A two-part presentation by Zvi Bernhardt.
1. Yad Vashem Reference and Information Services: On Integrating “Corporate Cutlures” in a Reference Setting
Ten years ago, Yad Vashem combined the reference service units of its library, archive, photo archive, and Hall of Names. This decision stemmed from its commitment to consumer based reference service and a belief that in the digital era, library and archive service are converging. The presentation describes the difficulties in combining the “Corporate Cultures” of the various departments, including the resistance of some staff and administration to the change. It describes the mode of work of the staff and how its self-perception has evolved to mesh more closely with the needs of the public.
2. Yad Vashem Online and Offline
The Yad Vashem Internet presence now includes a wealth of resources, including the Database of Shoah Victims’ Names, photo archive, library catalog, Shoah Resource Center, most of the scholarly articles published by Yad Vashem, and dozens of stories of Righteous among the Nations. Many of the online databases use special thesauri developed in Yad Vashem that allow a user to search any version of a place or personal name and get the same results, even if the names have no phonetic connection (for exampe: Pressburg and Bratislava). In addition, Yad Vashem provides online services to assist the pbulic, including basic research in its collections that are not online, for genealogical and schoarly research, and the Yad Vashem Bar/Bat Mitzvah “twinning” program.
Presented by Zvi Bernhardt at the 2010 Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Seattle, WA.
1 hr 24 min 33 sec