Abstract
This article surveys the history of children's libraries in England and Wales between the reports of the Kenyon Committee and L. R. McColvin, a period which was dominated by the economic depression and the Second World War. It shows how much of the progress in the development of library work with young people took place in the immediate years prior to the war, and defends the record of children's librarians of the period who have been harshly criticized by a later generation. The growth of an increased desire to appeal to a layer section of the community is exemplified in the organization of book weeks and co- operation with employment exchanges and youth clubs. These were years of adversity, and a spirit of co-operation had never been so evident.
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