraries around the world: Germany, Korea, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Carson. The one that holds a special place is Fort Irwin, Calif., where I discovered my passion for wanting to become a librarian. (Yes, good things do come out of NTC!) When I was moving around the world with the military and was new to a community, it was comforting to know that I could enter a library with my children—especially before our household goods arrived—on a military installation and know what to expect. My community at each new duty station was established at the MWR library.
It wasn’t until my family and I moved back to the National Capital Region, where I began working at the Darnall Medical Library at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, that I realized how large and highly diverse the library system is under the DoD. For starters, hundreds worldwide work to support the over 2.8 million employees, consisting of active duty, reserve, civilians, and contractors of the DoD. The number served is even greater when including the family members who also have access to these resources.
Worldwide Connection
What is so special about DoD libraries? Why are we celebrating Military Libraries Week? As most military-connected individuals know, there are the quintessential MWR libraries found on every base and post, where family story time and PCSing active-duty soldiers, airmen, or sailors converge. Nevertheless, there is more to the DoD libraries than the free eBooks from Libby or the summer reading programs developed to entertain the children. They are a trusted space containing information where individuals can find answers and solve problems.
Medical, Academic and Research, oh my!
These libraries include Research and Development libraries, such as the Information Science and Knowledge Management (ISKM) Branch, Information Technology Laboratory at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, which began in 1930 to help deliver knowledge to
inform and shape new cutting-edge technologies, while supporting and disseminating the resulting knowledge to the rest of the world. They include numerous medical libraries that provide ready, reliable care that supports the providers, staff, and patients at military hospitals worldwide. The Gorgas Memorial Library at the Walter Reed Institute of Research is a powerful example of the combination of medicine and research, providing the space and resources for innovative and ethical solutions for US military health challenges. They include academic libraries at the military academies, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and four war colleges. The largest of the DoD libraries is the Air University library serving over 20,000 patrons annually at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.
There are DoD libraries that concentrate on history, like the US Army Center of Military History Library and Archives, which was founded in 1918 to ensure that primary and secondary sources were not lost to time. They include the 2nd oldest federal library, the Pentagon Library, which dates to 1795, when the War department library was established to help to bridge the gap from the past to the present in shaping military and political policy. It doesn’t stop! There are special libraries in engineering, military leadership, infectious diseases, technical information, ammunition, acquisition, security, intelligence logistics, and weather.
Lastly, the most numerous are the MWR libraries with over 60 physical spaces in military communities within seven countries, including the far reaches of the Navy bases on the islands of Guam and Diego Garcia. While there cannot be a physical library on the over 750 bases in 80 countries for the military, the MWR has a robust online presence to ensure that all have access to reading materials. What began in WWI with donated books being shipped to soldiers on the front line in Europe is still being utilized today with the Paperback Book Kits, curated to include popular fiction and non-fiction titles and shipped monthly around the world.
With hundreds of libraries under DoD, it was difficult to narrow down which libraries to highlight, but each day we will give a deep dive into one DoD library and showcase what makes it unique. And if you haven’t taken advantage of all the free resources that the DoD MWR Libraries offer, go online today, and see what you can find at https://www.dodmwrlibraries.org/.
It takes a dedicated team to run these libraries, and we are fortunate to have these individuals all over the world. To the selfless staff of DoD libraries worldwide, we salute you during Military Libraries Week. Thank you for your tireless efforts in finding articles, assisting researchers, archiving our history, and fostering a love of learning in our children. We are here to support you, as you help shape our readers into the next generation of leaders!