Preserving each unique story
by Camelia Caton-Garcia, Collections
Genocide reaches far beyond any national borders. Each survivor story, each story of resistance and of loss, is unique. Showing that diversity of experience gives us a better understanding of the legacy of genocide and its global impact. The NMHIM collections support the work of the museum by preserving and creating access to artifacts, photographs, and documents that speak to our mission. Throughout this year we continued this work, constantly bearing in mind our role as stewards of history for you, our community.
The collections committee held its annual retreat last September focusing on some much-needed deaccessioning, updates to our abandoned property policies, and procedures for complying with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Deaccessioning, the process by which some materials are removed from the collection after careful evaluation and consideration, ensures our collections
Visitors view the NMHIM collections. Photo by Gabriela Campos.
(see Preserving, next page)
Silvian Library flourishes
A 2 Mark coin from the Lodz ghetto recently added to our collections. Ghettos had a complex system of currency that worked to confiscate money from Jews while at the same time preventing escape or freedom of movement.
by Sheri Karmiol, Library
The Silvian Library & Study Center is a flourishing place. It serves the museum in several ways including as a place where school students meet to hear informational talks by and about Holocaust survivors. Presenters include Andy Holten, who shares his experience as a hidden child, and Brenda Rabinowitz, who tells how her family was forced to leave Europe for a new life in the United States. The library is also used for teacher training as well as NMHIM Board workshops. The library stacks are a reminder of the hard work that has gone into making it a repository of which the New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum can be proud.
(see Silvian Library, page 11)
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