Finding "another great world": Australian soldiers and wartime libraries

This article is an exploration of the relationship between Australian soldiers and wartime libraries in the First and Second World Wars. It examines the way soldiers, as readers, used a variety of libraries, including those of charitable organizations, the education libraries organized by military authorities, and the libraries formed in Prisoner of War camps. These libraries, and the books contained therein, played an important role in shaping the Australian soldier's experience and understanding of war. The story of Australian soldiers and their relationship to wartime libraries provides important insight into the historical relationship of readers and libraries, and into the importance of libraries for specifie reading communities.