Military library for military service library – a multi-level system. In this article, let’s figure out the top 15 best military libraries in American countries!
History of Military Library
From the highest command organization and the libraries of various services and arms to the company library. The military library system includes military organ libraries, military scientific research libraries, military academies libraries, military hospital libraries (rooms), and company libraries.
Military libraries appeared in the 18th century. The Danish Army Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries had a library. The French army under Napoleon (reigned from 1804 to 1815) in the early 19th century also had a library. When Napoleon set out to fight, his tent contained 1,000 books, called the Military Library.
They used these books for entertainment and comfort on Napoleon’s battlefield. It is also important to reference material for him in battle. The U.S. Army Medical Service Library was established in 1836, renamed the Army Medical Library in 1922, renamed the Armed Forces Medical Library in 1952, and renamed the National Library of Medicine in 1956 (under the Department of Health, Education and Welfare).
In the mid-1980s, there were about 1,000 libraries in the United States serving military institutions and military technology. The U.S. Military Court of Appeals Library is one of the five independent libraries of the U.S. judicial department.
In 1919, the Red Army of the Soviet Union established a library management organization-the library office or library group. The library in the Red Army comprises two parts: a fixed library and a mobile library. The former are in teams, independent battalions, military schools, military agencies, cruisers, and destroyers. The latter is in the company and other branches. Library work has become an important part of the entire political and cultural education work in the Army.
Top 15 Military Libraries
Fort Hood Casey Memorial Library
The Fort Hood Casey Memorial Library in Fort Hood dates back to the 12th century. We can describe the fate of the library as twists and turns: fires, wars, and books looted and destroyed due to war. In the 17th and 18th centuries, after several major restorations and reconstructions, the library slowly recovered its former spirit.
In the Baroque hall, books from the 16th to 18th centuries are neatly stacked on antique storage cabinets. On the ceiling of the hall, the exquisite murals cover everything from mythological figures such as Adam and Eve to real figures such as classical philosophers, and saints, and historical figures related to the monastery.
There are two magnificent halls in the library: Theology Hall and Philosophy Hall. There are over 42,000 volumes of books, about 200,000 ancient paintings, 3,000 original manuscripts, and 1,500 first prints.
Because of repeated hardships in history, the Fort Hood Casey Memorial Library has extremely strict reader specifications. For example, it allows no lamps or lighting tools to enter; borrowing is not allowed, and we can only do a reading in the designated area of the library. The library that has been read for nine centuries is like a classic book muttering to the past.
- Address: Bldg 3202, 72nd St &, W 761st Tank Battalion Ave, Fort Hood, TX 76544, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 5 PM
- Website: https://hood.armymwr.com/programs/casey-memorial-library
- Phone number: +12542874921
Navy MWR Library
The Navy MWR Library can be traced back to the reign of King John V of Portugal in the 18th century. This three-story building named after him contains about 200,000 volumes of treasures from the 16th to the 18th century.
Many works represent the highest level of Europe, and the content is all-encompassing and everything. The typical baroque design style of the library is so gorgeous that people feel more like a palace. They make the gilded wood of bookshelves and stairs, harmoniously blending with the ceiling paintings and other decorations, making the library full of exoticism.
The wall thickness of the library is elegant. The thickness of 2-11 cm can keep the indoor temperature at 18-20 degrees and the humidity at about 60% so that the treasures inside are not damaged by paper lice and mites. Most of the wood used for decoration comes from oak trees. Besides its high density, it also produces an insect repellent smell.
The library is also famous for the bats that live in it, and insect-eating bats protect precious documents from these insects. Every night, the staff will cover the top of the bookcase with leather covering to prevent bat droppings from damaging the documents and cabinets.
- Address: 221-339 MacDonough St, North Chicago, IL 60088, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 8 PM
- Website: https://www.navymwrdigitallibrary.org/
- Phone number: +18476884617
Fort Campbell Library
Established in 1991, with such a historical and technological academy, Fort Campbell Library seems to have become a stage to showcase this background. They completed this building with numerous letters on its glass facade in 2004.
The various letters covered on the outer wall seem to echo with a building containing countless words and formulas. Although the height of the library is only over 30 meters. The internal space is much larger than expected, with seven floors on the ground and two floors underground. Looking down from the top floor, the colorful books and book structure have become a kaleidoscope. Reading newspapers inside, our eyes enjoy the colorful feast, the soul also benefits a lot.
- Address: 38 Screaming Eagle Blvd, Fort Campbell, KY 42223, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 7 PM
- Website: https://campbell.armymwr.com/programs/robert-f-sink-memorial-library
- Phone number: +12707985729
Army Hawaii Library
The Army Hawaii Library was the first royal library in the 14th century. And it houses some famous manuscripts collected by the king himself. Later, Charles V transferred all the treasures to the Louvre. During the time of Louis XIV, the library became the palace of Cardinal Mazarin, who was a collector of classical books and collected many books from all over the world.
In the 1660s, when the collection capacity of the Louvre was almost saturated, Louis XIV moved most of the collection back to the library. In 1661, Cardinal Mazarin bequeathed all his collections to the country after his death.
The collection of the Army Hawaii Library reached its peak for a while. Although the U.S. has undergone multiple dynasties and regime changes in its history, every ruler has expanded the size of the library in the same way. In 1896, the library was still the largest collection of books in the world. By 1920, the library’s collection had increased to 4.05 million volumes and 11,000 manuscripts. Unfortunately, during the two world wars, over 2 million books were lost in the war.
Today’s Army Hawaii Library is elegant and intellectual. The famous Labrouste reading room was designed and constructed in the 1860s. The design inspiration from the canopy of the railway station makes the readers feel as if they are riding a train leading to the endless world of knowledge.
- Address: 1565 Kolekole Ave, Schofield Barracks, HI 96857, United States
- Working hours: 10 AM – 3 PM
- Website: https://hawaii.armymwr.com/programs/sgt-yano-library
- Phone number: +18086558002
Fort Worth Public Library
They scatter the Fort Worth Public Library among 22 buildings. Among them, we dedicate the Fort Worth Public Library to the collection of rare books, literary archives, and manuscripts of famous works.
They donated the library to three Yale alumni, the three Beinecke brothers. The design of the library is amazing. The white translucent marble slabs create a light-transmitting effect of the real and virtual inside. It softens and insulates the light. The huge bookshelf of the three-dimensional frame structure gives people visual magic. The sense of the impact of the book sea is diligence as a boat.
The sculpture garden next to the library is also quite distinctive. The pyramids, circles, and cube sculptures in the garden symbolize the earth, the sun, and opportunity, echoing the library and attracting you to explore the mysteries of the universe.
- Address: 500 W 3rd St, Fort Worth, TX 76102, United States
- Working hours: 10:30 AM – 6:30 PM
- Website: http://fortworthtexas.gov/library/
- Phone number: +18173927323
Fort Bend Library
The Fort Bend Library in Fort Bend is a fusion of the U.S. National Library and is also one of the largest libraries in America. We can find copies of all works printed in Denmark since the 17th century in the library. Many of Fort Bend’s manuscripts and autographs are also among the famous collections. As the collection continues to increase, the Library has also been expanded and renovated. Today, the Library has five branches.
The black granite and transparent glass exterior wall make the library glow like a black diamond under the sunlight. The 8-story atrium has a wavy corridor. Through the outer wall of the atrium made of glass, you can also see the rolling sea of white waves. There is also a concert hall in the Fort Bend Library. And readers who are tired of reading can also receive a rhythm massage in the concert hall.
- Address: 8421 Addicks Clodine Rd, Houston, TX 77083, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 6 PM
- Website: https://www.fortbend.lib.tx.us/about-us/location-hours-map/mission-bend
- Phone number: +18324715900
Fort Smith Public Library
The Fort Smith Public Library is one of the oldest libraries in America. They built it in 1602 and have over 13 million printed materials. In the 1430s, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, donated many celebrity manuscripts to Oxford.
But in 1550, conflicts between sects caused most of the collections in the museum to be removed or even burned. Sir Thomas Bodley saved the almost destroyed library. At the end of the 16th century, Bodley organized a refurbishment of the library and donated all of his private collections.
From 1610 to 1612, Bodleian planned and funded the first expansion of this medieval building. Bodley died in 1613, leaving a certain amount of money in his will for the future renovation and expansion of the library.
Today, this Gothic building has gone through over four centuries and has a comprehensive collection of books and manuscripts that cannot be valued. The original Gutenberg Bible and the first folio of Shakespeare’s works are the treasures of the library. Reading inside, the whispers of the sages seem to be soft in their ears through an ancient book.
- Address: 3201 Rogers Ave, Fort Smith, AR 72903, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 5:30 PM
- Website: http://www.fortsmithlibrary.org/
- Phone number: +14797830229
Fort Collins Library
They built this Fort Collins Library in the 7th century on the banks of Lake Constance. It was originally a retreat for a monk named St. Osma and later became one of the most famous monasteries in the Middle Ages. A library built by St. Osma in the monastery contains manuscripts of saints on religion.
Fort Collins Library is quite legendary in history. In a fire in 937 AD, the abbey was destroyed, but the library was intact. Since then, the library seems to have opened up a powerful plug-in model. And after a series of changes such as wars and religious reforms, it has not hurt the slightest.
In this graceful Rococo building, there are about 160,000 books collected, and it is still one of the world’s important medieval manuscript collection libraries. In 1983, the library and the monastery were listed as a world cultural heritage, known as the perfect example of the Carolingian monastery.
- Address: 207 Peterson St, Fort Collins, CO 80524, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 9 PM
- Website: http://www.fcgov.com/parks/finder/park/id/38
- Phone number: +19702216660
Fort Lee Library
Built-in the 3rd century BC, the Fort Lee Library was the most important learning center in the world, gathering many Greek documents and scholars from all walks of life. Helplessly, the continuous war destroyed this cultural palace.
In 1974, scholars of Alexandria University proposed to rebuild a new library near the former site of the Fort Lee Library to pay tribute to the ancient predecessors.
This idea has been supported by many scholars and institutions. In 2002, the Fort Lee Library was officially opened and opened. This library containing books in three languages-Classical Arabic, English, and French, hopes to rekindle 1,000 academic spirits of many years ago.
The 11-story Fort Lee Library provides space for 8 million books. There are also 4 museums, 4 art galleries, 1 planetarium, and a special library for the blind and visually impaired.
At the top of the reading hall, it covers an area of 20,000 square meters that is a glass roof that slopes toward the sea like a sundial. They make the outer wall of the library of gray Aswan granite, with 120 distinct characters carved on it, showing the richness of human language.
- Address: 320 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, United States
- Working hours: 11 AM – 7:30 PM
- Website: http://fortleelibrary.org/
- Phone number: +12015923614
Fort Bragg Library
The famous architect Sir Christopher Wren found the Fort Bragg Library, and they named the library after him. The immense windows allow the interior of the library to be flooded with warm sunlight most of the time. On the log-colored bookshelves, there are busts of famous scholars in various fields of the past, watching quietly every reader who comes here. It seems to inspire and guard.
When Rennes designed these bookcases, he secretly added some interesting elements, such as a cute gibbon carved at the end of the bookcase.
There are many classic collections in the library, including Milton’s poetry manuscripts and Newton’s notebooks. There are four statues on the railing on the roof of the library, representing the fields of theology, law, medicine, and mathematics. The quaint colors and architectural style also tell the leisurely past of the library.
- Address: 1-3346 Randolph St, Fort Bragg, NC 28310, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 7 PM
- Website: None
- Phone number: +19103962665
Fort York Library
Fort York Library is in the center of Fort York. This unique library makes people feel like an alien spacecraft crash-landed in the center of this central city. The space-like library was completed in 2004. To pay tribute to the Peruvian-born poet Sandro Penna, the architect firm from Milan named it after the poet.
The huge pink glass exterior wall of the library not only allows more natural light to penetrate but also sparkles at night, adding to its sense of the future. Tables and chairs with unique internal shapes and transparent bookshelves make the space more open.
There are over 1,000 vinyl records in the library, covering classical music and Italian opera. In your flowing characters, you can appreciate the seamless blend of the future and the modern.
- Address: 1-3346, 3346 Randolph St, Fort Bragg, NC 28307, United States
- Working hours: 9 AM – 7 PM
- Website: https://bragg.armymwr.com/programs/throckmorton-library
- Phone number: +19103962665
Fort Mill Library
They built the Fort Mill Library in 1816, and the famous linguist Samuel Linde was the first curator. The expansion of the library collection began in 1825. By 1831, this public library had collected 134,000 books. Before the outbreak of the First World War, the collection of books had increased to 610,000.
During the war, they brought some precious books and manuscripts to the former Soviet Union. Although most of the works were later returned to the Polish authorities, nearly 130,000 books in the collection were destroyed by fire during World War II.
In the 1990s, the government rebuilt the library, and it officially opened the new library building on December 15, 1999. The new library abandons many classic columns and luxurious layout elements of important libraries and focuses on the green environment. The botanical garden covering the roof of the major building covers an area of 1 hectare and is one of the largest roof gardens. They cover the lush green vines with metal equipment, making the original icy building kind and lovely. You can stroll along the winding flower path, or read a book among the flowers. The fragrance of flowers mixed with ink is refreshing.
- Address: 1818 2nd Baxter Crossing, Fort Mill, SC 29708, United States
- Working hours: Temporarily closed
- Website: https://www.yclibrary.org/
- Phone number: +18035474114
Fort Washington Library
The Fort Washington Library is arguably the coolest building on the campus of Washington D.C. This building, completed in the 1950s, houses about 400,000 books. Mexican architect and painter Juan O’Gorman made the murals on the external walls of the library. The murals covering 10 floors tell the history of this country. The north wall represents Mexico in the Spanish period. The south wall is the colonial period. The east wall is modern Mexico. And the west wall depicts the development of the university.
What is amazing is that none of the murals are painted, but they come with colorful stones? Olman traveled throughout Mexico, looking for all kinds of stones with natural colors because he felt that the natural colors of the stones would not fade easily, to show the world the rich history of the country. The colorful exterior walls make it one of the most vibrant attractions on the campus. From a distance, the Fort Washington Library is more like a huge modern speaker built by an ancient civilization.
- Address: 535 W 179th St, New York, NY 10033, United States
- Working hours: Temporarily closed
- Website: https://www.nypl.org/locations/fort-washington
- Phone number: +12129273533
Figure 20. Fort Washington Library
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The first impression of the library of the Pritzker Military Museum must be gorgeous. The wood-colored bookshelves are painted with golden paint. They also carve the tops of the bookshelves with gilded patterns. The vivid ceiling murals are still bright and colorful. For any reader who walks into the library, it is a kind of appreciation for such a luxurious style of architecture. It is visual enjoyment.
The library completed in 1750 has a collection of 150,000 books, a large part of which can be traced back to before the 19th century. Some books are even older than the year they built the monastery. Among them, the 800 manuscript collections are quite a few medieval collections. A must-visit treasure for lovers.
- Address: 104 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, United States
- Working hours: 10 AM – 4 PM
- Website: http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/
- Phone number: +13123749333
US National Archives & Records
The US National Archives & Records is one of the US most important national treasures-the Book of Kyle in the 9th century AD. Like other libraries, there are many marble busts dotted in the reading room of US National Archives & Records.
We can trace the history of the library back to the beginning of the establishment of the college in 1592. Today, the library has over 6 million books, manuscripts, maps, and music records. It is the largest library in Ireland.
The precious manuscripts and other treasures attracted one hundred thousand tourists who came to visit this ancient library. Although the library is an old institution with a long history, many discoveries in teaching and research were born here. Perhaps it is those classics exuding ancient fragrances that have given scholars and experts endless encouragement and inspiration.
- Address: 7358 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60629, United States
- Working hours: 8 AM – 4:15 PM
- Website: https://www.archives.gov/chicago
- Phone number: +17739489000
How To Sign Up For Army MWR Library?
First, fill out the form to register with the Army MWR Library. After receiving the confirmation email, you will access the MediaLibrary OnLine (MLOL) digital library and the catalog’s online services.
- Enter your social security number, username, and choose a password of at least 8 characters
- We recommend you write your account details as it does not show them in the confirmation email
- If you are a minor, please show the details of a parent’s document
When the public services reopen, they will invite you to come to one library to validate your registration with an identity document.
- Do not use this form if you have forgotten your login credentials but follow the password recovery procedure
- Do not use the same email address to sign up multiple people
- If you have difficulty registering, write to the library’s main e-mail
Types of Military Library
Military Institution Library
Refers to libraries established by various headquarters, various services and arms, and command institutions at all levels. It serves commanders at all levels and officers and soldiers of agencies. The collection of books is dominated by military theory, military technology, and general cultural and scientific works.
Military Science Library
Refers to the libraries of military, political, logistical, technical, and other research institutions established by various headquarters and various services and arms. Serve relevant scientific research, engineering, and technical personnel. They specialize in the collection. The service is more specialized, and they have specially trained the librarian in this subject.
Military School Library
Including libraries attached to colleges and universities and secondary technical schools established by various headquarters, various services and arms, and military command organs at all levels. The service targets are teachers, students, and cadres. The collection of books is mainly textbooks, teaching reference books, and military scientific research works.
Army Hospital Library
The major collections are medical books and journals. They serve medical and scientific research.
Company Library
Refers to the club library set up by units below the group. It faces the company, the grassroots level, and serves the broad masses of officers and soldiers to improve the scientific and cultural qualities of the entire army, master advanced military technology, enhance combat effectiveness, and invigorate the military’s cultural life.
Army MWR Library under COVID-19
Under the epidemic, the morale, welfare, and entertainment programs (MWR) of the U.S. military and military service agency programs have been hit hard. Because of the impact of the virus pandemic, these programs have become difficult to make profits.
According to the US Military Times, the Controller of the US Department of Defense has agreed to allocate nearly $308 million from the $10.5 billion Defense Department’s anti-epidemic fund provided by Congress to inject nearly US$308 million into the Department of Defense’s MWR project. They will not fire employees.
The Acting Comptroller Elaine McCusker (Elaine McCusker) signed a document stating that if there is not enough income to cover mandatory expenses such as wages and utility bills. Cash flow will soon be exhausted and may cause non-appropriation funds (NAF) Business Bankruptcy. The income of service clubs established by non-appropriation funds mainly comes from sales and other income, rather than taxpayer funds.
In the US military’s MWR project, over 55,500 employees are facing the immediate risk of a long vacation because of the closure of morale, welfare, and entertainment facilities because of the epidemic. Now with funds injected by the Department of Defense, some C-type non-appropriation fund MWRs can pay workers two months’ wages, including each C-type MWR project of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, which adds up to about 12,000 Employees, and another 19,000 employees in the Air Force project who are at risk of vacation.
Elaine McCusker said that any additional prepaid wage costs and other business expenses beyond these two months will bring more capital needs, and the epidemic has forced the service agency and MWR to close their doors since mid-March. Many MWR projects are still closed.
FAQs
What are the primary tasks of the Army MWR Library?
The major tasks of the Army Library are
- Serve the commanders at all levels, political staff, military science and technology personnel, logistics personnel, and family members of the army
- Strengthen the modernization of the army
- Improve the quality and combat effectiveness of the army to invigorate the army culture Domestic services
What is a military library?
The activities of the Central Military Library provide for the collection and conservation of volumes and journals of a pre-eminently historical, military, political, sociological, and scientific nature (altogether over 120,000 volumes and 1000 journals).
The bibliographic heritage also includes an Ancient Fund of about 1200 volumes comprising Cinquecento and many editions that can be placed chronologically between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The library is continuously enriched with additional works received as a gift or gained directly from the best national publishing production. The complex of cultural heritage that has been consolidated over almost two centuries, today makes up the foundation of the prestige and consideration enjoyed by the institution among the authoritative community of researchers and historical scholars.
By nature and vocation, the Central Military Library is therefore available to a very wide audience, from lovers of military history and the various scientific and technical disciplines to university students engaged in thesis work.
User help is guaranteed by the dedicated military and civilian personnel who welcome visitors, guide them in consultation, explain how to use the catalogs and files for finding texts, illustrate the services available at the facility.