Books in English—fiction or nonfiction, including books for children or young adults and new translations—will be considered. Honorable Mentions may be named. The PALA Board of Directors will collect nominations through January 2021, in preparation for the association’s 2021 Annual Meeting, when the winner will be announced. A list of nominees will then be sent to PALA members in advance for voting and the final selection will be approved by the PALA Board of Directors.

PALA became an affiliate of the American Library Association in 2020, and the 2021 PALA Annual Meeting, including the first presentation of the PALA Book Award, will be scheduled in coordination with the ALA’s 2021 Annual Conference scheduled for June 24-29 in Chicago. The 2020 ALA Annual Conference and a planned PALA 10-year anniversary celebration were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Membership in PALA lasts a lifetime with a single $50 joining fee. (If you have joined in the past, you are already a member.) You do not have to be Polish and you do not have to be a librarian to support the educational goals of the association or to nominate books for the PALA Book Award. Learn more at palalib.org.

Books published that have already been suggested are listed below. Support for these titles as well as additional nominations are welcome and may be made on Facebook or at palalib.org “Contact Us.” Include a brief rationale for the nomination.

American Warsaw: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Polish Chicago by Dominc  A. Pacyga

Citizen 865 by Debbie Cenziper

Coming to Be by Rebecca Thaddeus

Country Awakening novel by Bozena Zawisz

Ellis Island: A People’s History by Małgorzata Szejnert

The Escape Artist by Helen Fremont

How Languages Saved Me by Tadeusz Haska

The Life of Marek Zaczek Vol. I: Under the Wings of Eagles by David Trawinski

Little Altar Boy by John Guzlowski

Poles in Illinois by John Radzilowski & Ann Hetzel Gunkel

The Things We Cannot Say: A Novel by Kelly Rimmer

The Trunk by Tom Schalata

The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero Who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather

They Went Left YA novel by Monica Hesse

Victoria’s War: A Novel by Catherine A. Hamilton

“ALA’s priority is the health and safety of the library community, including our members, staff, supporters, vendors and volunteers,” said Wanda K. Brown, ALA president. “As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, it’s become clear that in the face of an unprecedented situation, we need to make tough choices.” 

2020 will mark the first time in 75 years that ALA has not held an Annual Conference. The last cancellation took place in 1945 as World War II neared its end. 

“We recognize the magnitude of this decision for the association and our membership,” said Tracie D. Hall, ALA executive director. “The Annual Conference brings together tens of thousands of passionate professionals and hundreds of authors and exhibitors every year to celebrate the transformative work of libraries across the country and around the world. Our coming together not only galvanizes the library and information profession and its stakeholders, but also provides opportunities for attendees to explore and connect with our host cities. This year, we were especially looking forward to the conference taking place in ALA’s hometown of Chicago; however, the well-being of our library community, staff and fellow Chicago residents has to be the number one concern, and that drove our decision-making.”

Julius C. Jefferson, Jr., ALA president-elect, agreed: “At this unprecedented and historic time the health and safety of our members and their families are our primary concern. I want us all to focus on our collective health so we may live to advocate for libraries and library workers another day.” 

Brown continued, “I am so sorry that this difficult decision had to be made, but I am certain that it is the right one. One of our greatest strengths is our ability to adapt and reinvent ourselves when needed the most. May these challenging and uncertain times find us working even closer together so that our libraries, our communities, our association and our families will all thrive.” 

ALA supporters EBSCO Information Services, Follett | Baker & Taylor, Gale, a Cengage Company, HarperCollins, OverDrive, Penguin Random House, ProQuest and Simon & Schuster also offered words of support. 

The association will be working with conference registrants directly over the coming weeks. As well, ALA staff, in partnership with ALA member leaders, are developing plans to carry out the important business of the association, such as council and board meetings. 

“Although this is a great disappointment, ALA is far from the only organization taking a hard look at its events,” Hall said. “We are using this to fuel our planning for Midwinter conference in Indianapolis in January 2021 and look forward to Annual Conference 2021 scheduled to be held in Chicago. We want to make both of those meetings incredible experiences. We want them to serve as opportunities for the profession to regroup and recharge.”

About the American Library Association: 

ALA is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, ALA has been the trusted voice of libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.   

“EBSCO appreciates the value of coming together at ALA and we will miss the opportunity to do so in June. But, we certainly understand and agree with the decision that has been made by ALA leadership to cancel the ALA Annual Conference.   Now is time to focus on our collective health and safety as the top priority. EBSCO is proud to be part of a larger community that has rallied together during these challenging times.” —Scott Bernier, senior vice president, EBSCO Information Services 

“The Follett | Baker & Taylor team supports the difficult decision made by ALA to cancel this year’s Annual Conference. Each year, we look forward to the opportunity to connect in person with the ALA community, but the health and safety of attendees comes first. We realize that libraries are facing unique challenges during this time and applaud the work librarians are doing to continue serving their communities. As your partner, we are here to support you in any way possible.” —Britten Follett, executive vice president, Follett School Solutions and Amandeep Kochar, executive vice president and general manager, Baker & Taylor

“Gale applauds the ALA for making this difficult decision quickly, so we can all stay focused on prioritizing the safety and health of our teams first, while providing the essential content and services our students and communities need as they navigate rapid shifts to online learning and the closure of physical libraries. We remain a committed partner to the ALA and active advocate for the library community; and embrace this opportunity to work together to find new ways of offering continuity of curriculum and programs during this crisis and beyond.” —Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale, a Cengage company

“Although disappointed that we will not be able to gather for this important event that allows us to engage so fully with librarians and their work, HarperCollins fully understands and respects the difficult decision made by the American Library Association. We will work with ALA in the coming days and weeks between now and the Midwinter 2021 meeting where we will next convene on creative ways to promote other opportunities to bring our authors and librarians together to serve America’s library patrons.” —Virginia Stanley, director, library marketing, HarperCollins Publishers 

“Penguin Random House supports ALA’s decision to cancel their annual conference this year. We value our partnership with ALA and will continue to work with them and their members to explore news ways we can connect libraries, readers, and communities moving forward.” -—Skip Dye, SVP, Library Sales and Digital Strategy, SVP, Sales Operations, Penguin Random House 

“While we know this decision is incredibly difficult for ALA, prioritizing the health and safety of ALA members, vendors and staff is the right thing to do. We value our longstanding relationships with the library community and are looking forward to connecting in person as soon as circumstances permit. ProQuest’s support of our customers and ALA is unwavering; we are here to help libraries and their users, especially in this unprecedented environment.” —Jim Holmes, ProQuest senior vice president, Global Sales and Marketing  

“We support ALA’s leadership to make this decision regarding ALA Annual in the best interests of the membership.  We are confident, as we have already witnessed in the past week, that all ALA members will continue to connect with each other, exchange information and strengthen their communities in the absence of the summer conference.” —Steve Potash, CEO, OverDrive 

“While we were looking forward to meeting in person with our friends in the library community, Simon & Schuster fully supports ALA in its timely and proper decision regarding this summer’s annual meeting.  Our work with libraries is a year-round endeavor, and especially in this time of crisis we will work closely with our library colleagues on programs and initiatives so that they can continue to provide their vital services to patrons in their local communities.” —Michelle Leo, vice president, director of Education & Library Marketing, Simon & Schuster 

The Polish American Librarians Association is an ALA affiliate.

PALA is planning to celebrate the affiliation, along with and the 10^th anniversary of its founding, during the 2020 ALA Annual Conference in June in Chicago.  PALA also needs a count of members who plan to attend ALA Annual as well so that PALA can be well represented.

Affiliate organizations of the American Library Association are independent groups having purpose or interests similar to those of the Association, according to Article X, Section 1, of the ALA Constitution. Benefits of affiliation include meeting room space at ALA conferences, co-sponsoring privileges, free registration for one representative, meetings with the ALA executive director, and participation in the affiliates booth at the ALA Annual Conference Exhibition.

“Perhaps the greatest affiliate benefit of all,” says PALA Immediate Past President Leonard Kniffel, “is just to be able to state in correspondence, programs, events, and publications that we are part of a much larger and more powerful national professional organization that supports our work and our mission.”

“Affiliation with ALA has been a goal almost from the formation of PALA in 2010,” says Barczyk. “Now it is up to us to make this connection work for us, and I hope we can partner with other affiliates to make that happen.”

Other organizations currently affiliated with ALA are listed below.

• American Association of Law Libraries
• American Indian Library Association
• Association for Information Science and Technology
• American Theological Library Association
• Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA)
• Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
• Association for Library and Information Science Education
• Association for Rural and Small Libraries
• Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services
• Association of Jewish Libraries
• Association of Research Libraries
• Beta Phi Mu
• Black Caucus of ALA
• Catholic Library Association
• Chinese American Librarians Association
• The Joint Council of Librarians of Color
• Latino Literacy Now
• Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa
• Medical Library Association
• Music Library Association
• National Storytelling Network
• Online Audiovisual Catalogers
• Patent and Trademark Resource Center Association
• ProLiteracy Worldwide
• Reforma: National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking
• Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials
• Theatre Library Association

PALA President and emcee Ewa Barczyk called the meeting “a dynamic and interactive day of sharing our immigrant stories and learning about new initiatives to collect them.” She noted, “We know how important it is to collect and preserve our stories among Polonia ‘family,’ but one of the important questions we addressed today is why Polish histories should matter to anyone who is not Polish.”

Keynoter Peter Alter set the stage for the meeting by demonstrating how the Chicago History Museum handles the multiple ethnic histories of a diverse metropolis like Chicago. He talked about the museum’s Polonia Project and the Studs Terkel Center for Oral History. (His presentation is available online.)

Alter also participated in a panel discussion and question-and-answer session during which panelists Małgorzata Kot of the Polish Museum of America, Ania Mueller representing the Polish American Historical Association, and Daniel Pogorzelski of the Forgotten Chicago blog talked about their work and the professional challenges that historians everywhere face. Mueller spoke about the “Objects that Speak” project in which stories are created around a particular object and the concept of provenance. Pogorzelski characterized his colleagues as “champions of the overlooked” and emphasized the importance of collecting and preserving ephemera.

Professionals in attendance concurred that collection policies must be established in order to handle the influx of materials that donors would like libraries and museums to preserve. The major challenge is to rally the resources required to process and preserve such materials. Is it better to accept such gifts and stick them unprocessed in a basement or decline them and place the onus on the donor? Lively but inconclusive debate ensued.

Attendees enjoyed a Polish luncheon catered by the Montrose Deli and a tour of the museum led by Alter and emphasizing Chicago Polonia. Over lunch, attendees shared stories and experiences, prompted by an exercise designed to encourage oral history.

PALA Treasurer Bernadetta Koryciarz and Secretary Paulina Poplawska reported on the past year’s activities, with emphasis on the bylaws changes that eliminated annual membership renewals in favor of one-time joining. Barczyk noted that PALA has officially applied for affiliation with the American Library Association, and a decision is expected in June.

“Collecting Our Stories” is the theme of the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Polish American Librarians Association, and keynoting the meeting at the Chicago History Museum will be Peter T. Alter taking about the museum’s Polonia Project.  

The meeting marks the first time PALA has met at the Chicago History Museum, and the schedule includes a panel presentation with Ania Mueller of the University of Michigan/Dearborn talking about the Polish American Historical Association project, Malgorzata Kot of the Polish Museum of America’s two major exhibitions featuring “World War Stories,” and Daniel Pogorzelski, editor of the “Forgotten Chicago blog.” The year’s program is designed to draw librarians and museums together in the collecting and preserving the history of the Polish diaspora.

Doors open at 9:30 and the program begins at 10:00. The $30 registration fee includes a Polish luncheon buffet catered by the Montrose Deli and free admission to a museum tour that will close the day’s agenda.  Given by Peter Alter, the tour will offer an inside look at the Chicago History Museum collections related to Chicago’s Polish community.

Please register in advance to facilitate luncheon planning. Reserve your place and pay online. You can also pay at the door. Discounted parking is available for $9 at the corner of Clark and LaSalle, one block north of the museum. Questions? Contact PALA board members Ewa Barczyk, Leonard Kniffel, or Bernadetta Koryciarz. Contact information can be found on the PALA website.

January 27 at Niles West High School; Program Series Runs to April

Popular ABC7 Chicago News Anchor Alan Krashesky, will emcee the opening ceremony of “Coming Together,” a multi-faceted program designed to spotlight a different culture every year, with 2019 being a celebration of Polish culture coinciding with the 2018 centennial of Poland’s independence and also marking 30 years since the collapse of communism in Poland. Considered a top reporter who covers major domestic and international stories, Krashesky is also a recipient of the Heritage Media Award from the Polish American Congress.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, January 27, 1 p.m., at Niles West High School, 5701 Oakton St., Skokie. Free and open to the public, festivities will feature Polish art, music, theatre, and food to whet attendees’ appetites for programs that will follow over the next four months. Visit the program website for a complete schedule and details.

Supported by libraries and other institutions in the northeastern Illinois communities of Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove, and Lincolnwood, which are among the most diverse communities in the country, Coming Together is marking its tenth year of celebrating the multitude of cultures that call these communities home. Past cultures that have been celebrated by “Coming Together” include Asian Indian, Filipino, Assyrian, Greek, Korean, Chinese, Latino/Hispanics, and last year Muslim American.

The goal of Coming Together is to study different cultures in depth. More than 50 free activities and programs will be offered from January 27 thru April 7, including book discussions, film screenings, craft demonstrations, and other events highlighting the culture’s contributions to society in the fields of science, literature, arts, and education. An important educational component that Coming Together focuses on is literacy, with a variety of books selected each year to help develop a deeper understanding of the featured culture. This year’s books include:

• The Best Polish Restaurant in Buffalo by William Kowalski (Adults)
• Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit (Adults & High School)
• The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan (Grades 6-8)
• The Glass Mountain: Tales from Poland by David Walser (Author), Jan Pienkowski (Illustrator) (Grades 3-5)
• Ignas – The Boy with the Colorful Head (English & Polish) by Anna Mycek-Wodecki (Grades K-2)

Among the featured events this year will be a special visit and book discussion by author William Kowalski on Monday, March 18, 7 p.m., at the Niles-Maine District Library, 6960 W. Oakton St., Skokie.

“The countless hours of hard work have paid off,” notes Bernadetta
Koryciarz, Digital Services Librarian at Niles-Maine District Library and current treasurer of the Polish American Librarians Association. A major coordinator of “Coming Together” events, Koryciarz says, “It truly is a festival for everyone in that it not a typical Polish fest with food and music. It is so much more; a feast for your brain with intellectual talks, history lessons, culinary presentations, book discussions, and many more cultural events. And the fact that events are free is just amazing!” 

Over 30 individuals from municipalities, libraries, park districts, places of worship, schools, community groups, and other organizations meet year round to plan each “Coming Together” celebration, Koryciarz notes. “The program planners are volunteers who form a large committee that meets once a month, as well as smaller committees working diligently to put together a variety of programs.”

For a complete list of programs, events, activities and for information on the books which will be featured for “Coming Together” 2019, please visit:

www.comingtogether.in

www.facebook.com/ComingTogetherSkokie

www.instagram.com/comingtogetherskokie/

CONTACT:

Niles Township Government School District 219

Dave Silbar, Rosamin Bhanpuri

dsilbar@silbarpr.com                 rosbha@d219.org

(847) 845-7548                        847-626-3959

The discussion of the film raised questions that Iranian librarians are trying to answer: What actually happened during World War II to Poles in Iran? What was their fate? How many of them stayed in Iran forever? Why couldn’t most of them return to Poland? A short video prepared by Polish American Librarians Association immediate past president Leonard Kniffel was screened and focused on author Wesley Adamczyk as a case in point. His highly acclaimed memoir, When God Looked the Other Way, tells the story of his family’s harrowing journey out of the Soviet Union and their escape through Iran.

The program is part of a series of monthly programs during which important documentary films are discussed. Speakers included the film’s director, Khosrow Sinaei, as well as Alireza Dowlatshahi, author of Persian-language book The Poles and Iran and former president of the Iran and Poland Friendship Society. Meeting organizer Gholamreza Amirkhani, deputy librarian of the National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, noted that “the program was important as an opportunity to distinguish what happened during World War II to Polish immigrants in Iran and what became of those who never left.”

Festival Program includes a great many fantastic movies. A variety of feature films, from a Polish submission to the Academy COLD WAR by Pawel Pawlikowski to Kashubian epic saga THE BUTLER by Filip Bajon to SILENT NIGHT, the inundated with awards debut by Piotr Domalewski. Plethora of splendid films by women filmmakers: BACK HOME by Magdalena Lazarkiewicz, MUG by Malgorzata Szumowska, FUGUE by Agnieszka Smoczynska, and NINA, a debut by Olga Chajdas. A variety of exciting movies from young directors: WOREWOLF by Adrian Panek, CHAIN REACTION by Jakub Paczek, and MY FRIEND THE POLISH GIRL by Ewa Banaszkiewicz and Mateusz Dymek. Netflix’s crowd-pleasing comedy POLKA KING by Maya Forbes on Jan Lewan’s, a king of Polka, struggles with a law, and Chicago-based director Kuba Luczkiewicz’s promising first feature EVERY 21 SECONDS. And finally, a very new comedy/drama HEART WANTS WHAT IT WANTS by Filip Zylber. Needless to add, surprise screenings always bring films in a huge demand, which are kept in secret until a very last moment and they never disappoint.

The PFFA documentary line-up guarantees the best films recently made in this genre in Europe, just to mention OVER THE LIMIT by Marta Prus, ZHALANASH – EMPTY SHORE by Marcin Sauter, THE BEKSINSKIS. SOUND AND PICTURE ALBUM by Marcin Borchardt, REPUBLIC OF POLAND. RELOADED by Anna Ferens, EUGENIUSZ KWIATKOWSKI by Miroslaw Bork. Too many to give all titles.

Every year, the festival applauds new names in Polish cinema – young talented directors with their short feature films. This time is no exception, but some of the names have been already recognized like Piotr Domalewski and Damian Kocur. The young artists explore different subjects of interest and offer fresh ways of storytelling, sometimes even mind-boggling.

One of special attractions in this year’s repertoire are screenings of Polish masterpieces in a very impressive showcase organized by the Polish Filmmakers Association. The best ever and most important Polish films, many of them digitally reconstructed, will be presented on free screenings, at times with special guests and introductions. The list of films include: ASHES AND DIAMONDS, THE PROMISED LAND and MAN OF MARBLE by Andrzej Wajda, THE PIANIST by Roman Polanski, NIGHTS AND DAYS by Jerzy Antczak, WARSAW 44 by Jan Komasa, VOLHYNIA by Wojciech Smarzowski, and short ANIMATED HISTORY OF POLAND by Tomasz Baginski.

The PFFA never forgets about the youngest generation. The Animated TV Film Studio from Poznań, well known to the PFFA audiences, offers again a continuation of their terrific POLISH FAIRY TALES.

Last but not least, the PFFA brings the best names in Polish cinema as the festival guests who come to meet our audiences and participate in ever interesting Q&A sessions. In this anniversary edition, we will have a great honor to meet Oscar-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski, beautiful and extremely popular Polish actress Alicja Bachleda-Curus (she will introduce a newly reconstructed version of THE GATEWAY OF EUROPE by Jerzy Wojcik with her outstanding leading role), acclaimed directors Filip Bajon and Magda Lazarkiewicz, actors Maciej Zakoscielny and Sebastian Fabijanski, and many other leading professionals of cinema.

A full schedule can be found on the festival website, the source of this news release.

The 30th Polish Film Festival in America is possible thanks to a generous support from the Senate of the Republic of Poland, Polish Film Institute, LOT Polish Airlines, Star-Tech Glass, Inc. & Society for Arts, and numerous other prestigious individual and corporate donors.

Media sponsors: 103.1 FM, Radio Chicago, Polish Daily News.