Last month I reported on how some information professionals and industry
leaders responded to the September 11 terrorist attacks by sharing information
and providing free access to resources and assistance (see page 3 of the
October issue or https://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb010917-2.htm).
The outpouring of assistance and the generosity of many are helping to
see us all through this extreme test of our strength and resilience. Companies
that suffered in the attacks are ensuring that their employees and their
families are safe and cared for, and are then providing contingency plans
for offices, data, and equipment. Other companies are generously reaching
out to offer whatever support and aid they can.
Gartner.com
Gartner, the research and advisory consulting firm headquartered in
Stamford, Connecticut, has provided free and open access to its research
on the gartner.com site. It has also set up a special page of information,
"The Aftermath: Disaster Recovery and Planning for the Future" (http://www3.gartner.com/5_about/news/disaster_recovery.html).
In one of its research reports, Gartner estimates that two out of five
enterprises that experience a disaster go out of business within 5 years.
A business continuity plan and careful disaster recovery measures can help
a company remain viable. The special page offers a valuable list of "8
Emergency Steps We Recommend You Take Right Now." There are other helpful
recommendations, such as using phone messaging to replace failed pagers,
implementing wireless networks to provide a quick fix to getting a network
functioning, and planning for additional Internet security.
NewsEdge
NewsEdge has made available a publicly accessible Web site to deliver
information on the constantly changing situation around the world. The
Web site, located at http://www.newsedge.com/September11th.asp,
provides real-time news headlines, along with general and business news.
Newsletter from Dow Jones
Dow Jones Newswires has launched Rebuilding Wall Street, a free weekly
electronic newsletter that's dedicated to covering the reconstruction of
Wall Street's infrastructure. The newsletter is being published as a public
service and offered to readers without charge until the end of the year.
It is available at http://www.djnewswires.com/rebuilding.
According to the announcement, the newsletter will cover all aspects
of the rebuilding effort, from disaster recovery plans and human-interest
developments to the commercial and political aspects of the multibillion-dollar
reconstruction. Dow Jones Newswires will determine at the end of the year
whether conditions warrant the continuing publication of such a newsletter
and, if so, on what terms.
Librarians Recommend Resources
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) has established a "September
11 Disaster Help & Information Exchange" (http://www.sla.org/content/Help/webcomms/sept11help/index.cfm).
The site offers a bibliography of resources on disaster response, lists
special information and links for library preservation efforts, and provides
an information exchange for help that's being requested or offered. Sadly,
the site also links to death announcements for three SLA members: Helen
Belilovsky (Fred Alger Management), Maureen Olson (Marsh USA), and Margaret
Orloske (Marsh & McLennan Companies).
The American Library Association (ALA) has compiled information on a
Public Information Office resource page (http://www.ala.org/pio/crisis).
It includes links to crisis-reference Web sites and to information gathered
by libraries and organizations. ALA's Association for Library Service to
Children (ALSC) has developed "Resources for Children and Their Parents
and Educators" (http://www.ala.org/alsc/dealing_with_tragedy.html).
ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has developed "Resources
to Help Teens, Parents, and Teachers" (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/professional/traglist.html).
The Librarians' Index to the Internet (LII; http://www.lii.org),
the searchable, annotated subject directory of Internet resources, has
added a special page entitled "U.S. Attack and Aftermath." One of the excellent
links provided is to a site with information compiled by Michael Sauers,
a librarian at the Bibliographical Center for Research (http://www.bcr.org/~msauers/wtc.html).
The LII page also lists many other useful compilations by individual librarians,
researchers, and organizations.
In last month's article, I mentioned the NewsLib listserv, where news
librarians and researchers were quickly sharing information and resources
as they scrambled to provide research support to their news organizations.
Barbara Semonche, the list owner and a prime mover in the SLA News Librarians
organization, has generously pulled together a page of queries and responses
from those valuable archived research messages and continues to update
the information (http://www.ibiblio.org/journalism/NWSworldtradecenter.html).
Research Assistance
Factiva has offered research assistance to any customers who had access
to their information services disrupted by the September 11 attacks. Factiva
staff will respond to anyone who contacts them. However, if customers need
more extensive search assistance, Factiva has asked members of the Association
of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) to help out. Any Factiva
customer interested in the service should first consult his or her Factiva
sales representative.
Legal Aid
The American Bar Association (ABA) has created a Web site designed
to provide critical information to victims of the attack, lawyers wishing
to help victims, lawyers in need of disaster assistance, and military personnel
who have legal needs as a result of the attack or because of active or
reserve mobilization. Those in need can visit the ABA's Web site (http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/disaster.html)
to obtain information about the many local pro bono and lawyer-referral
programs that are operating for those affected by the attacks.
A Web Archive
A group of scholars is now working to build a Web archive about the
September 11terrorist attacks. webArchivist.org (http://www.webarchivist.org)
is working with The Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org)
in collaboration with the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov)
to identify and archive pages and sites related to the attacks in New York
and Washington, DC. They hope to ensure that there is a solid historical
record of this time period.
The scholars are asking for volunteers to help identify any Web sites
or pages that have information or content about the September 11 attacks.
They are especially interested in finding sites by individuals that record
their feelings, experiences, or opinions. They would also like to find
non-American sites. The webArchivist.org site describes several ways that
people can contribute information.
The site is a research project sponsored jointly by scholars at the
SUNY Institute of TechnologyUtica/Rome and the University of Washington.
The goal of webArchivist.org is to facilitate the archiving of specialized
collections of Web materials to enhance future scholarly analyses. webArchivist.org
develops tools and techniques to support its primary activities.
For more information, contact one of the co-directors: Steven M. Schneider,
associate professor of political science at SUNY Institute of TechnologyUtica/Rome
(steve@sunyit.edu)
or Kirsten A. Foot, assistant professor of communications at the University
of Washington
(kfoot@u.washington.edu).
OCLC Posts Topical Resources
OCLC NetFirst Hot Topics provides a monthly selection of links to high-quality
Web resources on current events from around the world. It has added three
new topics related to the recent events:
The OCLC Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) also has a Hot Topics
section on its site. OCLC PAIS Hot Topics includes two main sections: Web
resourcesand PAIS bibliographic database resources. Each topic features
an introductory essay that includes embedded links. It has recently added
OCLC PAIS Hot Topics: Terrorism (http://www.pais.org/hottopics/2001/Summer/index.stm).
The editors of NetFirst and PAIS International will be regularly adding
and changing related topics. According to a PAIS representative, the PAIS
communications lines ran through Wall Street and were knocked out by the
attacks. The company hopes to be back up to speed soon and will update
the Terrorism Hot Topic and begin a series of new Hot Topics, which will
include one on chemical weapons.
Please send us information via e-mail about additional sources.
Paula J. Hane is editor of NewsBreaks, contributing editor
of Information Today, a former reference librarian, and a
longtime online searcher. Her e-mail address is phane@infotoday.com. |
