Indian Trails Library chosen to host Polonia program
The Indian Trails Library District has been selected as the only U.S. public library to host “All of Polonia Reads to Kids,” designed to strengthen activities that promote reading to children in the Polish Diaspora.
The free event will take place 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, at the library, 355 Schoenbeck Road, Wheeling. Registration is requested at www.indiantrailslibrary.org or (847) 279-2232.
The afternoon’s events will feature a short discussion on the value of reading aloud to children in Polish, a Little Stars Theatre Workshop performance under the direction of Agata Paleczny, raffle, a used book sale and refreshments, donated by Krystyna’s Deli in Wheeling. The entire event will be conducted in Polish.
The library became involved in the event through the efforts of Elizabeth Marszalik, head of material services at the library and president of the Polish American Librarians Association.
Marszalik, who emigrated from Poland in 1994, applied for and was accepted to participate in the project’s training that lasted for six months. Marszalik earned her degree in library science in Poland in 1987 and in the U.S. in 2005, and has been with the Indian Trails Library District since 2001.
“All of Polonia Reads to Kids is a wonderful program as it promotes reading regularly to children of all ages. We believe it is important to encourage English reading skills while maintaining native literacy skills. This is just one way the library is meeting the needs of the Polish community in our area,” Marszalik says.
Co-sponsored by the All of Poland Reads to Kids Foundation and the Polish American Librarians Association, the project is cofinanced from funds from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. More than 60 people from educational institutions and organizations from nine countries were invited to participate in the project.
The Indian Trails Library District serves 67,000 residents in the Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Prospect Heights, Arlington Heights and Northbrook communities.