Witnesses to History: Transnational Archives in Poland and the USA

Join us for the opening of an exhibition celebrating the transnational role of university archives in preserving historical documents. The exhibit features 19th century American documents held at Jagiellonian University Library in Krakow, Poland, and Polish journals from the Archives and Special Collections of the Berry Library at Salem State University. The American autograph collection, consisting of letters, private notes, and official papers and contracts, bears witness to the early history of New England and the United States and the concerns that occupied the minds of the individuals. A collection of handwritten testimonies recorded with child survivors at the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp and preserved at Salem State University bears witness to the Holocaust. How did these two transnational archives develop and find a home in their respective institutions? What stories can they tell about the individuals whose lives are glimpsed in the documents but also the role of those who preserved them? 

The exhibition opening and reception are free and open to the public. Registration is required.

This exhibition is cosponsored by Jagellonian University, Academic Affairs, the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, the Center for Research and Creative Activities, the Center for International Education, the Frederick E. Berry Library, the History department and the Public History Speaker Series