:: April 28 2012 ::

Jan Karski to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Obama Announces Posthumous Honor at U.S. Holocaust Museum

President Barack Obama announced this week that he will award a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jan Karski. The surprise announcement came during a speech April 23 at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. In December last year, the Polish American Librarians Association endorsed the efforts of the Jan Karski U.S. Centennial Campaign to garner the honor. Read more >>

:: April 21 2012 ::

Tony & Janina’s American Wedding Documentary

Tony & Janina’s American Wedding Documentary to Be Screened at ALA in Anaheim.

Polish American Library Association members and supporters attending this year’s American Library Association Annual Conference in Anaheim, California, June 21-26, mark your calendar for the Saturday morning screening of the documentary film Tony & Janina’s American Wedding. The film will be shown as part of the ongoing "Now Showing @ ALA" film series that has become a popular feature of ALA conferences.

Tony & Janina’s American Wedding follows a Chicago Polish family through decades of red tape navigating the U.S. immigration system. Breaking out of negative media stereotypes, the film tells the human-rights story of post-9/11 America that every undocumented immigrant in the U.S. encounters today. Directed by Ruth Leitman and produced by Steve Dixon, the film became a powerful agent for reform and a national news story when the Wasilewski family was reunited in Chicago in August 2011. It has to be a rare thing when a documentary film actually helps reverse a deportation decision of United States immigration enforcement, but that is what the film appears to have done. The U.S. granted Janina Wasilewski a waiver that allowed her to return.

The film will be screened at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 23, in room 304C of the Anaheim Convention Center. Polish American Library Association members are encouraged to attend and to facilitate discussion of this important and topical film. The fact that the director chose to focus on a Polish and not a Latino family is no coincidence, and her choice helps the viewer understand how humane immigration policies are essential for all Americans.

Reviewing the film on his PolishSon.com website, ALA publisher and PALA member Leonard Kniffel noted that the film motivated him to write to President Obama and urge him to support the lifting of the visa requirement for Poles who wish to visit the United States. "It’s a powerful film," Kniffel says, "that shows how an ordinary family can be ripped apart by unreasonable bureaucratic insensitivity."

Information about registering for the ALA Annual Conference is available on the web. Need to make the case for attending the conference? Use these resources. Visit the film’s website for information about screening the documentary or purchasing a DVD for your library.

:: April 12 2012 ::

Polish Museum in Chicago Offers Books, Assorted Attic Items for Sale

Librarians in the Chicago area July 21-22 won’t want to miss the sale going on at the Polish Museum of America, where the offerings include a wide selection of books, paintings, pottery, and assorted art objects from the museum’s attic.

The Polish Museum of America Library is selling duplicate books in English and Polish on various Polish topics, as well as a variety of books on non-Polish subjects. "If you love books, this is the place to purchase them at discount prices," says Malgorzata Kot, head of the library and co-creator of the sale. "Give a book a home—maybe even in your library!"

"The funds raised by the sale will help finance necessary improvements to the 97-year-old library and ensure its continued functioning," says Kot. "The books and art items we sell consist primarily of donations that cannot be added to the museum’s collection. We care greatly about all our books and we want to find new homes for them."

Hours for the sale are: Saturday, July 21, 10 a.m.--4 p.m., and Sunday, July 22, 11 a.m.--3 p.m., in the Social Hall on the first floor--entrance from the free parking lot. For more information, visit the PMA website or call 773-384-3352 ext. 101.The museum is located at 984 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago.

Books not sold during the July 21-22 event will be available for purchase at discounted prices in the library through August 10, during regular work hours. The library is open Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friend the library on Facebook and print out a coupon to receive a gift at the sale!

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Headquartered in Chicago but with a nationwide membership, the group's objectives are: to enhance professional knowledge by developing discussion forums and networks of communication among library staff working with Polish collections and patrons of Polish origin; to promote understanding and respect among all cultures by expanding the means for accessing reliable, current information about Polish and Polish American culture; to promote Polish American librarianship; and to provide opportunities for cooperation with other library associations and related organizations.

Join us today , and please consider active participation in one of our committees: Financial, Membership and Recruitment, Publicity (PR), Programming, Library Collections, or Website Development

Annual membership dues for librarians are $25. Library support staff, students, retirees, and unemployed library workers are eligible for a $15 special rate.

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