Our Past

I have difficulty reading articles like this:
The Brink of Oblivion: Inside Nazi-Occupied Poland, 1939-1940

I wonder if the face that stares back at me in the article's photo is one of my family members.
Gone. Unknown. Unremembered by those who live after.

I am left only to remember the passed-down stories.

Those who could identify the faces of my unremembered family members are long gone.

I wonder if one of the color slides in Hugo Jaeger's leather satchel was a portrait of one of my great aunts, or great uncles, or my great-grandmother.

Stories buried in our archives can touch raw wounds that may never heal.

Our archives help define who we are and how we got here.

They help us remember that we are lucky to be here at all.

The grandchild of World War II Holocaust survivors,

who saves others' memories in part because she could not save the memories of those closest to her.

Her blood.

Her kin.

Our past.

Exploring Context in Art: Putting Interpretation Under a Microscope

[Keeping my thoughts on this to blog post length has been difficult. I hope that it will serve as a platform for discussion.] 

I recently heard a radio program about artist Charles Krafft, considered one of the pre-eminent artists in the Northwestern United States. He has created Nazi imagery for some time and this work has been considered by art historians and collectors to be "ironic." According to a recently broken news account, Krafft has recently been found to be a Nazi sympathizer and the art world has been turned on its head trying to find a way to handle this scandal.

In the interest of full disclosure as related to this story, I will say that my grandparents escaped from the Holocaust and I have strong feelings regarding "Holocaust deniers." I will also announce my ignorance by saying that I had never before heard of this artist. I have always had a strong interest in the fine arts and with an undergraduate degree in art history, I even once considered a career path as an art historian. However, the subject of interpretation, especially considering contemporary art, has been something I have struggled with for a long time. This case highlights that struggle. It shows how much "interpretation" is based on the "facts" as we know them or as they are presented to us. How much do we really ever know?

To me, Charles Krafft's ideas about his own work shouldn't be the determining factor in deciding if his is art worth viewing. It seems to me that this is part of the problem here. My husband and I discussed this in the car after we heard the radio program. He seemed to think that this new found knowledge about the artist's views of the Holocaust should change our view of his work, whereas I think that this new knowledge should give us new information about the work, but shouldn't fully change it. Krafft's art went for shock value, but is he really talented? Search for images of his work and see what you really think without applying any of Krafft's suggested context to the pieces. [Even with the context I have trouble appreciating this work. It is certainly kitsch and I think combining kitsch with political statements has been way overdone...but perhaps that's just me. After all, I didn't become an art historian. My professor laughed at me for my apparently naive criticisms of many modern movements.]

Hearing this story as an archivist got me thinking about Hilary Jenkinson versus Theodore Schellenberg. Jenkinson believed that the creator of a collection of records was the one who should determine the value of the materials -- who should decide what should be kept as part of the historical record -- and that the archivist was merely a caretaker, whereas Schellenberg's theories promoted the idea that an archivist has an essential role in selecting materials worth keeping. I began to wonder, what role does a curator play? Perhaps this is unfair, maybe our professions shouldn't be compared in this way, but it is something that I have wondered for a long time...is it the role of the curator of contemporary art to listen to the creator of an artwork in order to care for it appropriately or should the curator evaluate the work on its own merit without the input of the creator? Do we know something is "ironic" because the artist says it is or do we know it's ironic because it's good art that somehow conveys the irony even without the artist pointedly telling us?

How does one's belief affect context? How should the artist's view of the world change our perception of his work? Is it possible for a curator to give context to art without the artist's input? If it's not, how much artist input is necessary? It seems to me that there was a bit of discussion about Krafft's world beliefs even before this story "broke." How far can, and should, a curator research to fully understand the context of what they are seeing. If we can, and do, evaluate context with older works of art -- by more objectively understanding the artist's life based on diverse archival documents and research materials -- why can't we do it with today's artist?

Once again, as always, it seems to me that archives have an important role to play in establishing context. I think we are at an important stage in our exploration of material culture. This case further demonstrates the value of cross-professional collaboration. The art historian cannot work in a vacuum with other art historians. Their work spans across disciplines. The Krafft dilemma sheds light on our times. It is a time when professionals are well-aware of the value of creating an image, a public face, in order to promote the work that they do. It is a time of complicated beliefs, polarizing opinions, multi-faceted interpretations of culture. Don't take what one tells you at face value. Dig deeper to fully explore context and be aware that what seems to be true may not always be so. How does one determine when context has been fully explored? I'd love to learn if others had alternate views of Krafft's work. I hope more diverse past interpretations of the art come to light and the story continues. I think we all have a lot more to learn here...

In Celebration of Banned Books Week

I wanted to post something for banned books week, but what else is there to say? In the United States, banned books are big news. Anyone with even a remote interest in the subject of books seems to post about this topic.


A different kind of blog post earlier this week caught my eye. It was written about a woman in India:
"My post on Banned Books Week, and why we don't have it in India": 


It reminded me of the importance of this day and what it means to Americans. I thought perhaps I'd approach the topic from an International angle. I am thankful to the author for sharing her very interesting views.


Then I found this article:
A comeback for banned books in Indonesia: After chasing out former President Ben Ali and his Family, Tunisians can't stop reading about them

This provided more reminders about the freedoms we enjoy in my country.

But, it was an American article that made me decide just to reiterate my opposition to censorship rather than seeking another clever angle. Banned Books Week, 5 Books Almost Anyone Would Ban: Even Ardent Opponents of Censorship Could Hesitate When It Comes to Titles Like These. I opened the page with some excitement. I thought maybe indeed here was a new angle -- Books that I would actually want to ban. Here's the let down, I did not even hesitate despite the article's title.  An argument that comes up again and again for those who want to ban books is that these books are so awful that they are "seriously taboo" topics and no one should read them.

The first book listed was Mein Kampf and my bubble was burst right off the bat. As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I most certainly want this book to be available and read. I want people to know about the history of the Holocaust and why it occurred. I think the same should be said of number 2, which is Osama bin Laden's "Messages to the World." 3,4 and 5 are also terrible, but should not be banned. Banning something terrible doesn't make it go away. It just makes us less able to deal with the issues when the ideas it spews come up again in the future.

So, I guess I really have nothing new to add to this argument. It will keep coming up again and again. And though I have nothing new to add, it bears repeating over and over so we never forget why we celebrate "Banned Books Week." I have been verbally attacked for my views on this issue. I suspect that this posting may encourage new comments arguing against my views. Please, before you comment negatively, please read here and here. Feel free to reword what has been said because it has indeed all been said before. Don't expect that you will change my mind.

Response to Culling Photographs

A photo I return to again and again...
my grandmother with an unidentified little girl.

I found an interesting conversation generated over at The Turning of Generations blog in response to my Culling Photographs post about a week ago. Blog author Michelle Goodrum provides thoughtful guidelines for working out how to decide if you should toss out an old photo. The comments related to her post were also wonderful and raise many concerns one might have with appraising images and discarding.

This topic actually gets very personal for me. My mother has a shoebox of nameless people from the early-twentieth century. These are presumably relatives who were scattered around the world or killed during the Holocaust. This makes the shoebox worth keeping...for now. We have a general idea about the subjects of the image. We know they were passed to my mother from her parents. We have a small bit of context, which is sometimes not the case with a shoebox of orphan photos.

There is talk in my family of using face recognition software to try to identify the people in the images. It would be exciting to find some answers. If we can't, perhaps a repository related to Poland or to the Holocaust would be interested in these images. Usually, realistically, Archives do not want orphan images. The millions and millions they can collect are virtually useless without information. Perhaps because I have some context, someone will want these images...but I am not sure if all of these photos are of people lost in the War. I'm not sure if they are relatives or acquaintances. How much information do these unlabeled images really give and how much context do they really hold?

Right now I have no information, but I have hope. Our family will keep this shoebox until we've exhausted the possibilities for identification. By the end of my lifetime, if we have not found family connections or the technology to help us identify people, surely I have given the search enough time. The next generation does not need a shoebox full of permanently lost information. The important thing is for me to label the images we know and to convey to my daughter what happened to her ancestors and why. I want to tell her the stories of her great grandparents who escaped from terror and spend my time recording the memories we have of them rather than holding out false hope that what cannot be found will turn up someday.

One thing struck me when reading comments from genealogists about keeping family photos. It often comes up as I move between the worlds of individuals with personal papers and families with personal papers. The professional archives can more easily turn away papers and orphan photos than families interested in history can release them. The repositories do not have a sentimental attachment. That distinction may seem obvious, but as a consultant, I must keep in mind that it makes it harder for clients to overcome hesitancies about getting rid of anything. In fact, genealogists are so well-versed with the search for information and the finding of unexpected threads that I can sincerely understand negative responses to the idea of "culling." However, there are images that one just will never be able to identify no matter how long one searches.

I want to tell you that there does come a time when you should let go. Eyes staring back at us from a printed sheet pull us in. Photographs have a unique ability to let us feel the humanity of their subject. It can be hard to break the attachment we feel with our heart. Let yourself accept that moment of letting go when it comes. Not everything can or should be saved. Do not let what is important get lost among the clutter.

The Archives Year in Review

I recently read that it must somehow be ingrained in us to make top ten lists. So, along those lines, I have culled the ArchivesInfo tweets for the year and come up with the top news stories / trends for the year. (I have provided links to articles I cited in case you want to learn more about each top ten topic.) What didn't quite make the list?-  "Digital Dark Age," citizen archivists, crowdsourcing, digital curation, net neutrality, social media for cultural heritage institutions, human rights archives, and battles over the rights to personal papers such as the Kafka archives. (These didn't make it primarily because I've got a feeling that these stories will grow in the next year and may make it to the 2011 list)  Smaller stories of note, that also did not make it to the list include reports of the opening up of the Vatican's Archives, the finding of Rembrandts and other cultural heritage items in unusual places, Mark Twain's autobiography, the comeback of my beloved bookmobile, and the popularization of history through new programs such as "Pawn Stars," "American Pickers," and "Who Do You Think You Are?"...   With a nod to David Lettermen, here's the ArchivesInfo top ten of 2010.

Top ArchivesInfo identified news stories of 2010 (via ArchivesInfo on Twitter):

#10 Preparations for 150th anniversary of Civil War
2011 will bring the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and there has been a flurry of activity as cultural institutions (especially in the south) prepare to mark the historic event. A business with REALLY bad timing  joins the anniversary news.
Commemorating 150th ann. of Am. Civil War in TN. "Every Tennessean has a story. Share yours." http://bit.ly/dBXSUF
Archives exhibit explores little-known aspects of Civil War, marks 150th anniversary, legacy and strife live on  http://bit.ly/aEn85e
Groups gear up for state's 150th - Kansas get ready for sesquicentennial on a shoestring w Internet  http://bit.ly/aeZP5H
National Trust for Historic Preservation Have something to say about Walmart http://bit.ly/8ZPPnq
Residents share Civil War history. Local war items, documents recorded by state for 150th anniversary project http://bit.ly/aZanUg
How we teach lessons about the #CivilWar - 150th anniversary shows us looking at history through a new lens http://bit.ly/ahoZpB
Archivists want records of Civil War relics: Experts will photograph items for state exhibit http://bit.ly/boo5AO
NYT - Celebrating Secession Without the Slaveshttp://nyti.ms/heYA34
Tennessee's Civil War 150 commemoration marches on despite little funding http://bit.ly/ewkubB

#9 World War II and Holocaust
Always an active topic, there seemed to be an exceptional flurry in archives / cultural heritage related WWII news this year. New documents were found or were made accessible, and battles over ownership of Nazi-looted materials made headlines. 

Holocaust Archives Go Online http://bit.ly/7Mt0qU

Documents from WWII digitized, provide info on fate of those rescued from camps. http://bit.ly/8w9nuC

recordings representing the earliest known oral histories of the Holocaust http://bit.ly/5CTTO6

Did Germany help Eichmann escape to Argentina? - court set to decide on release of docs. http://bit.ly/bR6S65

Museums are morally obligated to return Nazi-looted art, says expert http://bit.ly/cHY1ZT

Vatican puts historical documents, including some from WWII, online http://bit.ly/bdggID

Holocaust Survivor's Story Preserved Forever - oral histories of survivors through University of South Florida http://bit.ly/902q8k

Horrors of WWII captured in found photos http://bit.ly/cuXcHX

Devastation of War. Archival Discovery Revealsa Ruined Berlin  http://bit.ly/b1U31S

Vatican secret #archives for World War II will open within 6 years: Cardinal Kasper  http://bit.ly/cdbZy4

Archive project will digitize WWII Enigma messages http://bit.ly/bW8SZe 

U.S. Holocaust Museum: Auschwitz photos open window into Nazi psyche  http://bit.ly/cwOVZp

43 countries agree to return Jewish property taken by Nazis http://bit.ly/bBL69B

New documents surface on Hitler's jail time http://bit.ly/bNwtK9

Hitler's Prison Memoirs Up for Auction http://bit.ly/aErakd

Getty receives grant money for digital German art initiative. Archiving auction catalogs from Nazi regime http://bit.ly/dmZvdc

Could WWII have bn avoided? Memoirs uncover Irishman who saved Hitler from being kicked 2 death by mob http://bit.ly/cSGSHM

Huntington Library to transfer Germany's original Nuremberg Laws to National Archives http://bit.ly/b6ipJw

German WWII plan to invade Britain revealed in MI5 file http://bbc.in/9srpvB 

History throws us an interesting tidbit - info re Army counterintelligence officer who found original Nuremberg Laws http://bit.ly/c91UxM

AOTUS blog - Nuremberg Laws at National Archives http://blogs.archives.gov/aotus/?p=1618 

Hatikvah Holocaust Education Center at Springfield (MA) Jewish Community Center to close http://bit.ly/aWp6ck

Struggle in Poland over Jewish war diaries http://bit.ly/akr2fJ

Getty traces ownership of Nazi-era looted art http://bit.ly/blb3ZF

Mussolini’s secret diaries http://bit.ly/cKXcAi

Check out exhibit on NH's favorite monkey http://ow.ly/3v8V9 [H.A. Rey archives used 2 interpret authors' WWII experience]

Millions of Jewish Holocaust victims named http://bit.ly/dPdI0U

Kimura's photos of Hiroshima after bombing kept by Hiroshima Prefectural Archives and Library http://bit.ly/ejSC5y

Log documenting Pearl Harbor attack given to Hawaii museum http://bit.ly/dXEmKA

Dutch museum searching for relatives of Southport soldier killed in WWII http://bit.ly/fRKICC

Records detail use of Nazis http://j.mp/h5CBBR

The letter from Hitler that may have saved a woman from the Gestapo http://bit.ly/gUyIUU

Art believed destroyed by Nazis is found in Berlin: http://yhoo.it/bOnZtT

British archives make previously classified acct of Hitler provided by19-year-old Austrian public:http://bit.ly/adoy7X

#8 Say goodbye to the book as we know it?

Amazon.com has just announced that the Kindle has replaced "Harry Potter" as their number one seller. In 2010 we have seen a big jump away from "traditional" books and have had great debates about the future of reading and the future role of libraries.

Picture Books aren't in trouble just because NYT says so http://bit.ly/bqQiIu

Picture Books No Longer a Staple 4 Children http://nyti.ms/9SC0eT 

No more judging a book by its cover? what will happen to covers in a digital world? http://bit.ly/aUO3yB

 Libraries: stop doing it by the book - transformation from fusty institutes to hi-tech hubs creates schism in libraries http://bit.ly/bkvQsJ

The death of the library book - Cambridge has gleaming new building, but something's missing http://bit.ly/cIAvK0
Is your ebook/kindle lacking that fresh new book smell - here's the solution! http://bit.ly/aJ4d1F

THIS BOOK IS OVERDUE! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All http://bit.ly/cmKaXn

Why are you for Killing bookstores? http://www.idealog.com/blog/why-are-you-for-killing-bookstores

"Will the book survive?...Inquiring minds tend to use whatever means they can to get what they want." http://bit.ly/5Dmy51

Libraries: Not abt Books http://bit.ly/6LP79o 

Library Journal: New Plan Seeks a 'Big Tent' 4 National Digital Library http://bit.ly/eLAywk 

#7 The BP Oil Spill
Reeking havoc on the Gulf Coast of the United States, the BP Oil spill has been called the largest accidental marine petroleum disaster in history. The affair raised obvious concerns about caring for the environment and just as obvious questions about a company's legal responsibilities in the event of such disaster, but it also brought up issues about documenting historical events, disseminating information about news in real time, and caring for documents that may provide insight into culpability.
BPs Photo Blockade of the Gulf Oil Spill http://bit.ly/b8l7Ku
BP’s protective ordr: reasonably refrain & resist from changing, alteration &/or destruction of documents http://bit.ly/cg4XBr
'79 Gulf Oil Spill Leaves Sobering Lessons for BP http://bit.ly/9zBtOE
Documents: BP cut corners in days before blowout http://bit.ly/cOCMav
Museum sends solemn message: http://bit.ly/9uuBiI

#6 International Repatriation of Cultural Objects

Countries and cultural heritage institutions are seeking ways to "remedy" the removal of items from their original homes. War, treasure hunting, and other circumstances lead to the taking of items from the places where they were created. The cultures that identify with the materials are asking for them back with differing degrees of success.
Venezuela Demands Germany to Return Sacred Stone; more scuffling over cultural heritage resources http://bit.ly/5ozk1E
Iran cuts ties with British Museum in antiquity row http://bit.ly/9D3khR
Korea Asks France to Return Looted Ancient Books http://bit.ly/dj2I9v
Getty ordered to return priceless Greek bronze to Italy http://bit.ly/cFS8X5
Should Britain return Africa’s stolen treasures? http://bit.ly/cqBxR7
Antiques Roadshow highlights stolen artifacts. http://bit.ly/bTx1xR
More repatriated artifacts as US returns 'cultural treasures' to Iraq.  http://bit.ly/9F1XtT
Returning archives to their rightful owners - the Descartes lettre http://bit.ly/9SMIqQ
Iran’s Cultural Heritage Under Threat http://bit.ly/bAf8pw
Debate on repatriation of cultural heritage. NYT: Who draws the borders of culture? http://nyti.ms/dog6D6
Iraq-US begin talks to reclaim Jewish archive http://bit.ly/asqH0Y
'Bring Back the Act': Historian, archivist fight to reclaim one of Canada's founding documents from British archive http://bit.ly/dsuoVF
Iraq loses sleep after Torah finds its way into Israel http://bit.ly/dsJ0U
MFA returns stolen artwork to Italy http://j.mp/fNfXDv
Africa Urges Western Countries to Return Looted Treasuries http://bit.ly/f3m7vr
 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Returns Historical Documents To Russian Federation http://bit.ly/gzoJOF
South Korea's lost treasure. Officials trying to bring back plundered items around world. http://lat.ms/hC061L
Yale set to return 4,000 Inca treasures to Peru http://ind.pn/d74bfm
Repatriated records: Missing parish records from England found in New Zealand http://bit.ly/9T4sg2

#5 Battle to Save Haiti's Cultural Heritage:
The year began with a major earthquake striking Haiti. The fight to save lives began immediately and the fight to ensure the security of their cultural heritage was not far behind. News revealed that international efforts to try to secure Haiti's heritage resources was swift and has been ongoing throughout the year with the country continuing to live in a state of emergency due to catastrophic damage. 
Experts to assess damage in Haiti museums http://bit.ly/aEmhXf
UNESCO urges ban on trading Haitian artifacts http://bit.ly/9oXGXZ
Quake's toll on Haitian art, heritage and income http://bit.ly/arrenD
UNESCO fears Haiti cultural heritage might be pillaged http://bit.ly/9ZGiCy
Academics to begin search for Haiti's archives http://bit.ly/cBos7X
Workers struggle to save Haiti history buried in rubble of tax office http://bit.ly/bZTZC
Save Don't Bulldoze Haiti's Heritage http://bit.ly/dAUDE6
Gang members in Haiti return to streets after stealing guns & destroying all records of crimes. http://ow.ly/ZlBw
Haiti’s Founding Document Found in London - NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/doh1nw
Rescuing Art From the Rubble of the Quake: http://url4.eu/3J3g6
Smithsonian Develops Haitian Cultural Recovery Project http://bit.ly/c0AyNd
Smithsonian leads recovery of Haiti's art, culture http://bit.ly/aAoV7C
Conservator from Maryland State Archives helps salvage Haiti's cultural material  http://bit.ly/9QC1dR
A paper conservator’s trip to Haiti: University of Texas conservator and lecturer's experience representing AIC http://bit.ly/bn6SYP

#4 Google, Copyright, Orphaned Works and more:

Google is shaking up the world with innovation and controversy. This year has brought new means of organizing information and questionable practices for making information accessible via the Internet. Internationally, we are striving to sort out who "owns" information and who has the right to do what with it. 

Google, copyright, and our future http://bit.ly/c3SHR2

Stanford signs Google Book Search agreement,endorses court settlement http://bit.ly/dvlc8f

US Anti-Trust Reviewers Still Objecting To Google Books Deal http://lisnews.org/node/35853

Google book scanning: Cultural theft or freedom of information? http://bit.ly/dyCRAo

Google Fights Back Against Book Settlement Critics - Digits - WSJ http://bit.ly/dl9LZI

'Copyright deal is a cultural disaster' http://bit.ly/bFbYf7

China Counters Google Move by Partly Blocking Hong Kong Site http://nyti.ms/ceSp70

Development on copyright legislation for orphan works,will have implications for museums http://bit.ly/cteC9g

Digital economy bill rushed thru late nite session in U.K. http://bit.ly/a7PyEe

Court Says It's Okay to Remove Content From The Public Domain & Put It Back Under Copyright http://trunc.it/92xha

Canadian Archivist raises questions about copyright - weighs

in & discusses "orphan works" in Google agreement http://bit.ly/bA6AU1

Boston Globe quotes NEH’s director, office of digital humanities on new Google/Harvard text-mining study http://bit.ly/g983vD

Google Editions Really Coming Soon http://bit.ly/gGjlz0

Google seeks digital rights to Miramax films - reporthttp://reut.rs/9aTxgo

Google to put Dead Sea Scrolls online http://bit.ly/di36Ku

 #3 A new leader at the U.S. National Archives brings change, faces challenges:
With a mission to bring NARA into the 21st century, the new Archivist of the U.S. takes up issues of digitization, morale, government records management, and valuing archives.

Ferriero takes on NARA's culture, modernization challenges http://bit.ly/8u1C85

More potential victims of identity theft notified of hard-drive loss, NARA notifies affected individuals http://bit.ly/4X8v2Q

NPR Interview with US Archivist Ferriero http://bit.ly/4O2Wqp

U.S. Archivist Wants You to Have Access - awed by encounters with history  http://bit.ly/717xiP 

National Archives Releases New Datasets on Data.gov and Invites Public Comment on Open Government Plan http://bit.ly/b2oYpS

Archivist details challenges of massive declassification job http://bit.ly/cP8QMb

Federal Office Offers $50,000 Reward for Missing External Drive http://bit.ly/c54Cx9

Report criticizes archives on security of hard drive w info abt Clinton employees. allegedly mishandled by NARA http://bit.ly/bhQ636

The Archivist of the U.S. David S. Ferriero is Now a Blogger http://bit.ly/bs8EAe

Many [government] agencies earn failing grade for e-recordkeeping http://bit.ly/bzmDht

NARA hosts 1st social media scavenger hunt http://j.mp/9NBoak

National Archives Hunts Lost Documents on Facebook - WSJ http://bit.ly/aIS5Re

National Declassification Center Issues First Report http://bit.ly/dxjg0z

U.S. Archivist acknowledges morale problems at his agency http://bit.ly/8YtQ9L

Archivist David Ferriero works to improve employee morale after bad poll results http://bit.ly/aZQ4eX

#2 "Poor economy" resulted in layoffs, closures and the selling off of collections: 

Cultural heritage institutions are fighting for their lives in a difficult economy, forcing many changes in the cultural heritage scene and in the way many of us need to run our programs. 2011 should be a turn-around point, allowing us to better see which institutions will survive. We have had a couple of years to work on changed strategies where warranted. Those of us left standing can view this economic crisis as a chance to revisit our missions and procedures for operation, perhaps making us stronger in the long run.

Should (art) museums sell objects in hard times...? http://bit.ly/8aI1hy [NY Times]

Will US Museums succeed in reinventing themselves? http://is.gd/66QJM 

Arts funding cuts proposed by Conservatives in U.K. http://bit.ly/51bfi2 

Greece shuts more than 40 museums to save money: http://bit.ly/7CpkSG

New survey shows U.S. public libraries in financial jeopardy http://ow.ly/WQMI

University museums among greatest in UK, yet their core funding is threatened: http://bit.ly/7g83ba

ash in the attic: Cash strapped governments consider selling art http://bit.ly/alTCuy

Canterbury's Roman Museum could fall victim to the credit crunch - Museum closures British cost cutting trend? http://bit.ly/99dvtT

Nation’s Libraries Get More Use, Less Funding http://bit.ly/cEsP0I

Good news -- and bad -- about museum [and archives] hiring - economy skews good prospects http://bit.ly/ciB4d0

Cut all librarians before any cop?: http://bit.ly/bQ7zKd

History at risk in PA http://bit.ly/9kVz2f

History has value beyond nostalgia - funding for historical society's in Oregon http://bit.ly/ckowDa

Western Reserve Historical Society Sells Its History to Save Institution http://bit.ly/du0ruP

Another consequence of a museum closing, unhappy donors. Ansel Adams' Son Sues Museum for Prints: http://bit.ly/blwmqM

Valuable lessons from Western Reserve Historical Society mess http://bit.ly/akGe5Y 

Cleveland historical society defends sale of items http://bit.ly/b5klmA

Why libraries are a good investment in any economy on "Word of Mouth" radio http://bit.ly/bJgODI

cultural institutions generate nearly 2x their budgets in local spending annually..." http://bit.ly/9DiB9g... http://bit.ly/cuVOwF

Museum professionals march on Washington today - lobbying for cultural heritage http://bit.ly/cvXIfG

Almost half of poor Americans go to the #library for Internet says report by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation http://bit.ly/bVqxZv

State history museum reopens in Massachusetts - some of earliest and most famous US docs housed there http://bit.ly/bIvbZA

AZ Historical Society & residents taking steps to secure historic sites closed by state budget crisis http://n.pr/9a6WQf

On the Posterity Project: This little piggy had none: Libraries and archives considered "pork" by CAGW

http://bit.ly/9kY2dR

Librarians Protest Budget Cuts, Crowding Hollywood Intersection During Rush Hour;  library makes up 2% of city budget http://bit.ly/ceyzEv

California Budget Drought Threatens Water Archive http://bit.ly/9oewjw

11 Most Endangered Historic Places (in U.S.) http://bit.ly/aD1R1D

Queens Library is facing a potential funding cut of $16.9 million this year http://bit.ly/9CVpAJ

What Happened to Public Libraries During the Great Depression? an interesting look from MA Library Commissioners http://bit.ly/3chc0P

Devaluing America's culture: Gov Sanford cuts funding to South Carolina Dept of Archives and History http://bit.ly/aQN9o2

Sanford's veto overkill http://bit.ly/cFalKp 

Library closings temporarily averted in Boston  http://bit.ly/94swO2

Closing libraries "a terrible, terrible mistake" akin to "stealing from the future" according to a top children's author http://bit.ly/dvEBIb

Decline of Britain’s museums http://bit.ly/9U3FSJ

Can Historic Preservation Help Lead Us Out of the Recession? http://bit.ly/b4qHAf

Local Culture Cuts Are Biggest Threat To The Big Society Says MLA...  http://bit.ly/bRbO1j

Cultural impoverishment in the UK?! Hunt proposes closure of Museum, Libraries & Archives Council http://gu.com/p/2tj8v/tw

"Fisk Says It Must Sell O'Keeffe Art Collection to Survive" http://bit.ly/dy4UjQ

BBC News - How history can inform spending cuts http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/11452575

NY auction of rare photos aids Eastman museum http://bit.ly/bXA1cQ

Upstate NY small town library deaccessioning draws attention and library director resignation.http://nyti.ms/g01UqB

A Crumbling Heritage: Italy france24.com/en/node/5127867 

Manchester museums could face cash crisis http://bit.ly/9ZwEQE

Historic Teamster trucks could soon be homeless. Volunteers heartbroken as money woes threaten Vancouver area museum http://bit.ly/hVrpdp

National library of Wales set to 'lose £1m' after draft budget http://bbc.in/aqhq6z

Pompeii collapse forces Italy into heritage debate http://bit.ly/g9nHFa

Help Zombies Shuffle Over Brooklyn Bridge, Save Libraries http://bit.ly/d0bS0d

As budget cuts across Europe put heritage under pressure, some say should spur better mgmnt http://bit.ly/fN7jzC

Note that YouCut is currently taking votes on cuts in funding for NHPRC & IMLS: http://bit.ly/a2ejWT

Congress to put words like "games" "culture" "media" & "museums" on a federal funding watch list:http://bit.ly/dX2RcC

As more and more communities are cutting library funding, these wonderful web sites have come to my attention:...http://fb.me/upcmdKty

U.K. - Urgent warning over cuts threat to libraries in unprecedented joint initiative http://bit.ly/aalJfw

#1 Digital Projects (collaborative and otherwise):

As the world gains momentum in placing information about its cultural heritage resources online, news came out regularly about newly available access to materials. Our accomplishments in this area will be long-lasting, inviting this news to take our number one slot and edging out the hopefully relatively short-lived economic woes. Kudos to my colleagues for embracing the digital revolution and striving to improve access to materials despite the rough economy. The links to your achievements are too numerous to include here.

All I Want for Christmas

A recent search in a database that seems to reveal the death of my great-grandmother at Nazi hands and a Blog about History post of Nazi "Christmas" photos (http://bit.ly/faAjgn) have inspired my own pre-Christmas blog post today.

To me, Christmas is about all that is decent in this world. It's a celebration of goodness and compassion. It encourages us to show our love for others. It is a recognition of our mutual humanity and an understanding of shared lives, communities, and traditions.   Though I only began celebrating this holiday in my own home as an adult, as a child I celebrated with friends and neighbors. I remember decorating my friend Bobby's Christmas tree and walking through the snow to Beth's house on Christmas to share her mother's fabulous baked goods. I remember admiring the Christmas tree and menorah side-by-side at the mall. In my community growing up, the dominant religions were Catholic and Jewish. We respected each other's beliefs, went to separate places to worship, and shared each other's holidays in small ways -- with an air of respect and friendship.

Our archives remind us of humanity's struggles. Many unhappy events have occurred in the name of religion.  This hits very close to home for me. Much of my mother's family perished in the Holocaust. It was senseless and horrible and crashes greatly with what I recognize in my fellow man.  We are diverse and we have the capacity to respect this diversity.

This Christmas, I am reminded of all that I like about my adopted traditional celebration and wish my readers a season of joy, love, and understanding. May you find happiness no matter what you believe. May you create wonderful family and community memories that you document with care. Show the world and humanity's future what is good about the twenty-first century and its people.

Merry Christmas!