Staff

Librarian Barbara Kriigel recently collaborated with Erna Gorman, a Holocaust survivor, to compile Mrs. Gorman’s memoirs into the book, While Other Children Played: a Hidden Child Remembers the Holocaust. Barbara Kriigel first became acquainted with Mrs. Gorman in the mid-1990s when the Mardigian Library began working with Dr. Sidney Bolkosky to transcribe interviews he conducted with Holocaust survivors. His 1989 videotaped interview with Mrs. Gorman was one of the first interviews to be transcribed and made available over the Internet. As the project grew, the Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive was established in the Mardigian Library.

Mrs. Gorman’s memoir tells the tale of how she and her family survived the Holocaust because a Ukrainian farmer had the courage to hide them in his barn. As Erna, her sister, and parents climbed the ladder into a tiny hayloft, no one dreamed that this would be their home for almost two years. The space was very small with just enough room for a small blanket the family could lie or sit on as they picked lice off each other and whispered stories to pass the time. The farmer did his best, but the family’s health quickly deteriorated due to horrible sanitary conditions, lice, vermin, and malnutrition. Although they could hear the farmer’s children playing outside, Erna and her sister Suzanne had to maintain silence so that the family’s presence would not be revealed. As the days and months passed, the family stopped talking and merely existed. When Russian soldiers liberated the area, the farmer told the family they had to leave. Unable to walk due to atrophied muscles, Erna and her family crawled through frozen fields to join the soldiers. Sadly, Erna’s mother was killed several days later by a stray bullet during an airplane raid.

As an adult, Mrs. Gorman had to come to terms with the horrific experiences of her childhood. She became determined to share her story with others, especially school children, so that they could learn the effects of intolerance, hatred, and racism on others. She has been working with school groups for over twenty years. In December 2009, she received an honorary doctoral degree in Education from Northern Michigan University, in recognition of her work with students. She gave a moving commencement speech to the new graduates.

Mrs. Gorman’s book is being published under the auspices of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive. For more information, contact Barbara Kriigel at bkriigel@umd.umich.edu or x35614.

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department is implementing a new software system for managing ILL requests. The new system, ILLiad, will enable the ILL staff to manage requests more effectively and efficiently. Users will still be able to initiate and track their ILL requests through a web interface and will still receive electronic documents at their desktops. Everyone who completes an ILL request form will need to set up an ILLiad account before placing their first request. Instructions for using the new system will be posted to the library website and sent through e-mail. The ILL department plans to have the new user interface ready to use at the beginning of fall term.

The ILLiad software will increase the library’s capacity to manage an ever-increasing number of ILL requests. ILL requests from UM-Dearborn faculty, students, and staff have increased 64% in the last five years and MeLCat requests have nearly tripled. While the library is able to obtain a majority of requested books through the MeLCat service, article requests are obtained using the traditional ILL service.

Inspired by UM-Dearborn’s EverGreen Team, the Mardigian Library formed its own Green Committee. To save electricity, the Green Committee surveyed lighting in the staff areas and deactivated unnecessary lights. Also, to save electricity, the Green Committee has been using a Kill-a-watt™ meter to measure the energy use of various electronic items (computers, printers, monitors, refrigerators, etc.) to determine their current efficiency and how much energy can be saved by turning them off when not in use. Employees are encouraged to shut down their computers when away for extended periods of time and to shut off office lights when out of the office. The Circulation Desk is phasing out plastic book bags and is encouraging borrowers to bring their own bag, or buy a reusable library book bag.

The committee is also investigating whether some of the less-used trash cans can be removed, thereby reducing the number of plastic bags going to the landfill. The Green Committee will continue to seek ways in which the library can reduce waste and become more energy efficient.