Springfield College Partners with Yale University in Using Fortunoff Video Archives for Research
Springfield College Department of Literature, Writing, and Journalism’s Dr. Lara Curtis is teaching a special topics course this fall on the Holocaust and World War Two. New to the class this year has been the opportunity to partner with Yale University in utilizing the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.
Springfield College Department of Literature, Writing, and Journalism’s Dr. Lara Curtis is teaching a special topics course this fall on the Holocaust and World War Two. New to the class this year has been the opportunity to partner with Yale University in utilizing the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies.
“I am thrilled that Springfield College and Yale University have established a partnership that makes Springfield College an access site for The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies,” said Dr. Curtis. “I have been working with my students of Readings in Literature on the archive, and I am certain that for many of them, it has been a powerful experience to study first-hand testimonies of World War Two and the Holocaust alongside both Literature and History. The Fortunoff Archive is an extraordinary archival platform that has potential for teaching and research in many disciplines."
The partnership with Yale University actually started this summer as Dr. Curtis worked with Springfield College Outreach Reference Librarian Mackenzie Dunn to become an authorized access site for this important resource.
Springfield College librarians, led by Alli Martel and Patrick Hartsfield, worked with the Yale University library staff to set up access and become an authorized site starting this fall. The archive is available to anyone who is on campus, including visitors and guests, who access the campus wifi on their own devices. In addition, the archive is available remotely to current Springfield College students, faculty, and staff who are off campus.
“When Lara (Curtis) approached Library Services about becoming an authorized access site for Yale's Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, we quickly recognized how deeply this resource would enrich her students' research and connection with the course material in Readings in Literature: The Holocaust & World War II this semester,” added Dunn. “The Fortunoff Archive's extensive video collection is only available from authorized partner institutions, so by becoming an access site the library is now able to offer Springfield College students and other researchers a unique opportunity to engage with these personal testimonies from Holocaust witnesses.”
Utilizing the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies has had a direct impact on the Springfield College student learning experience. Recently, students in the Readings in Literature: The Holocaust & World War II class presented on their findings after using the archive for research.
“Working in the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies helped humanize the literature from the course,” said Springfield College senior and Psychology major Max Pape. “To read about stories and testimonies of the Holocaust has been a profound experience, but to watch the testimonies through the video archive made it that much more personable.”
To learn more about the archives, check out the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies on the Yale Library website, and also view the Springfield College Learning Commons FAQ about registering for access.
