Library is integral component of School of Ukrainian Studies
by Yuri Yanchyshyn
NEW YORK - This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the New York Ukrainian community's finest educational institutions, the School of Ukrainian Studies, which is sponsored by Self Reliance Association of Ukrainian Americans, New York branch.
Founded in 1949, it is the oldest functioning Ukrainian-language school organized by the post-World War II generation of Ukrainian immigrants in America. There are about 140 students currently enrolled in the Saturday school, which rents classroom and office space from St. George Academy, affiliated with St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in Manhattan.
An integral component of the Saturday school has been the school library, which began with a little over 100 books 50 years ago and currently holds approximately 2,000 volumes. As a concerned parent of two young pupils, I found that the library was being underutilized by the students. In 1997 I decided to wrestle with the challenge of get ting the children to read, so I volunteered to be the Saturday school's librarian. My primary goal was to increase the students' love of and enthusiasm for reading in the Ukrainian language.
The initial challenge faced was the constraint of the actual physical space for the Saturday school's library. The "library" room, about 10 feet by 30 feet in size, also served as the Saturday school principal's office and teachers' meeting room. The room was redesigned with the library function, previously a secondary consideration, now paramount. New shelving and additional reading tables were obtained and installed to best utilize the limited available space.
One of the biggest challenges that faces libraries in Ukrainian-language schools is that these institutions are open only four to five hours, one day per week. Students' time in the library must be sandwiched between academics and other cultural activities. The library's collection was reorganized by reading/grade level from pre-K through seventh grade. The remainder of the collection, for the eighth grade and above, was organized alphabetically by author, and recommended reading lists were developed for each of the upper grades. This method of organization permits students easy access to appropriate reading material with minimal intervention on the part of the librarian.
The second issue related to efficiently utilizing time in the library is that the handwritten card procedure used for the lend/return process is extremely time-consuming. The decision was made to computerize the collection, using bar coding to accelerate the lend/return process. A computer (iMac) was purchased, and plans are formulated to phase in the computerization over the next two years.
Much of the collection was in poor condition. With the generous assistance of numerous volunteers, repairs to damaged books were completed using archival quality materials. A non-circulating archive section of the library was created for appropriate storage of the collection's rare examples of Ukrainian children's literature, such as the play "Risdvyana Nich," published by the Prosvita Society in 1914, and a series of children's plays published in Lviv in the early 1920s. Materials in delicate condition are kept in the archive section as well.
Another challenge faced in the library was that there was no organized acquisition program in place. Therefore, much of the reading material was outdated. Many of the most currently published children's books from Ukraine were acquired for the collection, including several children's magazines, which have become some of the most popular items among the children. The reference section of the library also is being updated. Through an aggressive fund-raising campaign conducted by the Parents Committee of the school, additional monies were secured to implement an ongoing comprehensive acquisition and maintenance program. A paid librarian's position has also been added to the school's faculty.
Two other issues were dealt with. Rules and regulations for library use were developed and circulated among faculty, students and parents. Additional shelf space allowed the library to accept donations of private collections, notably the collection of Lydia Krushelnytsky.
The result of this volunteer effort has been a marked increase in the circulation of the library, in the timely return of borrowed materials and, most important, in improved attitudes toward reading in Ukrainian - particularly noticed in the younger grades. To gauge progress in the stated goal of encouraging reading, a twice-yearly statistical review of the activity of the library is published for individuals and for each class, based on the tracking of each student's book borrowing record. This became a valuable asset in developing awards for reading proficiency. During the 1998-1999 school year students borrowed 742 books from the library. It is worth noting that reading lists developed recently with school director Olha Kekish and history teacher Dr. George Gajecky for grades 8-9 and 10-12 have generated interest among teachers at the school and behond.
Marusia Petryshyn, head of the Ukrainian Language Education Center at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, has expressed an interest in making these lists available to Ukrainian teachers in Canada.
On October 2, the day of the school's 50th anniversary banquet and ball, the 50th Anniversary Committee sponsored the official opening of the "new" library. Visitors who wish to observe the library at work may do so on any Saturday morning in Room 307 at the school, 215 E. Sixth St., (at Shevchenko Place) New York.
Parent volunteers who helped with the library's renovation were: Slavko Konowalskyj, Serhij Hoshowsky, Natalia Hrabowsky, Ludmila Hrabowsky, Ludmila Petrushenko, Yuri and Irene Kobziar (design and furniture), Ivan Durbak, George Mycak, Roy and Oksana Andersen, Eugene Gouzi and Debbie Moore.
The work of Mr. and Mrs. Kobziar is especially commendable. They played a key role in the renovation process by helping with design work and installation, preparing new shelving units and making up custom furniture for the space.
Many other individuals made financial contributions or donated books and equipment to the library.
Former students or friends of the school who would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to expand the library's book collection may write a check to "Self Reliance Association Parents Committee" and mail it to: Oksana Chomut-Andersen, 66-46 Gray St., Middle Village, NY 11379.
Yuri Yanchyshyn is a volunteer school librarian at the School of Ukrainian Studies in New York and a member of the board of the school's Parents' Committee. This article was originally posted on "[email protected]," a forum for discussion on Ukrainian library matters.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, October 24, 1999, No. 43, Vol. LXVII
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