August 5, 2003

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Archives Donated to UCSB Libraries

Eileen Conrad

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) is donating its historical archives and related materials to Special Collections in the UC Santa Barbara Libraries for use by students, scholars, and the public.

Established in 1982 and based in Santa Barbara, the nonprofit foundation is dedicated to abolishing nuclear weapons and working for a peaceful future.

It has initiated innovative projects for building peace, strengthening international law, and empowering the next generation of peace leaders.

Historians, political scientists, sociologists, and other researchers will be drawn to the NAPF collection, which addresses topics such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, weapons of mass destruction, missile defense systems, the constructive use of science and technology, and establishing an international criminal court.

The collection is available for immediate use.

It is expected to grow over time.

"The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a valuable addition to the UCSB Libraries since it relates closely to the documents of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions and other policy-related collections held at UCSB," said Sarah Pritchard, university librarian.

"It contains materials of substantial research value that support UCSB's programs in global peace and security, international relations, and other interdisciplinary fields."

David Krieger, president of the NAPF, said, "We are very pleased and excited that the foundation's materials will be part of the UCSB Library's Special Collections.

The foundation originated in Santa Barbara, and UCSB provides a great place to preserve and protect our publications and other materials and make them available to scholars."

Interviews will be conducted with Krieger and Frank Kelly, senior vice president of NAPF, and others associated with the foundation to document the history of the organization and its activities.

Annually, the NAPF presents a Distinguished Peace Leadership Award.

Past recipients include the XIV Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anne and Paul Ehrlich, Yehudi Menuhin, Carl Sagan, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Helen Caldicott, and Claiborne Pell.

The foundation also conducts an annual international peace essay contest for high school students and gives annual peace poetry awards.

A member of the Association of Research Libraries, the UCSB Libraries have a collection of more than 10 million items in print, microform, the graphic arts, recorded sound, and cartographic and electronic formats.

Included are 13,000 linear feet of unique manuscript and archival material for scholarly research in history, literature, politics, psychology, religion, and the sciences.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.