{"id":323,"date":"2017-09-22T15:13:46","date_gmt":"2017-09-22T19:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/?p=323"},"modified":"2019-04-05T11:07:04","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T15:07:04","slug":"international-federation-of-libraries-association-meets-in-poland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/2017\/09\/22\/international-federation-of-libraries-association-meets-in-poland\/","title":{"rendered":"International Federation of Libraries Association meets in Poland"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Shelley Quezada, Consultant to the Underserved at the MBLC<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dateline:\u00a0 Wroclaw, Poland.\u00a0\u00a0 The historic city on the banks of the Oder (Odra) river crisscrossed by 120 bridges has served as home to people from Lithuania, Germany, and Austria for many centuries. \u00a0After World War II, Wroclaw was designated to be part of Poland.\u00a0 \u00a0This past August the city served as site for the International Federation of Library Associations and Affiliates (IFLA<\/a>) World Conference.\u00a0 \u00a0Approximately 3000 librarians came to Wroclaw to share, deliberate and affirm the important role of libraries as a cornerstone of democracies around the world.\u00a0 \u00a0IFLA is currently crafting a World Vision for library service<\/a>\u00a0 and is actively seeking input from librarians around the world.<\/p>\n

Among the largest delegation were approximately 338 librarians from the United States including the recently formed Polish American Librarians Association <\/a>\u00a0whose president, former long-time American Libraries<\/em><\/strong><\/a> editor Leonard Kimmel is one of its most famous sons.\u00a0\u00a0 Representation among Polish librarians was substantial, many of whom served as amazing volunteers and hosts for the week- long conference and provided multiple occasions to tour the country\u2019s substantial libraries.<\/p>\n

Among the many highlights of the IFLA conference was an opening ceremony that featured aerial performances with amazing acrobats (think Cirque du Soleil) and a cultural night that overwhelmed participants with a sound and light show held on the grounds of Centennial Hall<\/a>, a hundred year old engineering marvel that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site last year.\u00a0 In addition to opportunities to work on global initiatives, many conference goers were afforded the chance to visit historic universities and archives in the cities of Cracow and Warsaw.<\/p>\n

Among the most charming new libraries in Poland is the recently opened library in the city\u2019s main train station, the Wroc\u0142aw G\u0142\u00f3wny<\/a>. From outside the station the invitation to the \u201cBiblioteka\u201d<\/strong> is clearly visible.<\/p>\n

Inside on the platform where thousands of people pass every day, an enormous arch of books directs the traveler towards the upper floor where the city\u2019s newest branch library recently opened its doors.<\/p>\n

The giant clock over the Reference and Circulation area reminiscent of the modern children\u2019s classic \u00a0\u00a0<\/em>The Invention of Hugo Cabret<\/em><\/strong><\/a> \u00a0<\/em>reminds commuters that books are great companions at any time to read, ride and return.<\/p>\n

The modern library boasts an array of computer terminals, an art gallery, collections for browsing and comfortable furniture that welcomes parents and their children.<\/p>\n

Even as we professional librarians immerse ourselves daily in the work of libraries, the Wroc\u0142aw G\u0142\u00f3wny <\/strong>like so many others in Poland reminds us of the importance of libraries to people around the world.\u00a0 Poland\u2019s libraries are a testament to the city\u2019s strong commitment\u00a0 to its communities\u00a0 making\u00a0 books and access to information\u00a0 accessible to readers of all backgrounds and interests wherever they may find themselves- even in a train station. The library’s website is www.biblioteka.wroc.pl<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Shelley Quezada, Consultant to the Underserved at the MBLC Dateline:\u00a0 Wroclaw, Poland.\u00a0\u00a0 The historic city on the banks of the Oder (Odra) river crisscrossed by 120 bridges has served as home to people from Lithuania, Germany, and Austria for many centuries. \u00a0After World War II, Wroclaw was designated to be part of Poland.\u00a0 \u00a0This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conferences-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":330,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323\/revisions\/330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/mblc_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}