This April 18 we celebrate our PMA Library which is 106 years in the making with a wealth of books that will leave you breathless.
It's 100,000+ volumes take the reader on an odyssey sailing across an unfathomable ocean of topics. They include 1000+ years of Polish and world history, Polish and world culture incl. music, architecture, fine arts, fine literature, philosophy, science, music, maps and many more areas of special interest to the Polish/American audience. Our PMA Library periodicals range from locally published in Chicago Polonia dailies and magazines to scientific and academic reviews from Poland like the Institute of National Remembrance Bulletin. A bit of history: the Library founded in 1913, opened in 1915. Famous Mieczyslaw Haiman became librarian in 1934 just when J. Kania (PRCUA President) started est. the Polish Museum. Haiman donated his own collection known today as the Polonica archives (over 4000 titles). During WWII the Library made maps available to the US govt and historical/geographical training to Polish descent US soldiers. It provided the FBI with info re Polonia's history and traditions. Rev. Donald Bilinski (librarian 1970-86) reorganized the cataloging system. Maria Karpowicz (librarian 1986-1993) cont'd his revolutionary work as did her successor Malgorzata Kot - current Managing Director and librarian during 1995-2014. We salute these pioneer PMA librarians: Krystyna Grell and Iwona Bozek our current Head Librarian! Since 1973 the Library is the seat of the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA). Come visit us online (PMA website) where you can watch videos on our priceless rare books collection which incl. such gems as Historiae Polonica by Jan Dlugosz (1455) and Jakub Bielski's Kronika Polska (1597). Imagine prayer books, religious, medical tracts, and weather reports hundreds of yrs old! Current/past Polish descent authors publishing in the USA can be found in the Polonica Americana Dept. And all this right here in Chicago! Happy Birthday to the amazing and unmatched worldwide PMA Library !
B. Czerkawski
PMA Library photos from the past
#pmalibrary #mieczyslawhaiman #donaldbilinski #iwonabozek #krystynagrell #polonicaamericana #polonicainenglish
