When should you use the library, and when should you use the archives for research?
Archival Reference Room at the Jewish Public Library.
A topic of interest
One of the Archives’ pillars is celebrating and respecting diversity, which includes the pluralism of the Jewish community. In light of recent socio-political events, we recognize that regardless of political affiliation, Jewish communities have been discussing Israel, Zionism, colonialism, and the Holocaust. As our communities seek to deepen their understanding of these topics and others, the Archives is here to foster the pursuit of life-long learning. In fact, last month, we celebrated Passover, a holiday that reminds us that our freedom from slavery is tied to our freedom to ask questions.
Broad Research: in the Library
For broad research topics, like “Do you have archival records (primary source materials) on Zionism?” we recommend first consulting published books (secondary source materials), where authors synthesize broad swaths of research. If Sasha the Student is curious about Zionism, a search in the library catalogue yields over 1,200 results and a diversity of voices – from popular guides to books by Israeli New Historians who challenge dominant narratives.
Formulating a Research Question
After reading secondary source materials, Sasha can formulate a question that is smaller in scope and more specific to our community archives. They ask: “What did notable Jewish Montrealers think about Zionism around the time of Israel’s founding?” Now that they have a research question with a clearer time, subject, and place, they’ll be able to yield more useful results from the Archives’ catalogue.
Primary Research I: on the Archives’ Catalogue
Because Sasha’s search is focused on a singular subject, they can browse the catalogue’s subjects. Here is what that might look like:
Video Capture of archival research on jplarchives.org. Subject search: Zionism. November, 2023.
Searching the Archive’s ”subject access points” for Zionism reveals interesting subcategories that Sasha wasn’t even aware of. They can get even more granular. For example, what were the community’s feelings regarding Labour Zionism and how does it differ from 19th Century Zionism? As more archival materials are processed in the Archives, more access points are assigned, making it possible for researchers to go down the rabbit hole and learn about the many interconnections between records and topics.
Primary Research II: Using Archives Reference Services
After doing independent research online, some of the Jewish voices whose stances on Zionism Sasha is interested in are Reuben Brainin, Moishe Dickstein and Tressa Jacobson. They have searched the catalogue and found relevant items that haven’t been digitized. Sasha can now reach out to the Reference Archivist, and provide them the list of materials they wish to consult in-person. The Reference Archivist can pull these for consultation, and even suggest other materials. For example, the Yacov Gafni fonds is available on the CJHN, but not yet migrated to our new catalogue. She shares its content with Sasha.
Zionism, Israel, and the Palestinian Arabs: Questions and Answers, by Michael Comay, 1981
Zionist promotional booklet. From Yacov Gafni fonds, ID: 1111_00006.
Research Takes Time
It may take a couple of visits, but there is no maximum limit for archival research. Some scholars pursue a topic for years in our reference room!
Our institutional commitment
As an Archives in a community library whose mission includes fostering literacy and education, we hope to continue supporting independent research that leads to healthier civil discourse among the communities we serve. In fact, we are committed to it.
