The rapidly expanding digital library network Crisis, Tragedy and Recovery (CTR) was funded in 2009 by the National Science Foundation through a three year grant. CRT captures and stores information for spontaneous events so users can access, search, analyze, and study these collections and learn from events and tragedies that happen around the world and across cultures and languages.
The panel will discuss the need for this distributed digital library and the project’s objectives, as well as some of the challenges faced. Topics will include lessons learned, best practices, and the connections between automated text mining, storytelling technologies, expert recommendations, and studies to disseminate insights for special populations and for disaster recovery.
In addition to access through the growing distributed network, the archived data will be hosted and made accessible through the Internet Archive Data Center in San Francisco. As required, metadata or data will be stored and replicated around the network, respecting security and privacy requirements for sensitive information. The project is being designed to support studies by social and behavioral scientists, scholars, and policy makers, as well as the general public.