| Kristine Hanna Director, Web Archiving Services Internet Archive |
Edward A. Fox Professor, Department of Computer Science Director Digital Library Research Laboratory Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Jamaica Jones Digital Research Manager National September 11 Memorial Museum |
Padmini Srinivasan Professor, Computer Science Department The University of Iowa |
A collaborative digital library, tentatively named “Crisis, Tragedy and Recovery” (CTR) is in the early stages of development. This digital library will capture and store information for spontaneous events so users can access, search, analyze, and study the collections and learn from events and tragedies that happen around the world. Digital material relating to the campus shootings at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), shootings in Finland, the tragedy at Northern Illinois University, and the flooding in Iowa has already been collected and archived. Additionally, the Internet Archive has previously worked with curators to archive events such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Tsunami and the recent Russia/Georgia conflict.
This panel will discuss the need for this digital library and its objectives, as well as some of the challenges faced while documenting and learning from these fast changing events and the ongoing recovery processes that follow. Educational strategies to train future librarians will be discussed (building on an NSF funded digital library curriculum project) to exploit opportunities for designing and implementing digital libraries that serve special populations and assist in disaster recovery.
The archived data will be hosted and accessible through the Internet Archive Data Center in San Francisco, with cooperative services at Virginia Tech. The hope is that data will be distributed further as well, with partners storing a copy of their data onsite at their institution, as well as applying and extending digital library and preservation tools like DSpace, Fedora, and LOCKSS. Plans to support studies by social and behavioral scientists, scholars, and policy makers, as well as the general public are in place. Feedback and interest in participating and contributing is welcome.
Handout (PDF)