Librarianship's a Fraud-That's Clear; For Africa I'll Volunteer: Public Libraries and the Boer War

This article examines the response — or lack of response — to the Boer War from public libraries in Great Britain. Although there was an understandable surge in demand for associated literature, many libraries actually reported an overall decline in issues. This may be a counterpoint to a rapid increase in readership of newspapers. Although the professional press was largely silent over the conflict, most libraries responded to events in a positive manner. Annual reports were the prime source of information for this study.