At 2 p.m. on Sunday, 2 March 2008, at the Thomas Balch Library, 208 West Market Street, in Leesburg:
"There and Back Again: Nazi Anthropological Data at the Smithsonian "
Edie Hedlin, Ruth O. Selig, and Beth Schuster
Lech Kaczyñsk, President of Poland, formally accepted transfer from the Smithsonian Institution the Institut für Deutsche Ostarbeit papers during a ceremony at the Polish Consulate, New York City, September 26, 2007. The transfer marked the end of the collection's sixty-plus year odyssey from Krakow to Germany to the United States and back to Poland. The collection consists primarily of anthropological research data from the Institute for German Eastern Research -- Section for Race and National Traditions Research (Institut für Deutsche Ostarbeit - Sektion für Rassen- und Volkstumforschung) gathered from Poles in Nazi-occupied Poland by anthropologists employed by the Nazi government. The nature of this collection makes it an invaluable resource for genealogists, historians, and scholars of many specialties. Panelists will discuss the story of the documents, how they ended up in Poland, and explore types of data found in the collection.
Ruth Selig is Special Assistant to Cristián Samper, Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Her educational background includes degrees from Wellesley College, Harvard University, and George Washington University. Selig taught anthropology and history at the college and high school levels before joining the Smithsonian to develop anthropology teacher training programs. She continues to co-edit AnthroNotes, a Smithsonian Department of Anthropology publication for teachers which she founded almost thirty years ago. A compendium of the best articles from this publication became the award-winning book, Anthropology Explored: The Best of Smithsonian AnthroNotes published by Smithsonian Books.
Edie Hedlin served as Director of the Smithsonian Institution Archives from 1994 until her retirement in 2005. She held positions with NARA and NHPRC, served as consultant to major organizations, was the first Corporate Archivist for Wells Fargo Bank and began her career at Ohio Historical Society. Hedlin has an MA and PhD in history from Duke University. She is a past president of the Society of American Archivists and a founding member of the Academy of Certified Archivists.
Beth Schuster, Library Reference Specialist, Thomas Balch Library, holds a BA in History and German from University of Oregon, an MA in History with an emphasis in Central European History from University of Maryland, and an MLS, with a specialization in archives and concentration in academic libraries from University of Maryland. Schuster was archivist for the IDO-SRV project and has worked for the Collection Management Division of University of Maryland Libraries, University of Maryland Archives, and volunteered in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum archives.
Alexandra S. Gressitt
Library Director
Thomas Balch Library
208 West Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176
Tel: 703-737-7195
FAX: 703/737-7150
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.leesburgva.com/services/library/
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