United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

About the Collection

The library of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum collects published works and information about the Holocaust and genocide studies. The library supports research about and exhibitions by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. In addition to books, periodicals, and dissertations, the library has music, maps, and audiovisual materials. A few artists’ books on subjects related to the Holocaust, survivors’ stories, and memorialization through art are part of the library’s collection.

Finding Artists’ Books

To find artists’ books from the library collection, use the basic search page. In the box, type “artists’ books” using quotation marks. In the right-side pull-down menu, select “Subject” then click the search button. This will provide a list of all the records marked as artists’ books. Two powerful works with sculptural elements by Tana Kellner are part of the library’s collection: 71125, Fifty Years of Silence: Eva Kellner’s Story and B 11226: Fifty Years of Silence: Eugene Kellner’s Story.

How to Get There

100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Washington, DC 20024

To get to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Metro, take the Blue or Orange line to Smithsonian station. Exit at 12th Street and Independence Avenue. Follow Independence west to 14th Street. After crossing 14th Street, turn left. The museum is the second building to your right after the USDA building.

What to Expect

You can visit and do research in the library Monday through Friday, 10-5, except federal holidays and Yom Kippur. Go to the fifth floor to find the library reading room. When you look through the online catalog, make sure you check the location of the books you want to see. Some artists’ books are in the regular library stacks, which means you can find them yourself and use them in the reading room. Other artists’ books are in the library’s special collections, which means that library staff will get them for you. You don’t need to make an appointment before doing research, but if the books you want to look at are in Special Collections, you should contact the reference staff first. You can do that by filling out the “Submit a Research Question” form. Leave any unnecessary personal items in the lockers. Take a look at the “Plan a Research Visit” and “Reading Room Policies” page before you go. If you’re looking at rare books, sit at the table right in front of the reference desk. After doing your research, return any special collections books to the reference desk, and put any books you pulled from the open stacks back on the cart. If you have any questions, use the “Submit a Research Question” form.

Other Resources

http://www.ushmm.org/information/about-the-museum

http://www.ushmm.org/research/

http://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/research-visit

http://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/research-visit/reading-room-policies