American Corner
U.S. Embassy Opens "American Corner" in Zadar: First in a Croatian Coastal City
June 10, 2005
Zagreb, Croatia, June 10, 2005 - U.S. Ambassador Ralph Frank will visit Zadar on Monday, June 13, to open an "American Corner". This will be the first American Corner in a Croatian coastal city, and the second American Corner in Croatia. Ambassador Frank will be joined by Ms. Ana Lovrin, Mayor of the City of Zadar, Mr. Ivo Grbic, Zupan, and Mr. Ivan Pehar, Director of the City Library of Zadar. The American Corner is located in the City Library (Ulica Stjepana Radica 11 b). The opening ceremony will start at 3:00 PM.
The American Corner provides a multi-disciplinary opportunity to learn about the United States. It is composed of a core collection of 900 books, videos, and DVDs about many facets of American life, history, and society. American literature, biographies, and key reference material are included. Supporting equipment includes a television, DVD player, and VCR, along with a computer with Internet connection for research on U.S. subjects. American magazines will soon be available, and more books will be added in the future. The American Corner also will be used as a forum for presentations by American specialists visiting Croatia.
The U.S. Embassy plans to open eight American Corners in Croatia within the next three years. The first American Corner in Croatia opened in Osijek on May 20. Books, materials, and equipment for each Corner costs $50,000. The host library, in this case the City Library of Zadar, provides space, shelving, utilities, Internet connection, and a staff member to act as the coordinator of the Corner.
The American Embassy greatly appreciates the opportunity to engage in what promises to be a mutually beneficial partnership with these libraries and the communities they serve. The American Corner is open to the public.