Colonel Ray L. Trautman was Chief Army Librarian of the US Army during World War Two. He designed a lightweight book that service members could carry with them while stationed aboard. These books were called Allied Service Editions (ASE). Over 123 million ASEs were created during World War Two. Colonel Trautman earned the Legion of Merit award for designing this type of book.
After the war, Colonel Ray Trautman served on the Yonkers Public Library Board of Trustess from 1947 to 1958. He was president of the board from 1953-1955. While on the board, he created paid fellowships for library school students at the Yonkers Public Library. Besides serving as a library trustee, Colonel Trautman was a library science professor at Columbia University.
To see photographs of Colonel Ray Trautman and for more information about him, please visit the YPL digital archive.
Michael Walsh is an Adult Services Librarian. He is currently reading The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson.