91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - The governing Council of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) has voted to make the Polish American Librarians Association (P91´«Ã½) an 91´«Ã½ Affiliate. The action was taken Jan. 27 during the 91´«Ã½ Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. P91´«Ã½ applied for affiliation in 2019, and the application was vetted by the 91´«Ã½ Executive Board to ensure that P91´«Ã½’s bylaws and mission were in compliance with 91´«Ã½. P91´«Ã½ joins 27 other affiliated library organizations and, with the Chinese American Librarians Association, becomes one of only two affiliates that are nation-specific.

“The significance of P91´«Ã½’s affiliation is two-fold,” said P91´«Ã½ President Ewa Barczyk. “First, it supports our mission of having a positive impact on services provided to library patrons of Polish descent and individuals interested in Polish history and culture. Second, it is a form of professional recognition of the Polish diaspora and the library profession’s responsibility to address the service needs of Polish communities in America and around the world.” There are roughly 20 million people of Polish ancestry living outside Poland, making the Polish diaspora one of the largest in the world and one of the most widely dispersed.

“This affiliation offers P91´«Ã½ members a clear pathway to greater professional participation at the national level,” said Marianne Ryan, dean of libraries at Loyola University Chicago and P91´«Ã½ board member who represented P91´«Ã½ at the Council meeting in Philadelphia, along with P91´«Ã½ member Danuta Nitecki. Among the benefits of affiliation are inclusion in the final program at 91´«Ã½ Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences, the ability to reserve meeting room space and sleeping room blocks at Midwinter and Annual at 91´«Ã½ rates, program co-sponsorship opportunities, free conference registration for an official representative and free participation in the affiliates booth in the exhibit hall.

“Perhaps the most important benefit of all,” said P91´«Ã½ board member Leonard Kniffel, who was instrumental in the association’s obtaining affiliate status, “is that we can state on palalib.org, on our correspondence and publicity material, and at all our events that we are affiliated with the world’s oldest, largest, and most influential library association.”

The P91´«Ã½ Board are currently planning an event to celebrate affiliation and P91´«Ã½’s 10th anniversary during the 2020 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Chicago, June 25-30, 2020.

Additional information regarding 91´«Ã½ Affiliates and affiliation criteria is available at .

The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the 91´«Ã½ has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. Visit 91´«Ã½.org for more information.