Research Use of Holocaust Testimonies

This article discusses postwar efforts to document the survivor experience, which continue to the present time. Many historians today acknowledge the importance of these primary source materials to their work as well as the necessity for careful analysis of them. These materials could not be used without both physical access—which reinforces the need for preservation regardless of media—and recognized cataloging standards and vocabulary. The article includes examples of the uses made of testimonies in various disciplines and challenges present and future researchers to expand the use of such resources with a view to obtain a more complete history of the Holocaust.