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Indian Prairie Library seeks Polish speaker for storytimes
Updated: September 17, 2012 11:37AM
DARIEN — The latest census proved what Indian Prairie Public Library staff already knew — that the area’s Spanish-speaking population is significant, and growing.
But it took a survey of library patrons to discover the library serves a number of Polish families, as well.
“We don’t know how big the population is,” Library Director Jamie Bukovac said. But a survey of parents who participate in the library’s storytimes indicated an interest in adding stories read in Polish to the library’s activities.
“Polish was the second-highest language that people had requested,” Youth Services Head Monica Dzierzbicki said.
Spanish storytimes already are held on Wednesday evenings and are conducted by a bilingual member of the library staff. But no one on the library staff speaks Polish. To help fill the needs of its patrons, the library seeks a Polish-speaking volunteer.
Dzierzbicki said the library would like to have a volunteer in place by the time the fall session begins Sept. 24. If that happens, the Spanish storytimes will alternate weekly with the Polish storytimes.
Polish/English storytimes would take place from 6:45-7:15 p.m. on Oct. 3, 17 and 31, and on Nov. 14. Three to four hours of preparation and planning is needed for each 45-minute storytime session.
The volunteer must be 18 years or older, must speak both Polish and English and must be comfortable performing in front of young children and their parents. Experience in a day care, preschool or kindergarten is a plus.
A volunteer application is available at the checkout desk in the library lobby, 401 Plainfield Road, Darien. For more information, call Assistant Director Laura Birmingham at (630) 887-8760 ext. 243.
Dzierzbicki said the library staff is excited to offer one more way to serve the community.
“It is all about them,” Dzierzbicki said.
Bukovac said many English-speaking families expose their children to Spanish by attending the library’s storytimes. With a Polish-speaking volunteer, parents could expose their children to yet another language.
“It’s one of the first ways we are recognizing that we do have this wonderful diversity of our population,” Bukovac said.
