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Researching the Holocaust and Genocide Studies

 

This is guide is meant to assist you with your research, please feel free to contact and

meet with a librarian at any time!

Getting Started with Reference Books

Holocaust Studies
Genocide Studies

Searching the catalog with keywords or subject headings

Databases and Indexes

Web Sites

Reference Books

When beginning a search on a topic with which you are unfamiliar it is helpful to start out with a good reference book that can give you an overview, introduce you to some of the important dates and events, people involved, scholars in the field, and useful secondary sources. A reference librarian can assist you with finding good reference material and you can also find reference books through a search in the library catalog. For instance, do a word search and limit it to location=reference:

 

Annotated Selection of reference books that provide background and additional sources for studying the Holocaust.

 

Bibliography On Holocaust Literature (1986), Supplement (1990)
Ref Z6374. H6 E33 1986

First edition has 9,014 bibliographic entries organized by topics of interest (i.e., Jewish Life in Prewar Europe and The Free World Reaction), which are divided into further subcategories. Works listed are available in English and some citations are annotated.The Supplement is arranged in a similar fashion and includes new and newly catalogued items and Holocaust fiction. It has 5,637 citations.

 

 

Dictionary of the Holocaust (1997)
Ref D804.25 .E67 1997

".... In 2,000 entries, it profiles major personalities, covers concentration and death camps, cities and countries, and significant events. Also included are important terms translated from German, French, Polish, Yiddish, and twelve other languages. Biographical entries give a brief history, the person's significance, and their historical context. Geographical entries pinpoint exact locations using other cities or countries as landmarks, and give the number of Jewish inhabitants before Nazi occupation, and the percentage of Jews killed. Historical background is provided for such events as Kristallnacht and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and entries on concentration and death camps give details on the nationalities interned, each camp's specific location, and its history."--BOOK JACKET

 

Dictionary of Antisemitism from the Earliest Times to the Present

2nd Floor DS145 .M465 2007

This dictionary covers three thousand years of antisemitism. "A comprehensive introduction discusses the definitions, causes, and varieties of antisemitism, and the dictionary contains 2,500 entries ranging from Aaron of Lincoln to Zyklon. Entries can found on all forms of antisemitism, such as ancient, medieval, and modern; pagan, Christian, and Muslim; and religious, economic, psychosocial, racial, cultural, and political."--BOOK JACKET

 

The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (1990)
Ref D804.3 .E53 1990 v.1-4

Contains nearly 1000 entries about various aspects of the Holocaust, including its beginnings and aftermath. Entries vary in length from one paragraph to several pages and cover categories such as biography, geography, political organizations and more. Includes photographs.

 

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust (2001)
Ref DS 135 .E8 E45 2001 v.1-3

Gives a historical explanation of a few lines or pages in length about 6,500 different Jewish communities throughout history and the world. More detail given to articles that relate to the period between the two world wars and the Holocaust itself. Includes photographs.

 

Encyclopedia of War Crimes & Genocide (2006)

Ref HV 6322.7 H67 2006

This reference work is international in scope and covers crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, and human rights violations. In the introduction it states, "...a great many entries are concerned with what is known as international humanitarian law, or IHL, dealing with the rules and conduct of war and civilians under occupation." The encyclopedia covers present day situations in Iraq, Palestine, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Haiti.

 

History of the Holocaust: A Handbook and Dictionary (1994)
Ref D804.3 .E33 1994

"This two-part volume combines an accessible overview of contemporary Jewish history with a unique dictionary of Holocaust terms. In addition to assessing the Holocaust specifically, Part 1 of the book discusses the history of European Jewry, antisemitism, the rise and fall of Nazism and fascism, World War II, and the postwar implications of the Holocaust. The authors also consider key historiographical and methodological issues related to the Holocaust."--BOOK JACKET. "Part 2 provides a complete dictionary of terms relating to the Holocaust culled from dozens of primary and secondary sources in a range of languages. Included here is a comprehensive set of tables on Aktionen, Aliya Bet, anti-Jewish legislation, antisemitic organizations, collaboration, concentration camps, fascism, the Third Reich, the Nazi Party, Jewish and nonsectarian organizations, publications, Judenrate, and resistance movements. Each table is prefaced by a descriptive overview of pertinent issues."--BOOK JACKET

 

The Holocaust Encyclopedia (2001)
Ref D804.25 .H66x 2001

A collection of explanatory articles, each varying in length from one paragraph to several pages, covering various terms related to the Holocaust, its origins and after affects. Has many archival photographs.

 

Holocaust Literature: An Encyclopedia of Writers and Their Work (2003)
Ref PN56 .H55 H66 2003 v.1-2

Two volumes of bio-critical essays on over 300 writers of fiction and non-fiction (including dramatists, memoirists, philosophers, etc.) from many countries. Includes eight appendices on such topics as Ghettos Noted in Literature, Language of Composition, and Historic Events.

 

Holocaust Novelists (2004)
Ref PS21 .D5x v.299

Contains biographies and bibliographies of 51 Holocaust novelists. It also includes three appendices: The Holocaust “ Historical Novel,” The “Second Generation,” and Postmodern Holocaust Fiction.

 

The Holocaust and World War II Almanac (2001)
Ref D804.17 .H65 2001 v.1-3

A three volume set of critical essays, primary documents, photographs, and biographical sketches chronicling the beginnings of WWII and the Holocaust. Volume Two is specifically concerned with the Holocaust.

 

Kalendarium wydarzeń w Obozie Koncentracyjnym Auschwitz-Birkenau, 1939-1945. English (Auschwitz Chronicle 1939-1945) (1989)
Ref D805 .P7 C8713 1989

Gives a day-by-day chronological account of events at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camps. Appendices include a bibliography, glossary of terms and brief biographies of soldiers and commanders. Includes diagrams and photographs.

 

Nazi-Deutch/Nazi-German: An English Lexicon of the Language of the Third Reich (2002)
Ref PF3680 .M48 2002

"Clear, concise, expert definitions are supported with background information. Using up-to-date research, the book provides single-volume access to a specialized, charged vocabulary, including the terminology of Nazi ideology, propaganda slogans, military terms, ranks and offices, abbreviations and acronyms, euphemisms and code names, Germanized words, slang, chauvinistic and anti-Semitic vocabulary, and racist and sexist slurs. It is an important reference work for English- and German-speaking scholars, students, and teachers of the interwar years, the Nazi era, World War II, and the Holocaust."--BOOK JACKET

 

The Oryx Holocaust Sourcebook (2002)
Ref D304.3 .F474x 2002

An extensive bibliography of currently available resources directly concerning the Holocaust, including, but not limited to, primary sources, audiovisual resources and organizations.

 

Reference Guide to Holocaust Literature (2002)
Ref PN56 .H55 R43 2002

Contains biographical data, bibliographies, and critical essays for 223 writers and 307 works written during or after the Holocaust. Many nationalities and genres represented

 

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Annotated selection of reference works that address the broader topic of genocide :

Encyclopedia of Genocide (1999)
Ref HV6322.7 .E53 1999

More than 200 entries in a two volume set covering many different genocides including those of aboriginal and native peoples. Includes two major sections on both the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. Also covers major aspects of genocide, such as, though not limited to the psychology behind genocide, humanitarian inverventions and genocide denial. Includes photographs, charts, graphs, and personal accounts from survivors.

This three volume set features individaul articles on different aspects of genocide and on different genocides followed by extensive bibliographies. Includes such article titles as The History and Sociology of Genocidal Killings; The Cambodian Genocide; Educating about Genocide: Curricula and Inservice Training; and The Literature, Art, and Film of the Holocaust.

Encyclopedia of Rape (2004)
Ref HV6558 .E53 2004

"Rape is a topic of perpetual relevance and remains deeply controversial, as it involves the sexual act. Although women are the primary targets of rape and thus the focus of discussion of it, the rape of men, children, and animals is also considered in the encyclopedia. Up to date, it contains insight on the manifestations of rape today, including as a tool of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and genocide in Rwanda, the Catholic Church priest scandals, and drug-facilitated date rape. Added value comes from an abundance of statistics, suggested reading for further research per entry, chronology, resource guide, and appendix listing entries by topic."--BOOK JACKET

"This book focuses on 38 ethnic conflicts. Each surveyed conflict is presented with a timeline and an extensive essay that covers the conflict's details, historical background, management, and significance. Sources for further reading are also provided. This book is the perfect starting point for students and general readers seeking information about the complex and often violent forces that have changed - and continue to change - the world's political landscape."--BOOK JACKET

Using the Library Catalog:

When you are looking for books, web sites, audio/visuals or other material, it is best to start out with a combination of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Key Words (or Words). For a brief introduction to using subject headings and key words please see our instruction guide on this topic.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Subject headings are the controlled vocabulary, or the terms assigned by librarians, to each book. You can count on particular words or phrases to be used in the catalog because of this assigned terminology. Please ask a reference librarian for further assistance in choosing these terms. Although what we've listed below are the Library of Congress "controlled vocabulary" you may type in any phrase or combination of words in a Word search. For example, "ethnic cleansing" is not used as an official subject heading, "Forced migration," "Population transfer," and "Genocide" are used insteady. But many books have "ethnic cleansing" in the title of the book or in chapter headings so a word search will still bring you results.

Try narrowing the subject heading "Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)" with specific topical or geographical terms as in these examples:

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in art
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in literature
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), Influence
Hlocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Press coverage
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Psychological aspects
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Fiction
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Poland


Here are examples of narrower searches:

Holocaust memorials
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Poland -- Biography


Common Subject examples:

Holocaust and Jewish law
National Socialism
National Socialism and youth
National Socialism and motion pictures
Nazis -- Germany -- Biography
Nazis--Germany--Psychology
Antisemitism
Antisemitism--History
Antisemitism--Soveity Union--History--20th Century

World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939 1945--Atrocities
World War, 1939 1945--Biography
World War, 1939 1945--Jews
World War, 1939 1945--Children
World War, 1939 1945--Religious aspects
World War, 1939-1945 -- Deportations from Italy
World War, 1939-1945 -- Jewish resistance -- Hungary

Gypsies--Nazi persecution
Jewish Christians--Nazi persecution
Romanies--Nazi persecution
Jehovah’s Witnesses--Nazi persecution

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Personal narratives
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Germany -- Personal narratives
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Germany -- Berlin -- Personal narratives

Holocaust survivors
Holocaust survivors -- Poland
Holocaust survivors--Poland--Biography

Jews -- Poland -- History -- 20th century
Jews -- Romania -- History -- 20th century
Jews -- Hungary -- History

Sometimes, searching for a topic using subject headings yields few or no results. When this occurs, try a word search, truncate your terms, and think of synomns. For instance, Nazi, National Socialism, Germany, World War, holocaust; gyps*, Romany, Romanies, travelers; lesbian*, homosexual*, gay and so on.

Your search:

Results:

 

_____

Subject terms go together to make a more specific search. For instance the subject heading "concentration camps" can be subdivided by topic or location:

You can also search by the names of the individual concentration camps, for example:

Pustków (Poland : Concentration camp)
Szebnia (Poland : Concentration camp)
Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
Jawischowitz (Concentration camp)
Buchenwald (Concentration camp)
Dora (Concentration camp)
Krawinkel (Germany : Concentration camp)
Bergen-Belsen (Concentration camp)
Majdanek (Concentration camp)


These are examples of subject headings that may not be entirely intuitive because they are so specific. Some examples include:

Refugees, Jewish
Anti-Nazi movement
Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust
Jewish children in the Holocaust
Hidden children (Holocaust)
Kindertransports (Rescue operations)
Human experimentation in medicine
Eugenics--Germany--History
Communists--Germany
Europe History--20th--Century
Children of Holocaust survivors--Germany
Jewish women in the Holocaust
Nuremberg War Crime Trials, Nuremberg, Germany, 1946-1949

More Examples of Subject Headings for both the Holocaust and Genocide

More examples of search terms for both the Holocaust and genocide

Concentration camps

History -- Jews--Germany--1933-1945

 

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Suggested Databases and Indexes Available Through the Grinnell College Libraries

These databases and indexes contain records and articles about the Holocaust and/or genocide.

This listing is not exhaustive, however. Burling subscribes to many more databases that you may also

find useful. For a complete list of available databases and indexes, go here or talk with a reference librarian.  

Discipline or Geography Specific

Current Events

General

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

Genocide, general

Electronic Collections Online, Africa Bibliography (Print/Online), Directory of Open Access Journals (Online)

Emphasis on Holocaust

ATLA Religion Index (Online), Kistle Slide Library Collection (Online), Philosopher’s Index (Online/Print), PsycARTICLES (Online), RILM Abstracts of Musical Literature (Online), Government Publications Office (Online)

Both

Academic LexisNexis (Online), Academic Search Premier (Online), Alternative Press Index (Print/Online), America : History and Life (Print/Online), America ’s News Magazines (Online), America ’s Newspapers (Online), Historical Abstracts (Print/Online), Humanities Abstracts (Online), PAIS Archive/PAIS International (Online), Periodicals Contents Index (PCI) (Online), Transitions Online (TOL), WorldCat (Online), Access World News (Online), New York Times and Index (Print/Online), CSA Political Science and Government (Print/Online), Contemporary Women’s Issues (CWI)(Online), Ethnic NewsWatch (Online), FactSearch (Online), FindArticles (Online), Index to the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) (CD, no longer updated), GenderWatch (Online), Global Newsbank, JSTOR (Online), MasterFILE Premier (Online), National Geographic Magazine (Print Index), Studies on Women and Gender (Print/Online), WorldCat (Online)

A note on sorting: Most of the databases listed return hits on searches of“"genocide"” or “"holocaust"” as a subject or keyword. A database is sorted into the column Emphasis on Holocaust or Genocide, or General if there is a large difference in the number of hits returned. Try any of the combinations of terms listed above in the section on subject searching.

 

 

Holocaust Web Sites

This is a listing of web sites related to the Holocaust. They include sites run by organizations, museums and other research or education centers and differ widely in content and focus.

 

Visit Prevent Genocide International

(http://www.preventgenocide.org/law/convention/text.htm) for information on the United Nations' Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide. Article II contains the U.N.'s definition of genocide.

Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

 

To investigate the Web sites below, click the link or copy and paste the address into your web browser. Don't be deterred by web sites that appear to be in a foreign language you don't know; most sites are multi-lingual.

General Sites on the Holocaust and Genocide:

Holocaust Cybrary at Remember.org http://www.remember.org
The History Place: World War II http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2

The Holocaust: A Tragic Legacy http://library.advanced.org/12663

Holocaust/Shoah http://www.igc.apc.org/ddickerson/holocaust.html

Judaism and Jewish Resources http://shamash.org/trb/judaism.html
Links to sites on the Holocaust as well as other topics related to the study of Judaism.

Museum of Tolerance Online http://motlc.wiesenthal.com
Part of the Simon Wiesenthal Center

A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust

The Legacy Project http://www.legacy-project.org/
The Legacy Project's goal is to build a global exchange on the enduring consequences of the many historical tragedies of the 20th century.Go to the Legacy Project Events Index for a compendium on all the materials at the Legacy Project Web site. http://www.legacy-project.org/index.php?page=events

Web Sites Devoted to Specific Topics:

German Propaganda Archive, Calvin College http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/

Hate Watch http://www.hatewatch.org
Southern Poverty Law Center

Holocaust: Non-Jewish Victims of the Shoah http://www.holocaustforgotten.com

The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/imt.htm
The Nuremberg War Crimes Trials

To Save a Life: Stories of Jewish Rescue http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~rescuers/

Women and the Holocaust: A Cyberspace of Their Own http://www3.sympatico.ca/mighty1/home.html

Organizations, Museums and Memorials

United States and Canada:

Ghetto Fighers' Museum http://gfh.org.il/eng

Holocaust Site at the Anti-Defamation League http://www.adl.org/main_Holocaust/default.htm
Includes links to the ADL's Braun Holocaust Institute

CANDLES Holocaust Museum http://www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org/frmain01_04.htm
Candles Holocaust Museum is dedicated to the Mengele twins who survived the horrible experiments of Dr. Mengele.

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies http://www.chgs.umn.edu
University of Minnesota

The Florida Holocaust Museum http://www.flholocaustmuseum.org/

Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies

The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre http://www.mhmc.ca

Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust http://www.mjhnyc.org

Simon Wiesenthal Center http://www.wiesenthal.com
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action.

Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation http://www.vhf.org

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum http://www.ushmm.org

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research http://www.yivoinstitute.org/
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the history and culture of Ashkenazi Jewry and to its influence in the Americas.

Germany:

Dokumentations-und Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sinti und Roma (Center for Documentation and Culture of German Sinti and Roma) http://www.sintiundroma.de/index/

Gedenkstaette Buchenwald (Memorial) http://www.buchenwald.de

Gedenkstaette Dachau (Memorial) http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/

Gedenkstaette Deutscher Widerstand (Memorial to the German Resistance) http://www.gdw-berlin.de/

Gedenkstaette Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz (Memorial of the House of the Wannsee Conference) http://www.ghwk.de/engl/kopfengl.htm

Gedenkstaette Ploetzensee (German Resistance Memorial Center) http://www.gedenkstaette-ploetzensee.de/

Die Berliner Seiten von haGalil online (The Jewish Site of Berlin) http://www.hagalil.com/brd/berlin/museum.htm

Jüdisches Museum Frankfurt (Jewish Museum of Frankfurt) http://www.juedischesmuseum.de

Jüdische Museum Westfalen (Dorsten) (Jewish Museum of Westphalia)
http://www.jmw-dorsten.de/index.php?action=home

KZ-Gedenkstaette Mittelbau-Dora (Memorial) http://www.dora.de/media_en/index.html

KZ-Gedenkstaette Flossenbuerg (Memorial) http://www.gedenkstaette-flossenbuerg.de/

Stiftung Topographie des Terrors (Topography of Terror Foundation) http://www.topographie.de/en/index.htm
The mission of the Topography of Terror Foundation is to provide historical information about National Socialism and its crimes as well as to stimulate active confrontation with this history and its impact since 1945.

Poland:

State Museum at Majdanek http://www.majdanek.pl/en/

National Stutthof Museum http://www.stutthof.pl/en/main.htm

Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum http://www.auschwitz-muzeum.oswiecim.pl/

Other European Countries:

Mauthausen Memorial (Memorial/Concentration Camp) http://www.mauthausen-memorial.at/

Department of the Holocaust at the Jewish Museum of Prague http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/aservices.htm#0

The Jewish Museum of Hohenems http://jm-hohenems.at/index.php?id=1&lang=1

Mechelen Museum of Deportation and Resistance http://www.cicb.be/

Terezin Memorial http://www.pamatnik-terezin.cz/showdoc.do?docid=164

The Wiener Library http://www.wienerlibrary.co.uk/
The Wiener Library is the world's oldest Holocaust memorial institution, tracing its history back to 1933.

Israel:

Beit Teresienstadt http://www.bterezin.org.il

Yad Vashem http://www.yadvashem.org
Since its inception, Yad Vashem has been entrusted with documenting the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust period, preserving the memory and story of each of the six million victims, and imparting the legacy of the Holocaust for generations to come through its archives, library, school, museums and recognition of the Righteous Among the Nations.

 

Prepared by Lindsey O'Brien '06 and Rebecca Stuhr, Grinnell College Libraries, 2006. Updated November, 2007.

 
 
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