New Digital Holocaust Collection
Over one million Holocaust-related documents are now available online through Footnote.com. This site holds the largest interactive, searchable collection of Holocaust records on the web today. In collaboration with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Footnote.com is digitizing the NARA’s massive collection of Holocaust records, which were formerly available only at the NARA’s Maryland facility (see NARA’s announcement). The documents include concentration camp registers, intelligence and interrogation reports, records of Nazi looting, photos, deportation and death lists, and proceedings from the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. Business Week reports that “individuals can annotate collection items and add stories or pictures of individuals associated with them.” The documents are available to the public, free of charge, through October.
- Compare this online collection to a physical memorial. How are they similar? How are they different?
- What’s the purpose of having these documents available online? What are some of the challenges of having these documents be accessible?
- How might this website affect Holocaust denial?
- The NARA reports that the collection includes “nearly 600 interactive personal accounts of those who survived or perished in the Holocaust,” provided by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The project incorporates social networking tools that enable visitors to search for names and add photos, comments and stories, share their insights, and create pages to highlight their discoveries,” all free of charge. Is Facebook a good forum for sharing stories of Holocaust survivors and victims? Why? Do you see this as an educational tool?
- How does the integration of online archives with social networking tools impact the way we tell history?
