4 Replies Latest reply on Mar 8, 2017 7:27 AM by Rachael Salyer

    Another Berlin Document Center question

    Judith Haran Adventurer
    Judith Haran Mar 6, 2017 7:40 AM

      For the SS-officer personnel files from the BDC which  came to the US on microfilm, were these files restricted in terms of making copies? Could anyone walk in and look at them and make copies? If they are/were restricted, by what method was such restriction enforced?

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        • Re: Another Berlin Document Center question
          Rachael Salyer Scout
          Rachael Salyer Expert Mar 7, 2017 7:13 AM (in response to Judith Haran)

          Dear Judith,

           

          The microfilmed records from the Berlin Document Center--and their accompanying finding aids--are available for use in the Microfilm Reading Room (Room 4050) at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The Microfilm Reading Room is self-service, and there is no restriction on who can access the records. We also do not track which researchers access these records. The only requirement is that you have a valid researcher ID card, which you can obtain free of charge when you visit the National Archives.

           

          If you would like to make copies of the records, you can create an account with your researcher ID card to pay for printed or scanned images. You can also take photographs of the documents as they appear on the screens of the microfilm readers.

           

          For information about obtaining a researcher ID card, please visit our website:

          Research Card Requirements | National Archives

           

          Also, reading room hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except legal holidays. You can find more information about visiting the National Archives on our web site:

          Information for Researchers | National Archives

          • Re: Another Berlin Document Center question
            Rachael Salyer Scout
            Rachael Salyer Expert Mar 7, 2017 7:32 AM (in response to Judith Haran)

            Hello, again, Judith,

             

            One additional thought - If you are wondering who had access in the past, before the microfilmed records came to the National Archives, this publication might be useful:

            Robert Wolfe, ed., Captured German and Related Records, A National Archives Conference (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1974) 279 pp. [ISBN 8214-0172-6] [LC 74-82495].

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              • Re: Another Berlin Document Center question
                Judith Haran Adventurer
                Judith Haran Mar 7, 2017 9:00 AM (in response to Rachael Salyer)

                Thanks for your reply. I have a copy of the Wolfe book and have read it. My

                ILL person locally says it is impossible to find a source for the Holdings

                of the BDC book. Apparently there are only a handful of copies in the US

                and no one is willing to lend it out.  There are no copies on Amazon or

                anywhere else I can find. Do you have any idea where one might find this

                resource?

                  • Re: Another Berlin Document Center question
                    Rachael Salyer Scout
                    Rachael Salyer Expert Mar 8, 2017 7:27 AM (in response to Judith Haran)

                    Good morning, Judith,

                     

                    Our finding aids for the BDC records (both The Holdings of the Berlin Document Center: A Guide to the Collections and The Holdings of the Berlin Document Center: A Guide to the Microfilm) are not currently available online, but they are available for researchers to use in the Microfilm Reading Room at the National Archives in College Park, MD. You can contact the Textual Reference branch with questions about these finding aids and records: archives2reference@nara.gov.

                     

                    Additionally, you also might be able to find helpful information about the Berlin Document Center at the Bundesarchiv's website: Bundesarchiv - Berlin Document Center

                    Beyond this, you may find some useful information about the BDC documents and related or similar records at the National Archives' website Holocaust-Era Assets | National Archives.

                     

                    Best of luck!

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