There is a grave at the cemetery in Tarnobrzeg. It's on the left, near the main path running in direction of the cross. It's gray and not very big. There is it polished and hardly seen, because of age, inscription: "S+P, Dr Michal Marczak, * 20.IX.1886 + 18.XI.1945. He attended to God, Polish culture an to this district. Peace to his memory. He asks for prayer." The memory that doesn't allow the people of culture to pass the grave indifferently is occasional but retentive. The memory should be passed to next generations. A.F. Baran's reading titled "A Librarian from Dzików" is such a request.

Michal Marczak was born on 20.IX.1886 in Grywald near Kroscienko, the province of Nowy Targ. He died on 18.XI.1945 in Tarnobrzeg-Dzików. In 1913 he graduated from UJ [Jagiellonian University] with a degree of a Doctor of Philosophy on the basis of the work titled: "Tarnobrzeg in Austrian government". In 1913-1929 he was an archivist and a librarian of Tarnowscy in Dzików. He catalogued the library of thirty thousand volumes. Unfortunately, it wasn't without the reverse of fortune. In 1926 he finished the work on the alphabetical catalogues but at night, 21-22 December 1927, the Dzików Castle burnt down. During the absence of the owners, M. Marczak controlled the rescue operation of the collection. About six percent of the old printed material and seventy five percent of the new ones and all manuscripts were rescued. The work of the librarian burnt down.

M. Marczak was a social worker, a journalist, a historian and an ethnographer too. He published his papers in the local papers: "Obywatel" ["A Citizen"], "Glos Ziemi Tarnobrzeskiej" ["The Tarnobrzeg's Land Voice"] and "Wiesci Nadwislanskie" ["The information on the Wisla river"]. He also published his papers in the national papers: "Czas" ["The Time"], "Glos Narodu" ["The Voice of People"], "Przewodnik Bibliograficzny" ["The Bibliography Guide"], "Pamietnik Swietorzyski" ["The Swietokrzyski Diary"] and "Archeion". In 1921-1929 the most important papers of M. Marczak were mainly devoted to Tarnobrzeg. They were: "Biblioteka Tarnowskich w Dzikowie" (Kraków, 1921), "Genealogia Slepowronow Rybczynskich z Wielowsi" (Tarnobrzeg, 1922), "Drukarnie i druki tarnobrzeskie 1900-1924" (Lwów, 1925), "Hetman Jan Tarnowski" (Tarnobrzeg, 1926), "Zabytek dawnego szkolnictwa parafialnego w Miechocinie" (Kraków, 1926), "Obecny powiat tarnobrzeski w swietle metryk parafialnych z XVII i XVIII wieku" (Tarnobrzeg, 1928) and "Pozostalosci dawnej kultury ludowej na tle dzisiejszej w powiecie tarnobrzeskim i w okolicy Koprzywnicy" (Tarnobrzeg, 1929). In 1925-1938 M. Marczak studied the ethnography and the customs of Podhale. In "Gazeta Podhalanska" (1925-1935) and then in "Gazeta Podhala" (1936-1938) he published 54 articles on that subject.

In 1925-29 he was a teacher of History at Jan Hetman Tarnowski State Grammar School in Tarnobrzeg. Until the year 1930 he was "the full member" of the School Section in Tarnobrzeg, the executive organ of The School Superintendent's Office Lwów. In 1930 he left Dzikow together with his family. He became the head of extra school in Brzesc on the Bug, and the inspector of Polesie. Then, in 1935-39 he worked as a head of education for adults in the Ministry of Religion and Public Enlightenment in Warsaw. He took care of the Library of Sightseeing Company in Warsaw. He was a member of the publishing, committee Polskie Towarzystwo Krajoznawcze [The Touring Polish Society], that had "Slownik Geograficzny Panstwa Polskiego" [The Geographic Dictionary of Polish Country] and "Ziemia" [The Globe] under its care. Until 1939 he published "Ilustrowany Przewodnik po Pieninach i Szczawnicy" (Kraków, 1927), "Przewodnik po Polesiu" (Brzesc on the Bug, 1935), "Dzieje pastuszka" (Nowy Targ, 1938) and "Zbiory archiwalne Hr. Tarnowskich w Dzikowie" (Warsaw, 1939).

Dr M. Marczak stayed in Warsaw during the occupation. He worked until the PTK library was closed. Then, he worked as a teacher of Polish at school in Wilanów and a teacher of clandestine teaching. In 1939-44 he took care of the hidden collection of books of Tarnowscy in Dzików. In July 1944, when he came to Dzików, he learnt about the Russian offensive and about the outbreak of Warsaw Uprising. Marczak's family stayed in Warsaw until the Uprising was over. His son and daughter joined AK[National Army].

In 1944-45 the Government decided to nationalize the collection. The new authorities of the Starostwo made M. Marczak the custodian of the library, the archives and the museum collection. When the AK forces were in Dzików and the patriots were persecuted M. Marczak talked to the military and administrative authorities to try to save the collection that was gathered there (He wrote: "Memorial do wladz panstwowych"). In the work he stigmatized the contempt of "allied army" for cultural values collected in Dzików and neighborhood. He died safeguarding the treasures of Polish and European culture.

It's 51 years since dr M. Marczak died. In Autumn, last year one of the descendants of the famous family Jan Tarnowski unveiled in front of the school library in Dzików commemorating plate made of white marble. The artist wrote the following words on the commemorating plate: "For Dr Michal Marczak (1886-1945) the greatest form master of young people and the hero of Dzików collection the inhabitants of Tarnobrzeg for 50th death anniversary 18 November 1995". Last year was the 50th anniversary of M. Marczak death. September 1996 marked 110 years since this gentle person was born.

His work brave and full of sacrifice enabled most of the collection to remain and now it's in the national collection of UJ [Jagiellonian University] Library and in the National Archives in Wawel. The old M. Marczak's works may be used for cataloging the present Dzików collection that is scattered in Poland and abroad. Since the time Artur Tarnowski wrote the article titled "Prawda o zbiorach dzikowskich" ("Kultura", 5/1959, Paryz), nobody to this day undertook cataloging the collection.