Free Reference: ushmm.org, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Any librarian worth his or her reference salt has had numerous unpleasant encounters at a public service desk. All too often, patrons (or customers, users, clientele, fill in the buzzword blank) attempt—either normally as a function of their own idiosyncratic personality or maliciously as a manifestation of their twisted psychological issues—to bait librarians into protracted disagreements and arguments with incendiary ethnic, political, social, and religious questions and comments. Recent favorites: “Is Obama a socialist, an African nationalist, or just an alien?” and, pointing to a woman in a burka, “Why do you let terrorists in the library?” But nothing pushes my proverbial buttons more than our habitual Holocaust denier and his Holocaust hoax diatribe.

My newly adopted and now favored approach to this volatile situation is to immediately steer this person to the web and yoke him to www.ushmm.org, the official website of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. As the preeminent center and repository for Holocaust study, documentation, remembrance, and artifacts, the website—in addition to its internationally acknowledged and respected depth of substantive, historically accurate information and research—is inherently imbued with the gravitas of its subject and the purpose to serve as a living memorial to the Holocaust and its millions of victims.

Visitors to the homepage first encounter a simple and clean design emphasizing a balance between strong research components and contemporary activities of the museum (e.g., latest news, featured events, tributes). Above a prominent flash banner that rotates among special museum exhibitions and subjects is the information rich masthead menu ribbon. An extensive drop-down menu then gives access to site subsections: Museum, Education, Research, History, Remembrance, Genocide, Support, and Connect. With a full range of information, archival, and photographic services offered through the Holocaust Museum, perhaps the most salient feature for reference purposes is the powerful online encyclopedia. Thousands of in-depth articles written by scholars and specialists provide a comprehensive treatment of all Holocaust related subjects. Featured articles and a listing of popular articles to browse introduce the encyclopedia page, but the most useful aid is the generic search window allowing any free text search. Following the catalyst for this discussion, entering “holocaust denial” yields numerous articles of interest including “Holocaust Deniers and Public Misinformation.” In addition to the narrative text, each article offers buttons for related links, user comments, email updates, and citation information. BOTTOM LINE Whether as a source for definitive information or a tool to redress infinite disinformation, this is the sine qua non site for factual Holocaust material and interpretation. —Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX