RBU_JR_LIS_V23_2021-FULL_TEXT-E-Copy

RBU Journal of library & Information Science, V. 23, 2021
signified a lot of things. Firstly, it showed the never-dying
spirit of man amidst all horror. Secondly, it speaks of (DW
News, 2020) immense courage on part of a mere girl
against such a huge system that had deep foundations of
organized crime at that time. Lastly, this incident restores
hope for a better world and the end of nightmares. Jewish
leader Fredy Hirsch( who was also a Kinderblock teacher
where Kraus was sent to Auschwitz located in Birkenau,)
had entrusted young Kraus with eight random books
fished out of the bags of the prisoners. When prisoners
arrived at the Birkenau station they brought a lot of
luggage, none of which they were allowed to remain
inside the camp. The pre-existing prisoners who were
assigned to unpack and sort these luggage hid books
Hirsch for the children. This shows how man collectively
builds up resistance to bring in a change in the system.
This was the only way to a minimum amount of humanity,
normal human behaviour the prisoners could reach out to
at that time, and what more can remind a man about his
humanity other than books? Hirsch had managed to get
permission to run a daycare at Kinderblock giving the
excuse that it could keep the children engaged; hence they
would not hamper the works of their parents who worked
as forced labourers in the camp. Dita had arrived at the
camp and was soon separated from her parents, her father
perished and her mother too was murdered later in1945 in
the Bergen-Belsen camp. Freddy Hirsch too was murdered
in 1944 (Holocaust survivor Dita Kraus, 2020). One can
imagine what kind of life young Dita Kraus was living.
Conclusions
We have found that the comparison of these two incidents
is extremely important for the history of library sciences
as a discipline because we often overlook certain factors.
We tend to forget that at certain bends of history,
situations are such that reading and distributing books
serve as an act of resistance when the oppressors are using
ignorance as a tool of power to control the masses. This
serves as a reminder of how important a library as an
institution is in the history of mankind.
Dita Kraus risked her life for a cause, and she has given a
valuable lesson to mankind. Whenever a dictator like
Hitler shrouds the world with terror, paralyzes humanity,
and chaos ensues, life finds out some way or the other to
ensure the smooth flowing of the stream of the spirit of
man. We will always have to remember, with every book
being hauled in the fire a Dita Kraus is born, and thus
humanity lives on against all odds. This was the story of
the world’s smallest library in the darkest of times and
how it was preserved by a young girl who did not know
library science or any proper system of maintaining a
library. However, when we look back at the discipline of
library science we understand how this subject developed
with all such brave steps, small initiatives taken by people
in different times and spaces. Dita Kraus will always
remain an evergreen figure in the history of library
science.
Findings
Stories of library destruction are indeed no new field of
research in this discipline. But the idea that our study
attempts to put forward is double layered. a) The study of
a story of destruction alongside a story of preservation that
clarifies the significance of a library as an institution in
trying times. Also points out how a race tried to preserve
its basic humanity and history while all other doors of
liberation were closed in front of them. b) It's important to
explore how Kraus emerged as a librarian without any
formal knowledge or training of the subject, what
situations enabled her to take up the role of the librarian,
and how important her contributions were not only to the
field of library science but to her culture and her people.
What we found through this study is very interesting.
Kraus (Kraus, Dita 2018) herself spoke on many occasions
and explained her naivety at the time of the Nazi rule. She
did not realize how big a contribution she was making in
the history of mankind as a librarian and as a human.
Therefore, it can be said that a librarian can become
equally important as a revolutionary or a soldier in times
of need and with a non-violent tool like books she can
combat bullets. We felt Kraus’s story, if explored in more
detail, could be an inspiration, and encourage many to take
up the job of librarians as a profession.
References
5
https://lisrbu.wixsite.com/dlis/rbu-journal-of-lis
DW News, (2020), Retreived July 2020 from
Youtube.https://youtu.be/hdXW7pPJ8q0
Eberle, Holly (2020). Dita Kraus: The Librarian of
Auschwitz. Intellectual Freedom Blog. Retrieve July 2021
from https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=20013
Herrmann, Wofgang (Librarian). Retrieved June, 2021
from
Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Herrmann_(li
brarian)
Holocaust survivor Dita Kraus (2020) . The journal.ie .
Retrieve July 2021 from https://www.thejournal.ie/dita-
kraus-interview-memoir-a-delayed-life-5012999-
Feb2020/
Inspire-Truth (2020) Retrieved June 2021 from
https://hhcoalition.info/2020/04/21/dita-krausinterview/
Iturbe, Antonio, (2019) The Librarian of Auschwitz,
translated by Thwaites, Lilit. Retrieved March 2021
from
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31145052-thelibrarian-of-auschwitz.
Kraus, Dita (2018) Kraus Life. Retrieved July 2020
from https://www.ditakraus.com/