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HGSC : About the Center Genocide and mass violence have become global threats to peace and security and a sad testament to the human condition. Almost a half million genocide and torture victims currently reside in the United States, with millions more suffering silently in other parts of the world. Recognizing an important opportunity to unify the University of South Florida’s wide-ranging genocide studies initiatives and to contribute to global education and action, the USF Libraries have created a global interdisciplinary center to better understand and prevent genocide. USF Libraries Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center will become an internationally recognized center for the quality of its collections, research, teaching, and community engagement. To achieve this goal, the Center’s mission is to cross international boundaries to engage information specialists, scholars, educators, students, analysts, and activists in a centralized, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and synergistic approach to genocide education, mental health and public policy, and prevention. The University of South Florida offers an ideal institutional home for the Center, given its proven track record in genocide studies. USF faculty, staff, and students have a long and impressive tradition of work in the field and are currently engaged in research and response initiatives that contribute to understanding and preventing genocide across the globe. These efforts include nearly 100 faculty spanning 36 academic units. Enhanced support for and access to this important research will be further advanced by: - Acquiring and making accessible published and unpublished information resources in print and electronic formats required to meet researchers’ needs in better understanding the underlying causes of the Holocaust and Genocide - Offering collaborative physical and virtual space to bring information specialists, scholars, educators, students, analysts, and activists together for purposeful discussion and plans to understand and prevent genocide - Engaging local, regional, national, and international audiences through public programs in order to empower citizens in preventing genocide and helping its victims - Working with state and local government to enhance K-12 curriculum - Supporting USF faculty and student efforts to make a global impact in genocide education and prevention A Holocaust and genocide studies center advances the USF Library System’s strategic imperative to model engagement by enhancing its contributions to the academic enterprise and raising institutional visibility. The Libraries’ goal of attaining membership in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is similarly served by advancing ARL’s 2005-2009 strategic direction to support barrier-free and sustainable models of scholarly communication and information management. The capacity to design and implement an interdisciplinary library research center advances all four USF strategic goals and three of four goals set by the Florida Board of Governors. Effective prevention and/or responses to genocide require barrier-free access to high quality information and support federal and international efforts to solve global crises.
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