Events – PALA

PALA 8th Annual Meeting

PALA — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 14:41:53 +0000

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Polish American Librarians Embrace “Global Vision” in Wrocław

PALA — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 02:50:59 +0000

Strengthening Poland-USA Library Connections

Some 330 American librarians attended the 83rd World Library and Information Congress August 19-26 in Wrocław, Poland. Convened by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the IFLA conference is the world’s largest such gathering, bringing together 3,100 top-level library and information science and technology professionals from academic, public, school, medical, scientific, and government libraries from 122 countries. Among the delegates from the United States were several members of the Polish American Librarians Association who helped staff the American Library Association exhibition booth and disseminated material about Polish libraries and cultural institutions in the USA.

Bringing the weeklong IFLA congress to Poland was something of a coup for the Polish organizers, and it proved to be the perfect time to showcase Poland’s blossoming economy, regarded now as one of the healthiest in Europe. A mere 20 years ago, a meeting of the library federation in Poland seemed like a pipe dream to many Polish and Polish American librarians, but the emergence from communism of a democratic and capitalist Poland has been strong and steady. As the library profession’s major international organization, IFLA offered a rare opportunity for U.S. librarians who serve the Polish American community to influence and learn from their colleagues from Poland and around the globe and to raise awareness of the Polish diaspora. This congress marks the third time IFLA has met in Poland in its 80-year history. The other conferences occurred in 1936 and 1959, both in Warsaw. The abundance of fresh paint and consumer goods evident in post-communist Poland, however, belies the urgent need for information professionals in government and business to harness information technology in the service of education and knowledge, especially in view of the changing demographics of immigration and the widening gap between rich and poor.

Among the delegates from the United States were members of the Polish American Librarians Association (PALA), including President Leonard Kniffel of Chicago, Vice President and President Elect Ewa Barczyk of Milwaukee, Krystyna Matusiak of Denver, and Iwona Bozek and Krystyna Grell from the Polish Museum of America Library in Chicago. They helped staff the American Library Association exhibition booth and distributed material from Polish libraries and cultural institutions in the USA. Marek Sroka of the University of Illinois Library delivered a paper about his research in a little remembered Rockefeller Foundation project that funded the rehabilitation of Eastern European libraries following World War II.

From the American Library Association’s booth in the exhibition hall, PALA members distributed information about Polish American libraries and cultural institutions and talked with visitors from every part of the world. PALA is aiming for Affiliate status with the ALA but needs to maintain a stable membership of at least 100 people to do so. At the American caucus early in the conference, PALA President Leonard Kniffel urged American librarians to join, saying, “You don’t have to be Polish and you don’t have to be a librarian to support PALA’s efforts to improve the representation of Polish and Polish American history and culture in library collections, programs, and services—the basic reason for PALA’s existence. PALA is currently about 40 members short of the 100 members necessary to seek Affiliate status.

The Polish American delegation arranged a meeting with Polish Library Association President Elżbieta Stefańczyk, who was also a cochair of the national organizing committee for the conference, and mapped out a strategy for cooperation that will benefit Polish and Polish American librarians and library patrons. The Polish Museum of America Library in Chicago, for example, holds many books and materials that are not available in Poland because of the destruction that occurred during World War II. The Polish Librarians Association, on the other hand, offers access to Polish genealogical and historical resources that American librarians can use to help their patrons with their research. Regular exchange of information via the organizations’ websites and newsletters is planned.

The exhibition boasted some 60 exhibitors–high-tech companies, university and trade book publishers, and professional associations, including the Polish Library Association, which is headquartered in Warsaw. Around its periphery, 248 sessions involved the delegates in seminars, meetings, and presentations that fostered discussion of the similarities between libraries, no matter where in the world they are located.

The congress allowed Polish American librarians to raise awareness outside the Polish community. Many members of the American delegation began the congress by trying to learn how to pronounce Wrocław, which invariably led to laughter and then into a serious exploration of the city’s history and architecture and pre-World War II life as the German city of Breslau. A breathtaking dance and acrobatic performance, as well as a cultural evening with a light show and an elaborate array of Polish food, from peasant to haute cuisine, made Wrocław’s historic and technologically well equipped Centennial Hall (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) the ideal venue for the congress, which convenes annually in a different spot around the world—Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2018.

Overall highlights of the Wrocław congress included the news that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is awarding IFLA a $31.1 million grant for a project to unite the entire library profession around a “Global Vision” for the essential role that library information science and technology professionals play in economic development, the quest for knowledge, and the preservation of cultural heritage. The grant caps the foundation’s 15-country $13.5 million investment in the “Global Libraries” program, which aims to improve the lives of 1 billion “information poor” by 2030 by positioning the world’s 320,000 public libraries as “critical community assets and providers of information through relevant technologies.”

“Where were you going, Poland, before you were so rudely interrupted?” asked Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski during his keynote address. The professor of Polish-Lithuanian history at University College London summarized hundreds of years of Polish history during which the “interruptions” of war and foreign domination prevented Poland from “moving toward modernity without autocratic monarchs or violent revolution.” He reminded the international audience that the democratic Polish Constitution of 1791 was the second such document in the world, preceded only by the American Constitution of 1789.

Digitization of rare and unique library and archival material is accelerating in Poland at breakneck speed, said Krzysztof Szubert, a strategist for Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs, who pointed out that Poland currently has the distinction of being the fourth fastest growing economy in the European Union and is looking toward a “digital data driven future” where “data is a catalyst for economic growth.” Making information freely accessible for public use in libraries and archives is one of IFLA’s core values, but the ministry, like the international library federation, must also support equitable copyright law that is fair to those who create the data in the first place.

At the closing session. Wroclaw Mayor Rafal Dutkiewicz praised the congress theme of “Libraries. Solidarity. Society.” and the national pride so evident throughout the congress, but he asserted that “nationalism” is quite another matter and librarians understand the difference. “Nationalism is like a sweaty man who needs to take a shower,” he asserted. “Take a shower Europe. Take a shower Poland,” he said.” Having just launched the quest for a unified international professional vision for libraries, the audience cheered Dutkiewicz with a standing ovation.

Founed in 2010 and based in Chicago, PALA is an institutional member of IFLA. Librarians and library supporters alike can learn more about the Polish American Library Association on its website at www.palalib.org, the American Library Association at ALA.org, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Libraries at GatesFoundation.org. For complete World Library and Information Congress coverage, visit the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions at IFLA.org.

Addendum:

Statement to the American Caucus at IFLA August 19, 2017, by PALA President Leonard Kniffel

Dobry wieczór. Zapraszam wszystkich do Polski. Good evening and welcome to Poland. Polish people have lived in the United States for over 400 years, beginning in 1608 in the Jamestown Colony, and there are ten million Americans of Polish descent in the U.S.A. today, making it the largest diaspora of Poles in the world. I am one of them, as I know many of you are, and I am currently President of the Polish American Librarians Association, or PALA, as we call it.

This is a very special IFLA for members of PALA, a dream come true that IFLA is back in Poland where it has met only twice before, 1936 and 1959. We’ve waited a long time. One way that some of us will be participating in the Congress is by helping to staff the American Library Association booth in the Exhibition Hall, including myself from Chicago and PALA Vice President/President Elect Ewa Barczyk from Milwaukee, Iwona Bozek and Krystyna Grell of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago, and Krystyna Matuszak of Denver. We will be distributing information about the Polish Museum of America and other Polish-American organizations.

PALA is already seven years old, and we are recruiting members in order to apply for formal Affiliate status with ALA this year, so please stop by the ALA booth and pick up a membership brochure. We need to get our membership back up to a hundred, and we are about thirty members short. You don’t have to be Polish to support the goals of PALA and to help us improve services to the Polish community and raise awareness of Polish history and culture in the libraries of America.

Also, if any U.S. delegates need assistance in a discussion with Polish colleagues here in Wrocław (or if you just want to practice saying “Wrocław”), PALA members would be happy to assist, so please come to the ALA booth. And while you are there pick up a free copy of my new book, a childhood memoir titled Busia: Seasons on the Farm with My Polish Grandmother. We have fifty copies to give away, courtesy of ALA and PALA, to encourage you to support us with your membership. All proceeds from future sales of the book will benefit the Polish Museum of America in Chicago and the new Hamtramck Historical Museum in the historically Polish community of Hamtramck, Michigan.

Come and see us in the ALA booth. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions, as I am reporting on this conference for the Polish American Journal, a widely read English-language newspaper for the Polish-American community.

Dzękuje Bardzo. Thank you very much.

Museum Gathering Focuses on Genealogy, Nelson Algren’s Polish Chicago

Leonard Kniffel — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:45:17 +0000

Some 30 members and supporters of the Polish American Librarians Association gathered June 23 at the Polish Museum of America in Chicago for PALA’s 7th Annual Meeting, keynoted by Chicago Tribune reporter and columnist Mary Wisniewski, author of Algren: A Life, a biography of legendary Chicago author Nelson Algren, who set many of his works in the old Polish neighborhoods of the city, the area where the Polish Museum is still located.

By popular demand, PALA brought together a panel of experts to talk about “What Librarians Need to Know about Polish Genealogy.” Matt Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History at the legendary Newberry Library in Chicago, talked about the vast resources and rare materials available to researchers at the Newberry. Amanda Jensen and Justyna Cwynar explained the services of the Wilmette Family History Center, a branch of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. They both emphasized the importance of helping amateur genealogists avoid the pitfalls of dealing with records that have not been indexed or are in an unfamiliar language or script.

One thread that emerged during the discussions was the difference between Polish culture and Polish American culture. Mary Wisniewski noted that it is often a shock to Americans visiting Poland to find that many of their customs and even expressions are purely American inventions. Consul General Piotr Janicki of the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Chicago greeted attendees with praise for the work of librarians in helping people navigate the abundance of the Information Age.

PALA President and member of the PMA Board of Directors Leonard Kniffel emceed the event and noted that PALA needs 100 members to apply for affiliate status with the American Library Association and urged attendees to recruit more members. “Currently we have only 47 dues-paying member on a roster that once topped 100,” Kniffel said. “Many of us still believe that we need networking opportunities and resources aimed at serving Polish American in our libraries,” he added, “and we’re going to do our best to draw members back and to recruit new members”

PALA Board Members informally discussed other short-term goals of the organization, including the need for an all-purpose recruitment brochure to supplement the website and the quarterly PALA Mine e-newsletter.

Polish Museum CelebratesPublication of Guide to Archives

Leonard Kniffel — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 03:03:19 +0000

Chicagoland members and supporters of the Polish American Librarians Association are invited to attend the official presentation of the first published guide to the Polish Museum of America’s rich archival collection, Wednesday, September 21, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. in the Sabina P. Logisz Great Hall, 984 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

According to a museum news release: “In July 2016, after many years of work and effort, the Head Office of the State Archives of Poland published the Informator o zasobie archiwalnym Muzeum Polskiego w Ameryce, the Polish language guide to the Archives collections of the Polish Museum of America (PMA). This is the first ever extensive publication detailing the documents and materials in the PMA Archives’ holdings since its founding in 1935.”

The evening event will include a discussion with author Edyta Targońska, Archivist and Head of the Department of Acquisitions and Processing at the State Archive in Lublin, Poland, along with anecdotes and photographs highlighting how the guide was created. A selection of documents from the PMA Archives will also be on display. Admission is free, but donations to the PMA Archives are welcome. The program will be conducted in Polish.

Sunday in Milwaukee with PALA: Annual Meeting Summary

PALA — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 01:41:41 +0000

Two of the best and most prolific chroniclers of the Polish American experience, John Gurda and Dominic Pacyga, delivered morning and afternoon keynotes April 17 at the sixth Annual Meeting of the Polish American Librarians Association. PALA Vice President and President Elect Ewa Barczyk, director of the Golda Meir Library at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, emceed the event, along with PALA President Leonard Kniffel. The American Geographical Society Library, housed within the Meir Library, provided a unique setting, surrounding the 30 attendees with a colorful collection of globes and exhibits of rare documents and historic photographs of Milwaukee Polonia.

Attendees participated in a panel discussion with PALA Treasurer and founding member Elizabeth Marszalik; Iwona Bozek, Head Librarian at the Polish Museum of America Library, and Susan Mikos of the Polanki Library at the Polish Center of Wisconsin. Ewa Barczyk moderated, as panelists talked about their successes and challenges in serving Poles and Americans of Polish descent in every type of library. Barczyk also pointed out the role of her library in supporting the university faculty and students with special emphasis on collecting documentation related to Wisconsin’s long history of Polish immigration.

More than two hundred thousand Milwaukeeans trace their family roots to Poland, Gurda told the group, dropping perhaps the biggest surprise of the day by noting that in its heyday Milwaukee’s Polonia was larger than Chicago’s.

In his entertaining and illuminating presentation, Pacyga emphasized the importance of archiving photographs and documents not only from major institutions but from small Polish businesses and ordinary attics. He surprised the group as well by talking about the historical importance of polka music to Polonia in the last century, as a unifying community force. Life was hard, he said, and people needed to have fun!

“UWM Libraries was very proud to host the Polish American Librarians Association. It was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the extensive collections of rare Polish maps, photographs of remote regions of eastern Poland from the 1930’s by American geologist Louise Boyd, the 30,000 glass plate negatives by Roman Kwasniewski depicting the vibrant Milwaukee Polonia from 1910 through World War II,” said Barczyk. “The participants were so enthusiastic about the American Geographical Society Library’s rare holdings, including maps going back to 1452,” she added. “It was a full day of dynamic speakers, sharing of ideas, and learning from each other.”

“We had a varied group this year and we tried to place more emphasis on what we all can learn from one another,” said PALA President Leonard Kniffel. “We had attendees from three states–Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan–and a number of people who were not librarians or Polish.” Among the guests were Dorota and Zbigniew Kruczalak proprietors of the legendary D&Z Polish House of Books bookstore in Chicago; Donna Urbikas, promoting her new memoir, My Sister’s Mother, about World War II and the deporation of Poles to Siberian slave labor camps; and Neal Pease, author and Polish scholar who keynoted last year’s Annual Meeting.

This was PALA’s sixth Annual Meeting and its first since adopting a new set of organizational goals in 2015 that focus the association’s energy and resources on networking and career development through four primary activity areas:

Planning and conducting the Annual Meeting and participating in other national, state, and international conferences, and in other networking forums.
Improving communication and resource sharing with members through the PALA Mine quarterly newsletter, the PALA website, and survey and evaluation forms.
Recruiting and retaining members through the efficient and effective use and maintenance of the email mailing list.
Partnering with and supporting the efforts of libraries, library associations, and other related organizations.

“At this year’s meeting, we decided to focus on networking and discussion, so we relegated PALA business to the back burner, opting instead for a written Annual Report, prepared by PALA Secretary Joanna Klos,” said Kniffel. “The Annual Report is available online and it reflects our emphasis on networking, not only among Polish American librarians but with many other organizations related to our educational, cultural, and historical mission. During the next year,” he said, “Librarians from the Polish Museum, along with Ewa Barczyk and I, will be working with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to urge Polish American librarians to participate in and promote the historic 2017 World Library and Information Congress to be held in Wroclaw, Poland.”

Barczyk noted that the Polish luncheon buffet, courtesy of the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, was university catering’s first attempt at Polish cooking. Attendees gave high marks to the chefs for their gołąki (stuffed cabbages), saurkraut, cucumbers in sour cream, and salad.

Newly appointed Polish Consul Robert Rusiecki was unable to attend the meeting but sent the following letter, which was read during the opening:

Consulate General of the Republic of Poland
Chicago, April 15, 2016

Mr. Leonard Kniffel, President
Polish American Librarians Association

Dear Mr. Kniffel,

I want to thank you for your invitation to attend the 6th Annual Meeting of the Polish American Librarians Association. I regret that I will be unable to attend due to an increased number of commitments my staff and I have confirmed for that day.

However, I want to emphasize how much I appreciate the work your organization has been doing to promote Polish American librarianship and readership on the whole. I wish to thank you for the years of PALA’s dedicated service to Polish American library services and individuals dedicated to retaining their Polish identity through the work with libraries across the region.

I feel assured that Chicago and the other major academic centers of the Midwest continually have a strong representation among the Polish community and remain active in developing networks of communication to help each other promote Polish language and culture in America.

The valuable and very much needed work of the Polish American Librarians Association stands as an example of how Polish Americans from different walks of life can be united in their common goal of cultivating their Polish ancestry and promoting education, readership advancement and understanding of the different cultures that make up American society.

I congratulate you on your organization’s success and I wish you much satisfaction from your work in the years to come.

Sincerely,
Robert Rusiecki
Consul

PALA 6th Annual Meeting: April 17, 2016

PALA — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 23:33:53 +0000

Dominic Pacyga and John Gurda, two of the best and widely celebrated authors of books about the Polish American experience, will keynote a unique opportunity for librarians and library lovers to learn more about the cultural heritage of Poles in America: the Annual Meeting of the Polish American Librarians Association April 17 at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Don’t miss this chance to hear these dynamic speakers, see the historic treasures of the university library, network with library professionals, and enjoy a Polish buffet lunch!

The program is free for members of the Polish American Librarians Association or $10 for friends. And you don’t have to be Polish!

RSVP to palalib@gmail.com to help us plan admission, seating, and the luncheon.

Thank you for your support.

BookExpo to Honor Poland at May 11 Global Market Forum in Chicago

Leonard Kniffel — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 04:29:00 +0000

Poland has been named the Feature Country of Honor for BookExpo America’s Global Market Forum. The May 11 program is part of BEA’s “Content & Digital Conference,” which is one of many activities to be held at BEA, May 11-12-13 at McCormick Place in Chicago. A number of Polish authors–including legendary playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and essayist Janusz Głowacki–will be appearing at BookExpo, and the Book Institute in Krakow is organizing Poland’s exhibit and working with the Polish Cultural Institute to schedule events in libraries around Chicago for the Polish authors.

Aquila Polonica Publishing is bringing two of its authors to BookExpo and will be part of Poland’s country exhibit. Publisher Terry Tegnazian reports that John Guzlowski, who grew up in Chicago and is the author of Aquila Polonica’s newest book, Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded, released in hardcover this month, and Julian Kulski, author of the and award-winning The Color of Courage—A Boy at War: The World War II Diary of Julian Kulski. Guzlowski lives in Virginia, and Kulski in Washington, D.C. Both are accomplished and experienced speakers, and we are interested in booking events while they are in Chicago.

In addition, Tegnazian suggests that Aquila Polonica author Marek Zebrowski is prepared to offer library programs while he is in Chicago for BookExpo: “Paderewski as a Pianist, Composer, Philanthropist and Statesman (book tie-in: Paderewski in California), “Polish Music Center, USC—Its Activities and Role in Promoting Polish Culture Abroad” (tie-in: Polish Music Center book series, including Szymanowski, Szymanowska, Koffler and Stojowski), and “Polish Accents During Hollywood’s Golden Era—the Careers of Young, Kaper and Vars (tie-in: Polish Music Center Manuscript Archive Collection).

If any libraries are interested in hosting an event, contact Aquila Polonica.

Billed as “the best place to discover new titles and authors, conduct business and network, and learn the latest trends,” BookExpo America is the largest gathering of booksellers, librarians, retailers, publishers, rights, licensing, and book industry professionals in North America. Check the website for information about librarian registration and the Global Market Forum. Aquila Polonia and the Book Institute are offering a limited number of admission badges to Polish American Librarians Association members who wish to attend BookExpo in Chicago. Request PALA badges from Leonard Kniffel at lkniffel@sbcglobal.net by April 1.

Dominic Pacyga to Headline 2016 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee

Leonard Kniffel — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 19:44:27 +0000

Save the date: Historian and author Dominic Pacyga is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Polish American Librarians Association, April 17 at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee’s Golda Meir Library. Librarians and their supporters interested in advancing services to patrons of Polish descent and collections related to Polish culture are invited to attend.

Dominic Pacyga is Professor of History at Columbia College in Chicago and the author of several books focusing on Chicago history, including Chicago: A Biography, published in 2009 by the University of Chicago Press. Most recently, the interviews with him in the The Fourth Partition are among the film’s most insightful. The documentary about early 20^th-century Polish migration to Chicago aired on public television in 2015 to wide acclaim, and PALA has been urging its inclusion in library film collections.

“This will be our first, but hopefully not our last, conference outside Illinois,” said Leonard Kniffel, PALA Director. “The Midwest is a region loaded with Polish American history, and the University of Wisconsin is making great advances in preserving that history.

UW Library Director Ewa Barczyk, who is head of local arrangements, notes that “at little more than an hour away from Chicago, the meeting in Milwaukee offers PALA members, especially those who have never experienced the city’s Polish heritage, a unique opportunity to network with other librarians and with a whole cadre of leaders in the profession. We are hoping many will want to make a weekend—or more—out of their visit.”

“If enough people express interest, we may be able to organize a preconference tour,” Kniffel said. “We also welcome attendees from all over the country and can offer assistance with accommodations and transportation in the Chicago area.” Other activities throughout the day will include a panel discussion and a tour of the incredible Polish collection at the University of Wisconsin, he said.

This will be PALA’s sixth Annual Meeting. The previous five have given librarians an opportunity to visit and learn about the facilities and collections of the Polish Museum of America (2012 and 2013), Loyola University (2014), and Dominican University (2015).

Registration is free to PALA members; a $10 donation is requested of others. Registration will open early next year as more details are announced. Meanwhile, mark your calendar!

For more information, email Leonard Kniffel at lkniffel@sbcglobal.net.

Oak Park Public Library to Host Jan Karski Exhibition

PALA — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 15:54:39 +0000

The “Humanity 101” series returns to Oak Park, Illinois, in October, focusing on “Exploring Our Humanity” and headlining with a powerful exhibition on Polish Holocaust hero Jan Karski. “The World Knew: Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity” is a 22-panel traveling exhibition about Karski’s courageous life and World War II legacy, which comes to Oak Park through the support and sponsorship the Polish American Librarians Association.

The exhibition will be on display from September 29 through October 14 at the Main Library. The tour of “The World Knew: Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity” traveling exhibition is organized by the Jan Karski Educational Foundation. The exhibition was created by the Polish History Museum in Warsaw with major support from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additional funding was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.*

On Thursday, October 1, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, everyone is invited to the Main Library to celebrate the exhibit’s opening reception and hear featured speakers Leonard Kniffel, executive director of the Polish American Librarians Association, and Bozena Nowicka McLees, director of Interdisciplinary Polish Studies at Loyola University Chicago and board member of the Jan Karski Educational Foundation.

Kniffel is a Polish-American librarian and journalist (editor and publisher until 2011 of American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association). He is the author of three books, including A Polish Son in the Motherland: An American’s Journey Home, and he blogs at PolishSon.com.

Nowicka McLees co-founded the Jan Karski Educational Foundation in Chicago and its sister organization Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego in Warsaw in 2012.

“Fostering tolerance and understanding, and supporting learning through legacy are ideals we wholeheartedly support,” said Cyndee Landrum, Assistant Director of Public Services, Oak Park Public Library. “We are honored to host this exhibit and speakers Kniffel and Nowicka McLees. We also want to extend a special thank you to Elizabeth Marszalik, a library manager and active PALA member whose relationships brought this exhibit and speakers to Oak Park,” Landrum added.

“Jan Karski is the consummate example of Polish resistance during World War II and the Holocaust,” said Marszalik. “This beautifully mounted and moving exhibit serves as a reminder that those who refuse to learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them.”

“The World Knew” debuted in January 2013 at the United Nations for Holocaust Remembrance Week and has since appeared in multiple language versions in Israel, Canada, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Polish Museum of America, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, the European Parliament in Brussels, and elsewhere. Karski was a Pole by birth, a naturalized American, and an honorary citizen of Israel.

More Holocaust-related events

Wednesday, October 7, 7 pm – “Rising From the Ashes: The Rebuilding of Warsaw in the Wake of the Holocaust” with writer and preservationist Margaret Guzek. Discuss events leading up to the destruction of Warsaw and the Polish community’s meticulous postwar reconstruction, which includes the recognition of Warsaw’s restoration of its historic quarters as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wednesday, October 21, 1 pm – Community book discussion of Story of a Secret State: My Report to the World by Jan Karski. The book documents Karski’s experiences in the Polish Underground and serves as a remarkable testimony of one man’s courage and a nation’s struggle for resistance against overwhelming oppression.

All of the library’s Humanity 101 events are free and open to everyone and will take place at the Main Library, 834 Lake St., Oak Park, IL. On-site, two-hour free parking and elevator access from the garage to the lobby are available during open hours, which are 9 am to 9 pm Mondays through Thursdays, 9 am to 6 pm Fridays, 9 am to 5 pm Saturdays, and 1 pm to 6 pm Sundays. Additional Humanity 101 events include:

Tuesday, September 29, 1 pm – Schindler’s List screening and discussion. Oak Park film historian Doug Deuchler about the film, winner of seven Oscar awards including Best Picture, that follows the true story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved more than 1,100 Jewish people during the Holocaust.
Wednesday, October 14, 7 pm – “The Science of Happiness” with Chet Taranowski, PhD. The adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work and President of the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library explores research-based strategies for improving both societal and individual happiness.
Saturday, October 17, 1 pm – Small Island screening and discussion. Based on the award-winning novel by Andrea Levy, Small Island tells the story of Windrush Generation immigrants who migrated from Jamaica to England in the years immediately following World War II.
Thursday, October 29, 7 pm – “Life in a Japanese-American Internment Camp” with Sarah Okner. A historian, librarian, and descendant of internees, Okner shares photos and details of daily life in an internment camp, as well as the profound effects it had on those living there.
Sunday, November 8, 2 pm – Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of Mothers, Tell Your Daughters. Meet Bonnie Jo Campbell, the National Book Award finalist and author of Once Upon a River, who will share stories from her collection featuring ferocious mothers and scrappy daughters.

About the Polish American Librarians Association
The mission of the Polish American Librarians Association is to positively impact services provided to library patrons of Polish descent and individuals interested in Polish culture. Learn more about PALA.

About the Jan Karski Educational Foundation
The mission of the Jan Karski Educational Foundation is to instill in people—especially youth—the values of leadership, courage, and integrity, as exemplified by the life of Jan Karski. Learn more about the Jan Karski Educational Foundation.

About Humanity 101
Humanity 101, first introduced as a library programming series in October 2014, was originally developed through Project Humanities. Learn more about Humanity 101.

Contacts:

Jodi Kolo, Manager of Communication Services
Oak Park Public Library
708.452.3485, jkolo@oppl.org

Elizabeth Marszalik, Manager of Material Services
Oak Park Public Library
708.697.6951, emarszalik@oppl.org

Leonard Kniffel, Executive Director
Polish American Librarians Association
773.742-9493, lkniffel@sbcglobal.net

Wrocław to Host IFLA World Congress in 2017

PALA — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 17:31:44 +0000

Wrocław, Poland, has been designated as the site of the 2017 World Library and Information Congress of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Announced during the August 20 closing session of the 2015 IFLA conference in Cape Town, South Africa, by IFLA President Sinikka Sipilä, the selection of a Polish site fulfills a dream the Polish American Librarians Association has had almost since its inception.

“We urge Polish American librarians across the country to plan to join us in Wrocław for this momentous occasion,” said PALA Executive Director Leonard Kniffel. “In recent years, we have met with Polish librarians at IFLA conferences to lobby for Poland as host for a future IFLA, and our wish has come true.”

This will be the first time since 1959 that the 88-year-old organization has hosted its World Congress in Poland. That conference and the 1936 IFLA conference were held in Warsaw. “It is my understanding,” said Kniffel, “that Wrocław was chosen over Warsaw or Krakow because it is better equipped to handle a conference of this size, but we hope attendees will take the time to explore other parts of Poland before or after the conference.”

According to Andrzej Ociepa, head of the Municipal Public Library in Wrocław, the application to host was submitted by the city in collaboration with the National Library and the Polish Librarians Association. Wrocław Mayor Rafał Dutkiewicz, said in a statement, “The fact that the city organizes the congress a year after the European Capital of Culture celebrations shows clearly that culture is Wrocław’s main priority. It must be added that Wrocław ‘s tenure as the World Book Capital comes to an end in 2017, and collaboration with librarians is most welcome as part of the event.”

“The fact that Wrocław was selected to host the congress in 2017 means a lot both to the city and to Poland’s library industry, which has undergone a massive transformation over the last ten years,” says Ociepa. “It’s worth showing these achievements to librarians from all over the world. This is also a great opportunity to promote Wrocław. Several thousand librarians, many of them highly influential at home and abroad, are expected to attend.”

Read more about IFLA at IFLA.org and more about the 2015 conference in Cape Town at American Libraries magazine’s Inside Scoop blog. PALA is an IFLA institutional member and a partner of the Polish Librarians Association.