NSVRC Blogs

In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, I feel as though it is my duty and privilege to share with you all some fabulous children’s books, adult books, and films held within the Respect Together Library collection. My hope is that these stories will bring forth reflection, as well as a desire to learn more about the incredible women who have shaped our lives and our country. Courageous First Ladies Who Changed the World by Heidi Poelman is a young child’s introduction to the women who used their influence in the White House to change the world. Simple text tells the

The following resource helps victims of online bullying, harassment, or hate speech connect with resources to document, report, and heal from cyber-related harm. Spotlighted Resources Online Harassment Field Manual - PEN America “Whether you’re experiencing or witnessing online abuse, this Field Manual offers concrete strategies for how to defend yourself and others. We wrote this guidance with and for those disproportionately impacted by online abuse: writers, journalists, artists, and activists who identify as women, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA+. Whatever your identity or vocation, anyone active

The following listing of survivor communities and hubs are intended to provide online support through the use of forums, chat rooms, self-help, and general resources to survivors of sexual violence. These resources are organized by the following: peer support, military service members and veterans, male survivors, culturally specific online support, and support for partners of sexual abuse survivors. Sexual Assault Programs should review these resources to become familiar with them before offering recommendations to survivors. Understanding the importance of internet safety and privacy

The nation would not be as it is if it were not for the individuals who have fought for freedoms in the past, as well as those who continue to fight. February is the designated month for celebrating and reflecting on the history of the Black community. However, it is highly important to our humanity that we continue to recognize and lift up those who have come before and those who continue to fight the uphill battle for equality. The Respect Together Library has some fantastic resources for all ages that reflect on these fearless individuals. Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), and the theme for this year is “Talk About It.” It is a call to action for young people and those who support them to have meaningful conversations about healthy relationships and to talk about what to do in unhealthy and abusive relationships.   Teen dating violence includes physical, emotional, sexual, or digital abuse in a current dating relationship or by a former dating partner. Young people experience violence at alarming rates. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: Over 71% of women and

By Karen Litterer, NSVRC Head Librarian Let me introduce myself as the guest blogger this month. I am Karen Litterer, Head Librarian, and I’d like to offer some tips for searching our extensive collection. Although I do assume “the buck stops here” responsibility, the success of the Respect Together Library takes the expertise of our entire team. Each member has a niche (cataloging, research, interlibrary loan, acquisitions, translation, etc.), but we all work together closely to ensure that our collection provides access to the most relevant and timely resources for you, our patrons. Rather

Black people are often overburdened with the expectation to teach others about the importance of Black history, why it matters, and its connection with current dynamics of racial inequity in the world. This labor is often done unpaid, can be emotionally triggering, and places an unfair expectation on Black people to teach as opposed to the duty for non-Black people to seek out learning resources themselves. In fact, there is a great deal of materials online to learn about Black history.  This list of resources was compiled to help connect people with tools, resources, and materials for

As we’ve learned from our research on sexual violence in disasters, crises further magnify pre-existing social inequalities and violence. Stalking is no exception. The crime of stalking is highly misunderstood, often misportrayed in the media, but extremely pervasive and harmful. Stalking is  commonly defined as “recurrent and unwanted intrusive behavior toward another individual that causes distress.” While this has traditionally been thought to take place in person, through the mail, over the phone, and more recently online, new technologies have created new pathways for stalking. For

At NSVRC, we are doing our best to serve you as we collectively face this difficult time of uncertainty. As our daily lives are dramatically shifting, it has never been more critical for us to be there for one another as together, we respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As we learn more about COVID-19, we are also learning about the ways it impacts our work to support survivors and create safer communities. We will continue to share information and tools to support the critical role of our partners and online community. Below are some key resources and recommendations on COVID

The first movie I saw in a movie theater was Star Wars. I was five and couldn’t hold the seat down. My favorite book series as a pre-teen was Madeleine L'Engle’s Time Quintet. I took extra science classes in high school and I might have been the only person in my Science, Technology, and Ethics class in college that actually enjoyed the required readings. I dressed up as Trinity from The Matrix more than once. I have been thinking about the potential benefits and consequences of machine learning outpacing human intelligence and the concept Singularity for quite some time. So, I wasn’t