Collections Policy

QCC Vision and Mission

Queensborough Community College (QCC/the College) is dedicated to academic excellence and rigor and to providing an affordable, high-quality education to pre-college, college, and lifelong learners. Our faculty and staff are committed to the holistic development of today’s students in a nurturing and diverse environment that prepares them to be successful in a dynamic workforce. The College affirms its open admissions policy and its strong support of critical thinking, intellectual inquiry, global awareness, civic responsibility, and cultural and artistic appreciation.

 

Kupferberg Holocaust Center Mission and Background of the Collection

The mission of the Kupferberg Holocaust Center (KHC/the Center) is to use the lessons of the Holocaust to educate current and future generations about the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping. The Center’s 9,000 sq. foot space is the only one of its kind within the City University of New York (CUNY) and includes permanent exhibitions about the Holocaust, a specialized library, and genocide education classroom.

As one of QCC’s three cultural centers, the KHC is an educational resource for the campus and external communities offering a mix of Holocaust commemorations, public programs, student-centered initiatives, faculty partnerships, and tours of its exhibitions—all with a focus on connecting the past to the present. The KHC is therefore not a collections-based institution. At the same time, there are numerous Holocaust and Jewish museums and study centers in the New York City metropolitan area with extensive collections that are widely accessible to the public both in person and online.

 

Library Information

The KHC does not accept book donations of any kind. The KHC’s collection supports students, faculty members, and researchers within our community. The Center regularly expands its holdings of published scholarship about the Holocaust to meet these needs, as well as new or emerging areas of research about other genocides and mass atrocities. In selecting books, the major emphasis is on acquiring new or current titles, although important retrospective titles may be acquired when appropriate for the collection. Members of the public are welcome to visit the stacks and read books onsite.

Click here for information about CUNY’s circulation policies and borrowing eligibility 

Click here for a list of organizations that may accept book donations

 

Collections Policy (Artifacts & Books)

The KHC does not accept any donations, including but not limited to:

  • Books
  • Nazi memorabilia (e.g., flags, knives, books, armbands, pins, badges, and banners)
  • Clothing and textiles
  • Judaica, Hebrew bibles, or any other religious artifacts
  • Art and other creative works, including those made either during or after the Holocaust
  • Documents, photographs, ID cards, personal papers, and correspondence 
  • Photographs, photo albums and personal effects
  • Posters, maps, and pamphlets
  • Films, documentaries, DVDs, CDs, audiocassettes, and microfilm reels

 

Unsolicited Donations

Unsolicited donations by mail or left in person are not accepted. Materials sent or dropped off unsolicited will be considered abandoned, giving the KHC discretion to return to sender or dispose of materials as it sees fit without any further notice.

 

How to Donate

Under rare circumstances, the Center may accept a donation of an artifact of relevance to the campus community with clear provenance (e.g., proof of historical ownership). We are unable to accept inauthentic items, or artifacts without appropriate provenance. Please contact KHC@qcc.cuny.edu with the subject line Object Donation Inquiry and include the following information:

  • A scan or photograph of the artifact you wish to donate
  • Description of the object(s)
  • Date and place the object was made, if known
  • Biographical information about the original owner of the object, if known
  • Provenance (Who was the original owner of the object? How did you obtain the object? What is/is there a relationship between you and the object’s owner?)
  • Your contact details, including phone number and email address as well as current location of the materials on offer

 

The KHC is part of QCC which is a non-for-profit institution. If the Center accepts your donation, you will be asked to sign a Deed of Gift document, which legally transfers ownership and copyright of the materials where applicable to QCC. Once the Deed of Gift has been signed, artifacts cannot be returned to donors. Neither the KHC nor QCC can provide appraisals nor recommend an appraiser. Please consult with your accountant or attorney to ensure you have complied with the Internal Revenue Service’s requirements regarding gifts of tangible property to charitable institutions.

 

Existing Items in the Collection

The KHC cannot guarantee that any item donated to the collection will be displayed. The Center also reserves the right to deaccession, dispose of, and/or donate to another collecting institution or museum any items in its possession.

 

Audio & Video Testimonies

Most of the testimonies featuring Holocaust survivors that are available on the KHC’s website were recorded in February 2020. The three videos featuring a composite of survivors’ reflections on a particular theme (The Holocaust Unfolds, Liberation, and Remembering) date back to the late 1980s/early 1990s.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the KHC recorded approximately 200-250 testimonies from local Holocaust survivors on audio cassettes. To ensure the tapes’ long-term preservation and physical safety, the Center donated the entire collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). Over the next several years, USHMM’s archival team will digitize these testimonies to ensure that the survivors’ stories are publicly accessible to a wider audience. All copies of these recordings are housed at USHMM.