Language defines us; it is through words that we comprehend our world and share our knowledge of it. The more languages exist, the more perspectives and nuances we have to understand our realities. Libraries and archives have been collecting, preserving, and sharing this knowledge with the public. 

In honor of this year’s International Mother Language Day, the Library will hold an Open House on Wednesday, February 5, 12-2 at the Lenox-Astor Room (no. 216) in the Stephen A. Schwarzman building showcasing the vast diversity of languages and cultures in the materials in our collections. The International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999. The United Nations describes languages as "the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop a fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance, and dialogue."

Three items from our rich Slavic and East European collections will be presented during the Open House. You are invited to come and see them and other items.

Vojta Beneš (1878–1951) was a Czech educator and political leader. He graduated from the Teaching Institute in Prague and worked in an elementary and later a secondary school. During 1911-1914 he worked at Czech expatriate schools in the USA and studied American school systems. He was also involved in attracting support for Czechoslovak independence from Austria.  He held various education posts in Czechoslovakia and was also a deputy to the National Assembly. He was a brother of Edvard Beneš, a politician and the President of Czechoslovakia.