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DESCRIPTION:
Alliance College, founded by the PNA in 1912 to provide opportunities for
Americans of Polish descent to learn about the mother
country, its culture, history, and language.
The collection contains a number of noteworthy items and sub- collections.
Included, for example, are complete runs on microfilm of
Tygodnik illustrowany (Warsaw, 1859-1939), Zycie (Cracow, 1897-1900) and
Zycie (Warsaw, 1887- 1891). It also contains a
significant percentage of world Polonian publishing output from the
nineteenth century to 1985, including books, newspapers and other
serials, pamphlets, and ephemera. A 176-volume collection of clippings
from U.S. Polonia publications gathered by Pawel Widera
represents a unique resource on the subjects of Polonia in general,
Polonian organizations, and Polish affairs affecting Polonia. (Pitt
continues to collect Polonica actively.) The reference collection is also
well-developed, including not only such essential standard
works as Karol Jozef Teofil Estreicher's Bibliografia polska, but also
less commonly held works, e.g., Samuel Orgelbrand's
Encyklopedja powszechna, third edition (1898-1912). They are still in the
process of cataloging some of this material.
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