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Chicago’s Polish Museum Library Celebrates Centennial

The Library of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with a program Saturday, April 18, that will support the Library’s Rare Book Conservation Project. The program is scheduled to include music, speakers, and an opportunity to explore a commemorative exhibition of rare prints, autographed books, archival documents and photographs, and publications of historical interest. The Polish American Librarians Association has signed on as a financial sponsor with a gift of $100. A $20 donation at the door, $10 for students (children free), is suggested for supporters attending the program, which begins at 4 p.m. The winners of the “Bookmark Contest” for children will be announced.

“This anniversary is important to the Polish Museum of America and to all Polonia, as our Library is not just a building holding a collection of books. Our library is the people–the readers, researchers, students, and pupils who for the past century visited our institution in search of information, as well as for personal and community growth,” says Head Librarian Iwona Bozek. “In these years past, it was Polonia that created the Library and grew its collection, as almost 70% has come from donations.”

Malgorzata Kot, PMA Managing Director, is the previous Library Director and an early board member of the Polish American Librarians Association. “A celebration of this magnitude requires a lot of support,” she notes. “Please consider making this 100th year of the PMA Library truly special through a financial or in-kind sponsorship.”

“It is interesting to note that the founding of the Library actually preceded the founding of the Polish Museum itself by 20 years,” says PALA President Aldona Salska, “further evidence of the importance our ancestors placed on libraries and their central role in preserving the record of Polish history and culture.”

For more information visit the PMA website or contact Iwona Bozek at 773-384-3552 ext. 2106 or iwona-bozek@polishmuseumofamerica.org.

Leonard Kniffel

Chicago’s Polish Museum Library Celebrates Centennial