Communication during war is essential and during World War I the U.S. Army needed switchboard operators. More importantly, they also needed operators who spoke French and English fluently.

This post was written by Kelsey Diemand Librarian in Residence in the Science, Technology and Business Division. This month, we have commemorated the centennial of the end to the Great War. The Armistice of 11 November 1918 effectively stopped the fighting between Germany and the Allied forces after four years of violence, destruction, and chaos. […]

With shopping for presents, holiday parties and travel, the Christmas season is a busy time for everyone. In all the rushing about, hopefully everyone has left enough time to mail what needs to be mailed, because Christmas is an especially BUSY time of year for the U.S. Postal Service. This is not a new phenomenon. […]

Of late I’ve been digging into our collections on women in business history (which I define to include phrasing such as women in the workforce). Given that it’s the 100-year anniversary since the United States entered the Great War, I was curious about what I might find about women entering the workforce during the United […]

One of my favorite business titles in the Library’s collection is the Listing Statements of the New York Stock Exchange.   It yields a lot of really interesting information on stocks and bonds issued by companies.  It sometimes even includes company financial information, which can make it a great source for those doing company research. However, […]

The month of January marks the birthday of Emily Greene Balch (1867-1961), an American economist, sociologist, political scientist, and pacifist who rose to prominence during and after World War I. Balch began her career as a faculty member at Wellesley College in 1896 and became a full professor in 1913. As an academic, Balch studied […]

This guest post was written by Constance Carter, the previous head of Science Reference who now volunteers here at the Library. As the seed catalogs replace the Christmas catalogs, our thoughts turn to gardens and gardening. In 2017, gardening occupies an important place in the 100th anniversary of World War I. The Library’s collection of […]

When Gilbert was asked by the manufacturers to speak on their behalf before the Council, he arranged a meeting.  In preparation, he gathered a sampling of the toys from various manufacturers to bring with him.  This turned out to be a very smart decision.

Black Friday, which has marked the beginning of the Christmas shopping season for decades, is not until the day after Thanksgiving, but every year it seems that the Christmas shopping season comes earlier and earlier. This year, in some stores Christmas displays have appeared in September! However, this isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon — the […]

As the dawn broke, a single machine made its way through ranks of soldiers, passed into the churned wasteland between the lines, began to fire, and the age of the tank began.