PMA Library News 2011
Duplicate Book Sale.
PMAL appreciates your participation in, and spreading the word about, our annual Duplicate Book Sale. This year’s event held on Jul. 23 & Jul. 24 in the First Floor Social Hall was a great success. Our dedicated volunteers assisted and organized the many items that were available for purchase. Volunteers arrived at 9 a.m., and some loyal book lovers were waiting since 8 a.m! Our friends from the media, Jacek Niemczyk, WNVR 1080 AM, and Elżbieta Sawczuk and a camera operator from TV Polvision, were also on site. New bookmarks celebrating PMAL’s approaching 100th anniversary were also available, thanks to the cooperation of Lidia Kowalewicz and Lisa Terlecki. We sold an ample amount of duplicate books in English and/or Polish on various Polish subjects, as well as a variety of books on non-Polish subjects; music, notes, and souvenirs from Poland were available as well. As a special bonus, those who joined as Library or Museum members during the event received free passes to the Brookfield Zoo for the family’s children. This great idea was initiated by PMAL librarian, Krystyna Grell, who always supports new membership. Also, thanks to the cooperation of Rich Kujawa and Fred Tuytens, anyone who made a purchase of $50 or more at the book sale received free Museum admission. Purchasers of $30 received a discounted admission of $5. Despite the heavy rains the night before, the atmosphere during the book sale was great, full of friendship and laughter.
Noon, day 1 of the booksale.
Day 1 volunteers.
High school volunteers and their parents from the second day of the booksale.
Our librarian - volunteer Esther Witek talking with Polvision reporters.
Our check-out crew.
Happy cashiers.
Victoria Granacki, author and friend of PMAL satisfied with her purchase.
Jacek and Katarzyna Niemczyk were also very happy with their selections.
Maria Lagowska, our volunteer while cleaning-up and boxing the remains of the sale.
Betty Uzarowicz during final packing of the booksale.
The book sale drew approximately 200 people to the PMAL. Nearly $6,000 was raised through the sale, and will be used to make improvements necessary to the continued functioning of our 96-year old Library. The books and items sold mostly came from generous donations. We care greatly about all our books and want to find new homes for them. The books unsold during the event were made available at discounted prices at the Library through the end of July, during regular work hours.
During the second quarter, we had many visitors expressing great interest in the Museum and Library.
Malgorzata Babiarz (vocal, upright bass) and Andreas Kapsalis (guitar, bouzouki) of Megitza Quartet visited PMAL and donated their latest autographed CD Boleritza to our music collection.
Barbara Johnson Williams from Memphis visited PMAL to research Ira Frederick Aldrich and African Poles, and was helped by Len Kurdek and Jan Lorys.
Library friends, Maria Grzegorzewska and Halina Horbowski, paid PMAL a visit about future joint projects.
Danuta and Michal Schneider donated many books and periodicals to our book sale and Mrs. Schneider autographed her new book that she co-authored, Wedrowki geograficzne, aimed at Polish Saturday School students to broaden their geographical skills about Poland.
Prof. V. Frederick Rickey from West Point.
Piotr Dymon, Holy Trinity Polish Mission music director and organist, recently joined the PMAL. Our cooperation with this neighborhood parish continues to flourish.
Barbara Bilszta and Wojciech Niewrzoł, founders and directors of Paderewski Symphony Orchestra came to PMAL after the book sale and adopted some duplicate music prints from Sajewski Music Store. Our partnership started over 10 years ago, when PaSO first began. PMAL is very happy to be able to support the talented students of PaSO Music School.
Happy Birthday to Mitchelle Kmiec on her milestone birthday! Mitch is our treasurer and great volunteer!
Our dear coworker, Agnieszka Bastrzyk visited PMAL with her precious son, Aleksander, our youngest reader. We wish Olus and the whole family many great reads – happy reading! We miss your enthusiasm, positive attitude, and your friendship, Agnieszko! Happy Motherhood!
PMAL hosted two gentlemen with similar last names who have assisted the Library in various ways. The first meeting between Kenneth P. Gill, PMA’s first legacy life member and PMA board member, and Leszek Gil, publisher of the Polish phonebook, Informator Polonijny, was serendipitous and full of laughter. Thank you, gentleman, for supporting PMAL!
We continue with our close cooperation with Polish Media: Jacek Niemczyk from WNVR 1030 AM hosts a segment every Monday at 2:20 p.m. on current PMA events with a staff representative (www.polskieradio.com); and Marta Kosecka at Super Express includes photographs from the PMA in the Chicago Chronicle every weekend. All images are archived at PMAL.
Fall is a perfect time for reuniting with books. Please visit us! PMAL is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Wednesdays from 1 p.m.-7 p.m. The Polish Museum Library Facebook page is frequently updated with news and events. For further information, please do not hesitate to call us. Thank you for your patronage!
From The Librarian : 01-2011
Sabina P. Logisz departed on Nov. 9, 2010, one day short of her 94th Birthday. She was a great inspiration and friend of the Library for many years. Her obituaries in Polish and English circulated among all of the media. Her departure closed an era of the PMA. She will be greatly missed, and her spirit will be always in the Library. Two short films are posted on Polish Museum Library Facebook page from the interview with Sabina Logisz. They best capture Sabina’s sense of humor, personality and sophistication. She summarized in one of them her life with a great anecdote. She will be remembered by many – as a beautiful lady, Madame Polonia. Toodle loo, Pani Sabino!
Ms. Sabina portrayed as a young girl by W. Krawiec, this painting was with her until the end – in her room in Nazarethville.
Ms. Sabina’s niece, Marge Kozak visited PMAL with donation and thank you letters after the funeral. We hope to stay in contact!
During the end of last year Library was visited by many authors, who presented us with their books. Krzysztof Zajas of Jagiellonian University in Cracow with his new book “Nieobecna kultura. Przypadek Inflant Polskich.” [Not existing culture, a case of Polish Inflanty]. Dr. Zajas always finds time to visit us while in Chicago.
Teresa Kaczorowska, our longtime friend and supporter with her new book “Maria Konopnicka i Ziemia Ciechanowska” [Maria Konopnicka and the Ciechanów Area], Ciechanów 2010. Mrs. Kaczorowska participated in the conference at Loyola University and was very happy to be able to be present at Sabina Logisz’s wake.
We were visited also by author Victoria Granacki while preparing her presentation for Loyola Conference, here accompaigned by Daniel Pogorzelski while doing microfilm research for the presentation.
Another Polish-American author and PMAL friend Anna Mycek-Wodecki, presented PMAL with 5 autographed copies of her children's book about Ignacy Jan Paderewski titled “Ignas, The Boy with the Colorful Head. Ignaś, chłopiec z kolorową głową". Book has a section about PMA’s Paderewski Room and is available at PMAL and PMA Gift Shop.
On 15 of November we had a very important meeting with Chicago Area Museum Librarians group hosted at the Shedd Aquarium. After 2 long years of hiatus we were able to exchange our crisis experiences and tactics.
We were very glad to be able to serve many scholars from various universities, who appreciate our library collections. Among them: Piotr Derengowski, of Gdansk University.
Ted Mulvey of Dominican University.
Rafal Kuklinski of Northern Illinois University.
Jason Schneider researching Polish Chicago for his doctoral dissertation at UIC.
Gregory Brecher of Northwestern University and Bart Mroczkowski of Northern Illinois University.
Our old-time friend Michal Zajac of University of Warsaw paid us a retrospective visit with great interest with future cooperation between our institutions.
Katarzyna Grochowska of University of Chicago who we met thanks to our helper from National Library of Warsaw, Mariola Nałęcz – checked our library collection with great tips for future plans of changing the system of the library, as well as cooperation with Poland, and visibility online. We hope to be able to meet more frequently and be helpful to each-other.
We had also a lot of guests from media and theatre world we are able to name few: Mary Jane Osa, American sociologist was interviewed by Narodowe Centrum Kultury in Paderewski Room.
PMAL was visited by Teatr Fantazja, Agencja Ars Verbum with president Jolanta Fijałkowska-Pilarczyk.
We were also visited by our local actors, helpers and volunteers: Barbara Kożuchowska and Stanisław Wojciech Malec who always feel at PMAL at home and are expressing their appreciation to our collection.
The bard of Solidarity and publisher of Forum Pomorskie Tolek (Antoni) Filipkowski and incognito Polish stars from television in Poland, a tour lead by Lucyna Migala called “Rising Stars”. We recognized a famous literature expert, Kazimiera Szczuka and we hope to be able to name the rest of rising stars in the future. We wish them all great careers and many returns to us!
Thanks to the cooperation with Archdiocese of Chicago we were able to tour a PMA with His Excellency Bishop John W. Yanta, who served in San Antonio and Amarillo, Texas.
Thanks to the cooperation with Consul General of The Republic of Poland Zygmunt Matynia, Minister Olgierd Dziekoński visited PMA. He has spent few minutes in the PMAL.
Polish Teachers Association with cooperation with Polish Consulate in Chicago organized in the PMA on October 17, 2010 a celebration of the Teacher’s Day combined with the orthographical exam titled Dyktando, 2010. All of the people gathered in the PMA were able to participate in the lecture by Katarzyna Kłosińska, who prepared the Dyktando, a guest specialist from Poland, linguist, author of many publications and programs in the Polish radio, also a member of the The Polish Language Council (Rada Języka Polskiego), the official language regulating organ of the Polish language. It was formed as a Commission of the Polish Academy of Sciences on the power of the law enacted by the Polish parliament ("Act on the Polish Language"). Dyktando was organized in the memory of Krystyna Bochenek, Vice-Marshall of the Polish Senate, who died in the Smoleńsk Catastrophy. She was a friend of the Polish Museum. Dyktando was organized by PMAL member and volunteer Alicja Nawara and Alicja Kuklińska. Among the participants were president of the Polish Teachers Association Ewa Koch, Consuls of the Republic of Poland: Aleksandra Krystek and Robert Rusiecki, vice-president of Polish National Alliance - Teresa N. Abick, vice-president of Polish Roman Catholic Union of America, and vice-president of PMA - Anna Sokołowska, president of PMA - Maria Cieśla and director of PMA - Jan Lorys. Among about 100 people who wrote dyktando there were six finalists in two categories: active teacher of the Polish School (1st prize Anna Rosa, 2nd Bernarda Redlińska, 3rd Jadwiga Pytlik) and Polish Language Admirer (1st prize Małgorzata Kot, 2nd Iwona Szczupak, 3rd Sebastian Rosiak). It is a great honor to be a part of the finalists group. Thanks to organizers for such a possibility and hard work!
Halina Czajkowska, Katarzyna Kłosińska, guest from Poland and Helena Ziółkowska, editors of Glos Nauczyciela (Teachers Voice) the top Polish-American publication caring for the purity of Polish language.
Dyktando 2010 organizers and guests: Jan Lorys, Alicja Nawara, Katarzyna Kłosińska, Helena Sołtys, Ewa Koch, Alicja Kuklińska, Sebastian Rosiak, Anna Rosa, Monika Janik.
On November 12-13, 2010 PMAL was involved in the first international conference Chopin & Paderewski 2010 organized by The Paderewski Association with cooperation of Loyola University Interdisciplinary Polish Studies. On Saturday November 13, I had a privilege of hosting a panel discussion titled: Paderewski at The Polish Museum of America. In the panel were: Dr. Teresa Kaczorowska, Halina Misterka and Dr. Geraldine Balut Coleman. Our cooperation with Bozena Nowicka McLees, Director of the Interdisciplinary Polish Studies in charge of Loyola conference was very fruitful. We were complimented by many attendees and learned a lot. I was a great experience to meet during the event and welcome to PMA Dr. Irena Poniatowska, Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, Dr. Anna Gasiennica-Byrcyn, Dr. Richard Dryer and Dr. Boguslaw Raba. We felt great to be able to listen to so many lectures, to participate in the conversations as well as power-point and movie presentations, poetry recitations. We will be able to use the new knowledge every day during work hours and we thank Dr. Izabela Roman, Bozena Nowicka McLees and Stan Bernacki for such an experience.
Halina Misterka, Geraldine Balut-Coleman, Teresa Kaczorowska, Bożena Nowicka McLees, Małgorzata Kot, Julita Siegel.
On Saturday, November 20 at 4:30 PM, there was a meeting with the Professor Anna D. Jaroszyńska – Kirchmann of Eastern Connecticut State University. She is the author of The Exile Mission – The Polish Political Diaspora and Polish-Americans 1939-1956. The book is the latest offering of the Ohio University Press’ Polish and Polish-American Studies Series. We learned that Professor Anna D. Jaroszyńska – Kirchmann started her research at PMA Library.
On Dec 17 we officially passed 1000 fans on PMAL Facebook page. The 1000th fan was Eric Jensen of Hamtramck, MI. He was sent an autographed copy of PMA Guide as well as a copy of Polish Past in America by Mieczyslaw Haiman. Now Library has 1,045 fans. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Polish-Museum-Library/80184772567?ref=ts
Please recommend us to your friends! Spread the word! It is hard to grasp the busy life of PMAL in one article and to talk about every research, project and gift donated to the Library. If you want to stay informed on the daily basis about our various functions, please become a fan of our Facebook page!
Jozef Zawadzki, alderman of Katowice Region visited PMA again, he brought gifts for a lot of people and arranged to have an afternoon of appreciation for Silesian group of friends combined with a tour of the new exhibition as well as a donation to the museum. Alderman, as promised donated a miner suit with ornamental cap and special lantern as well as multiple books and diplomas to the PMA. He remembered to say sincere words to his friends and recipients. Everybody felt appreciated.
We had the privilege of working for the third time with the specialists from National Library of Poland: Katarzyna Janczewska-Solomko, Jolanta Byczkowska-Sztaba and Mariola Nałęcz. Karolina Skalska we have met for the first time. It was a very fruitful cooperation, and the results of cataloging the musical collection of PMA are visible in the database http://mak.bn.org.pl/cgi-bin/makwww.exe?BM=40. Dear Ladies, thank you for your patience, help and understanding our needs, we are looking forward to meet with you again. We always stay in touch via e-mail and feel that you are a part of our library family!
Monika Kowzon, Jan Lorys, Halina Misterka, Krystyna Grell, Karolina Skalska, Katarzyna Janczewska-Solomko.
Jolanta Byczkowska-Sztaba and Mariola Nałęcz
PMAL had grand donation of books by Richard Lysakowski Trust, Dr Anita Sadoch Finie and Peter H. Finie, Wanda Pucci and Leslaw J. Niedzwiecki Estate, and smaller donations by Michael Zubrzycki, Wallace M. and Joann Ozog, Valerie Hunken, Liliana Rola-Podczaska, Roman Kokoszka (pictured), Andrzej Krzemiński, Teresa Buckner, Ellen Wierzewska, Halina Czajkowska, Irena Poniatowska, Stanislaw Bernacki, Maryla Jaworska and others.
The Polish American Librarians Association PALA members meet once a month at the Library in order to network and plan future projects. The mission of the PALA is to positively impact services provided to library patrons of Polish descent and individuals interested in Polish culture. Membership in PALA is open to librarians, students of library schools, library support staff, and others that support the vision of PALA. PALA Open House is Sunday, February 20, 2011 from 12-4 PM. PALA welcomes all new member involvement and hope to see you at our upcoming meetings! http://www.palalib.org/
Librarian Krystyna Grell actively promoted PMA membership during the International Student Festival 2010 in Niles, IL as well as during the Koledy concert of Lira Singers.
We are happy to inform that our long project securing transportation to Poland the personal documents and literary manuscripts of Maria and Tymoteusz Karpowicz purchased by the Municipality of Wroclaw from the Cook County Office of the Public Administrator in Chicago is finished. Krystyna Grell, PMAL librarian worked very hard on this project with Wroclaw representatives Jaroslaw Broda and Jolanta Zdziennicka-Traczyńska. Thanks to our cooperation archives of Karpowicz’s will be preserved and available to scholars and poetry lovers. We hope to be able to visit Wroclaw’s Karpowicz museum one day.
PMA and PRCUA workers while loading the custom-built case with Karpowicz’s archives.
We received a special donation from our volunteer Bernadetta Stasińska – hand-made cards and ornaments for the PMA Gift Sale. Ms. Bernadetta’s works are available at the gift-shop, library has also beautiful cards made by her for our special guests and members.
Our main friend from Michigan - Joann S. Ozog visited PMAL. Mrs. Ozog is happily recovering after her surgery and brought to us gifts for Christmas, thank you.
After many years of helping PMA – our “Guardian Angel” Alice Robaczewski retired. Her party was enriched with beautiful memories and heartfelt wishes. We hope that Alice will be with us from time to time and stay as our volunteer. All the best from all of us dear Alice!
Dear PMAL Friends, thank you for your support, come, browse, check-out books, become active. On April 18, PMAL will be 96! We have 4 years of very dedicated labor towards the 100th Anniversary of the Library. Change of the library system is approaching!
