Information Hunters

Starred review from January 1, 2020

In this new work, Peiss (history, Univ. of Pennsylvania; Hope in a Jar) takes a close look at the involvement of librarians and archivists in World War II. The author's interest in this subject was inspired by her late uncle, Reuben Peiss, part of the Library of Congress European Mission (LCM); a group of librarians, archivists, and other scholars who worked to collect and preserve records and publications to aid the military, becoming unlikely intelligence agents in the process. They worked with soldiers to seek out useful documents and published materials during the war and the postwar occupation. At the same time, vast amounts of material were sent back to U.S. libraries and archives, building research collections and repositories. Peiss argues that the work of the LCM advanced the practice of library science, creating new techniques, technologies, and processes to improve the field. The author is not, however, uncritical of the LCM's ethical and privacy practices. VERDICT This well-written and astutely researched book makes the wartime work of librarians engaging and engrossing. Those fascinated by intelligence missions or keen on the history of library science will appreciate this excellent read.--Crystal Goldman, Univ. of California, San Diego Lib.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2019
George Clooney gave Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter's The Monuments Men (2009) the Hollywood treatment; will anyone do the same for this survey of librarians and scholars and their activities with print materials during World War II? Unlike the Monuments Men, Peiss' (American History/Univ. of Pennsylvania; Zoot Suit: The Enigmatic Career of an Extreme Style, 2011, etc.) subjects did not operate under the aegis of one organization or agency and had more diffuse charges, ranging from procuring books and periodicals from Europe for intelligence analysis during the war and later gathering enemy documents and books of all kinds as the Allies swept across Europe, to figuring out what to do with Nazi literature and caches of Jewish books both holy and secular after it. Perhaps as a result of this attempt to gather disparate figures and missions together under the rubric of "information hunters," the author rarely goes deep, instead delivering a reasonably well-written but nevertheless unfocused account of wartime book-related activities. Some of the figures--most prominently the author's uncle, Reuben Peiss, a librarian-turned-agent in Lisbon--recur, but far too many appear for a few pages and are never revisited. Though Peiss makes copious use of her subjects' letters, few of them emerge as distinct enough characters to carry their parts of the narrative. The dizzying occurrence of initialisms--R&A, IDC, CIOS, SHAEF, MFAA, LCM, etc.--serves to further distance readers from the events described. Some individual portions are fascinating. The discussion of postwar censorship's role in the denazification of Germany has (sadly unacknowledged) echoes in today's conversations about literature and culture, and Peiss movingly explores the dilemma of how to make restitution to a nearly annihilated people. Overall, however, the author shows herself to be a diligent historian but a poor storyteller. Unlikely to become another George Clooney vehicle.

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November 15, 2019
Librarianship appears to have nothing in common with espionage; yet, during WWII, a select group of librarians sometimes functioned as spies. Peiss has done stellar work unearthing the contributions of librarians and archivists in collecting and preserving documents in Europe, actions that aided the U.S. government in its efforts to end the war. Librarians like Maria Josepha Meyer and Adele Kibre were especially adept at securing important documents, photographing and microfilming them. (Their stories could fill books of their own!) These efforts provided military leaders with important intel about "enemy troop strength, new weaponry, and economic production." Even after the war ended, specialized "T-Forces" unearthed documentary stashes in mines, churches, and castle cellars. These discoveries helped boost the Library of Congress' holdings and helped rebuild European libraries that had been destroyed by bombing. Of course, librarians faced ethical quandaries about "looting," but they justified it as "needs must." Exhaustively researched, this is a recommended read for librarians, archivists, and WWII buffs who want to discover a little-known contribution in Allied war efforts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)