German 151 Study Guide
The Literary Imagination and the Holocaust

Image:Rosl Haas Uhlfelder at Nuremberg

Introduction
The Online Catalog
Research Strategies
Electronic Indexes
Print Resources
Selected Web Sites
Course Syllabus
Course Reserve List

Professor: Steven Cerf ( )
Librarian: Karl Fattig ( )
Fall 2007

Introduction

Research material on the literature of the Holocaust is available in many different formats. This guide describes a variety of tools which will help you discover useful sources for your research; if you have specific problems using these tools, the reference librarian on duty will be glad to assist you. Always feel free to call or e-mail Karl Fattig (x3027, kfattig@bowdoin.edu, AIM: CherLubin) for individual help.

The Library Catalog (OPAC)

Phebe, Bowdoin's online library catalog, is the primary instrument for accessing the collections of the Bowdoin College libraries. The catalog contains electronic bibliographic records for books, video recordings, CD-ROMs, periodicals and sound recordings. For the government documents collection and manuscript and rare books housed in the Special Collections and Archives suite, specialized indexes must be consulted, since the records for those collections are only partially represented in the OPAC.

 In the OPAC, you may search for an item by: Author -- including editors, illustrators, translators, and corporate authors; Title -- including periodical titles, as well as series and alternative titles; Subject -- using the Library of Congress Subject Headings; Words in Title -- keyword searching of titles, contents and corporate authors; and additional specialized access points -- Call number, Government Document number, etc. You may Limit your search by such categories as Year of Publication, Material Type (for videorecordings or sound recordings, etc.) or Language.

 Most research begins with a subject search. This function is both very powerful and very flexible in an online catalog. The best results are still obtained through use of standardized subject headings found in the Library of Congress Subject Headings books. For example, a subject search using the phrase Holocaust in literature yields no items in our collection, while use of the heading Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) in literature turns up many items in our collection; the former is not an "official" subject heading. Subject headings are also often subdivided into more specific categories, such as by place or by subtopic. Examples of useful subject headings:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) in art
     [in literature]
     [--personal narratives]
     [--literary collections]
Antisemitism
Holocaust survivors
Germany -- History -- 1933-1945
Germany -- Politics and government -- 1933-1945
Concentration camps
Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
Jewish ghettos
Jews -- Europe
     [Germany]
     [France]
Gays -- Nazi persecution
American literature -- Jewish authors -- History and criticism
Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust

Research Strategies

• When you find a relevant source, check the subject headings in the catalog record or any descriptors if the citation is from an index. You may discover other relevant subject headings to enter as search terms.
• Remember to try keyword searching. This search method often turns up different or additional material, especially when the search words are new terminology, jargon or older terms.
• Check for bibliography notes in records for relevant secondary sources and this will often lead you to listings of primary source materials, other secondary sources and authors prominent in the area which you are researching.
• Take time to browse the collection. Your research will be easier and more productive when you understand the way collections are organized in the Library of Congress Classification system.

Electronic Indexes

MLA International Bibliography.
1963- (Quarterly update)

The MLA International Bibliography, produced by the Modern Language Association of America, consists of bibliographic records pertaining to literature, language, linguistics and folklore and includes access to scholarly research in over 3,000 journals, relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies and other formats in a variety of languages. 

Arts & Humanities Search!
1980- (Weekly update)

The Arts & Humanities Search!, the online equivalent of the Arts and Humanities Citation Index includes over 1.4 million records referencing more than 1,300 of the world's leading arts and humanities journals. 

Academic Search Premier
1987- 

 The Academic Search Premier, or Academic Search Premier , as it is often called, is an electronic index to 2500 scholarly and general interest periodicals published in the last ten years, and includes 570 full-text titles. It may be searched in combination with MLA International Bibliography and any other ERL databases.

Note: when doing research it is useful to exercise some critical judgment in choosing sources: some of the periodicals in Academic Search Premier are of a very general nature and are valuable for newsworthiness or basic background, but they are not appropriate for scholarly research. Look carefully at the source before selecting articles to pursue.

 Film Index International
1900-

Brief descriptions of about 118,000 films going back to 1900, and more than 685,000 film personalities from around the world. Most entries also contain a list of references to reviews or studies of the film. It also includes international film award and festival coverage as well as searchable plot summaries and full cast and crew lists.

Historical Abstracts
1980- (Updated bimonthly)

Historical Abstracts, the online equivalent of the print index covers the world's scholarly journals in history. 

Print Resources

 Edelheit, Abraham J. 
Bibliography on Holocaust literature.
Boulder : Westview Press, 1986. 
Main Ref Z6374.H6 E33 1986

Covers nearly 15,000 resources, including documentaries, dissertations, memoirs, eyewitness reports, books, periodicals, scholarly studies, and contemporary newspaper reports. Many are annotated. Introductory essays also serve as guides for further research. 

The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust.
New York : Macmillan, 1990
Main Ref D804.3 E53 1990

Illustrated, with select bibliographies for most entries; covers the background, history, and impact of the Holocaust.

Enzyklopädie des Holocaust : die Verfolgung und Ermordung der europäischen Juden
Berlin : Argon, 1993
Main Ref D804.3 E5313 1993

German language edition of The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust.

Edelheit, Abraham J.
History of the Holocaust : a handbook and dictionary
Boulder, CO : Westview Press, 1994
Main Ref D804.3 E33 1994

Covers the history of the Holocaust, and includes a complete dictionary of terms relating to the Holocaust in a variety of languages. 

The Holocaust : an annotated bibliography and resource guide
Hoboken, NJ : Ktav Pub. House for the National Jewish Resource Center and the Anti-defamation League of B'nai B'rith, New York, 1995
Main Lib D810.J4 H656 1985

Resources related to teaching and learning about the Holocaust. In addition to nonfiction and literature, includes audiovisual and music materials, education centers and landmarks, curricula, and survivor groups.

The Holocaust encyclopedia / Walter Laqueur, editor ; Judith Tydor Baumel, associate editor.
New Haven : Yale University Press, c2001
Main Ref D804.25 .H66 2001

An analytical encyclopedia to be consulted for its fine thematic articles, written by leading experts, and for its inclusion of hundreds of documentary evidence, such as photographs, maps, and the like.

Holocaust literature : an encyclopedia of writers and their work.
New York : Routledge, 2003
Main Ref PN56.H55 H66 2003

This comprehensive and exhaustive encyclopedia covers 300 novelists, poets, essayists and dramatists who have brought this subject into their work, or have been signficantly impacted by the Holocaust. The detailed entries include extracts from the authors' works. Covers first, second and some third-generation writers.

Holocaust novelists
Detroit : Gale, 2004
Main Ref PN56.H55 H68 2004

Biographical and critical overviews of important Holocaust novelists, with significant bibliographical information leading to other scholarly works.

The Holocaust film sourcebook
Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2004
Main Ref PN1995.9.H53 2004

Including information about documentaries, propaganda and fictional films -- extremely useful for researchers finding out about film archives, rental sources, festivals.

Muffs, Judith Herschlag.
The Holocaust in books and films : a selected, annotated list
3rd ed.
New York : Hippocrene Books, 1986
Main Lib D810.J4 M83 1986

Primarily nonfiction resources, but includes a chapter on "After the Holocaust: Reflections and Literary Analyses".

Niewyk, Donald L. and Francis Nicosia
The Columbia guide to the Holocaust
New York : Columbia University Press, c2000.
Main Lib D804.3 .N54 2000

Excellent starting point for beginning researchers. Portable guide, includes detailed, but readable chronology, as well as a probing section entitled "Problems and Interpretations" which provdes an overview of Holocaust historiography.

Laska, Vera.
Nazism, resistance & Holocaust in World War II : a bibliography
Metuchen, NJ : Scarecrow Press, 1985
Main Lib D810.J4 L37 1985

Selective bibliography includes books only, with concise annotations for many entries. Mainly nonfiction, primary source material.

Antisemitism : an annotated bibliography
New York : Garland, 1987-
Main Ref Z6374 A56A57 1987

Annotated collection of materials from history, sociology, psychology, literature and art. Includes a section on the Holocaust Period (1933-1945). Covers publications in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew and Yiddish.

MLA international bibliography of books and articles on the modern languages and literatures. Print version. 
1921/25- (Annual)
New York: Modern Language Association 
Per Index

The MLA International Bibliography, produced by the Modern Language Association of America, consists of bibliographic records pertaining to literature, language, linguistics and folklore and includes access to scholarly research in over 3,000 journals, relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies and other formats in a variety of languages. 

Selected Web Sites

 The Anne Frank House Website
(http://www.annefrank.nl/)

The official website of the Anne Frank House, overseen by the Anne Frank Stichting. Includes pictures, biographical material and other information about Frank and the Frank Diaries.

 Shamash: The Jewish Internet Consortium Holocaust Home Page
(http://www.shamash.org/holocaust/)

Designed to refute the efforts of Holocaust deniers; includes source materials and a gallery of photographs.

 The Nizkor Project
(http://www2.ca.nizkor.org/index.html)

Nizkor is the Hebrew word for "we will remember"; this searchable site provides links to FAQs and other sites, in addition to their own FTP archive of over 11,000 files. Search capabilities also cover the up-to-date indexing of over 70 important Holocaust websites

 Yad Vashem
(http://www.yad-vashem.org/)

Yad Vashem is a complex of museums, monuments, research, teaching and resource centers in Jerusalem, Israel, dedicated to the documentation and study of the Holocaust. This site contains a wealth of information and includes links to their well known repositories of Holocaust documentation: The Hall of Names, the General Archives, and the Photo Archives.

 The History Place: World War II in Europe
(http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/)

Award-winning site which includes a detailed interactive timeline of the Holocaust containing text, photographs and speeches related to the rise of Hitler and the Holocaust.

 The Holocaust History Project
(http://www.holocaust-history.org/)

The Holocaust History Project is a free archive of documents, photographs, recordings, and essays regarding the Holocaust, including direct refutation of Holocaust-denial.

 H-Holocaust
(http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~holoweb/)

Part of the H-Net interdisciplinary project to unite humanities and social sciences scholars and teachers online, H-Holocaust is an online community for those who study the Holocaust. The site includes links to logs of discussions, papers, reviews and more.

 Cybrary of the Holocaust
(http://remember.org/)

Includes a virtual tour of Auschwitz, excerpts from books (and some full-text), current events, online educational programs, documentation and photographs, and much more. 

YIVO Photo Collection: Holocaust
(http://www.yivoinstitute.org/exhibits/holopix_fr.htm)

Maintained by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, preeminent research institute and academic center for Eastern European Jewish Studies, which has recently made a portion of their vast photo collections from the Holocaust available over the Web.

 Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
(http://www.library.yale.edu/testimonies/homepage.html)

Website for the collection, which is a part of Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University. Includes a link to the catalog of over 3,800 videotaped interviews with witnesses and survivors.

 Crosspoint Anti Racism: Jewish Resources & Shoah 
(http://www.magenta.nl/crosspoint/shoah.html) 

Created and maintained by the Magenta Foundation; provides a variety of links to Holocaust-related sites, resources and materials, including a full-text English version of the Wannsee Protocol, and a virtual tour of Theresienstadt.

 The Holocaust: a Tragic Legacy
(http://library.thinkquest.org/12663/)

An interactive educational site that includes stories from survivors, timelines, a virtual tour of a concentration camp, as well as links to other Holocaust resources. http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/Holocaust/default.htm

 A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
(http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/Holocaust/default.htm)

Includes classroom resources, video and audio clips, descriptions of victims, resisters, perpetrators, survivors, and others.

 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, DC)
(http://www.ushmm.org/)

Highlights include online exhibitions, historic photographs archive, excerpts from trial records, texts of lectures, and an annotated videography. Their Library website includes an online catalog.

 Memorial Museums for the Victims of National Socialism in Germany
(http://www.memorial-museums.net/)

Published by The Topography of Terror Foundation in English and German, this site aspires to collect links to all memorial sites in Germany.

 Simon Wiesenthal Center
(http://www.wiesenthal.org/)

Located in Los Angeles, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international center for Holocaust remembrance and the defense of human rights and the Jewish people; included among its many online resources is access to its archive of audio events. It includes an extensive section devoted to its namesake, Simon Wiesenthal.