Goals
The purpose of URI's Lewis E. Bingham National Domestic
Violence Library and Clearinghouse is to:
1. Acquire, update and maintain a specialized collection
of materials on domestic violence, which may be accessed by
persons impacted by domestic violence, service providers,
researchers, policy analysts, scholars to enhance either their
understanding of domestic violence or their work in the field;
2. Serve as a training resource for seminars on domestic
violence for different audiences;
3. Provide computer and Internet facilities for online research
about domestic violence;
4. Maintain a web site that includes links to other online
information sources pertaining to domestic violence and access
to URI's own research and publications on domestic violence.
History
In 1999, the late Lewis E. Bingham, Executive Senior Vice
President of Urban Resource Institute (URI) at the time, envisioned
creating a domestic violence library and clearinghouse, for
the purpose of supporting applied research in domestic violence
that would enhance understanding of domestic violence as well
as improve service provision to domestic violence survivors
and their families. Because there was no single library, either
physical or online, that offers a full range of publications
on domestic violence, Mr. Bingham wanted to create a centralized
resource for researchers, students, victims of domestic violence,
service providers, and the general public to access information
about domestic violence either for practical purposes or further
research in the field.
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Mr. Lewis E. Bingham,
founder of the National Domestic Violence Library |
As the Executive Senior Vice President of URI, Mr. Bingham
oversaw both the development and operations of several domestic violence residential
facilities sponsored by URI for over sixteen years, as well
as various research and evaluation studies on domestic violence
conducted by URI management and program staff. That experience,
as well as his knowledge about the lack of comprehensive research
on domestic violence, particularly concerning urban populations
and women of color, prompted Mr. Bingham's wish to establish
a national clearinghouse for information on domestic violence.
Although Mr. Bingham did not live to see this wish fulfilled,
URI is proud to have been able to bring his visionary notion
to fruition. Established in January 2002, the Lewis E. Bingham
National Domestic Violence Library and Clearinghouse currently
houses books, scholarly and professional journals, informational
brochures and pamphlets, as well as other printed reference
materials on domestic violence. URI continues to conduct domestic
violence research and to operate the Urban Women's Retreat,
Urban Women's New Beginnings, Urban Women's Safe Haven and
the Urban Center for Change, in New York City, as residential
programs for victims of domestic violence.
Day-to-day program operations of URI's residential shelters,
the Library, the Website and DV research activities are managed
by URI's Division of Human Services and Senior Vice President,
Robert E. Sage, Ph.D..
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