IN DEPTH
Holocaust Memorial Day: learning from the past for a better future
Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) 2021 takes place on 27 January and like every year there will be opportunities for libraries to get involved. Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of the Hol- ocaust Memorial Day Trust, looks at how librarians and libraries can join HMD and help promote tolerance and understanding.
WHAT we learn in libraries has a lasting impact on our lives. Whether it’s through reading books, accessing information online or attending events, libraries are the local community’s por- tal to knowledge. Libraries therefore have a crucial role to play in teaching us about the past, and ensuring we all learn lessons from it. On Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place every year on 27 January, we learn these lessons from the past in order to build a better future.
What is Holocaust Memorial Day? Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is the international day when we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, the victims of Nazi persecution and those murdered in genocides that have taken place since – in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. It takes place on 27 January because this date marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.
HMD is for everyone. It is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and rec- ognise that genocide does not just take place on its own – it’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented. There is still much to do to create a safer
future and HMD is an opportunity to start this process. That’s why, on HMD, we not only remember the past – we take action to create a better future which is free of genocide and all other forms of identity-based hostility.
Learning in libraries “Libraries in Edinburgh traditionally wel- 14 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL
Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE (@OliviaRMW, enquiries@hmd.
org.uk) is Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust
www.hmd.org.uk.
come all into safe learning environments and we believe HMD is an opportunity for all the diverse strands of our communities to come together”, says Liz McGettigan, former President of CILIP Scotland and Head of Libraries for Edinburgh City Council. “It’s also an opportunity for groups or organisations to remember the past and commit to creating a better future.” Through novels, journals, archives, history books and films, libraries make an enormous contribution to education about the Holocaust and genocide. They also unite a diverse range of people through the activities and services they run, and foster togetherness in the local community. Local libraries are a vital source of learning and knowledge. They provide members of the public with the opportunity to discover the wealth of material available covering the many different aspects of the Holocaust, genocide and discrimination. While non-fic- tion books and resources equip us with the facts we need to challenge misinformation,
December 2020
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28
