Humanitarian Archive Risk Census

Our colleagues at the Humanitarian Archive Emergency (HAE) Project have an updated request for our data rescuers! This initiative, based at the University of Manchester, is focused on the global threat to knowledge infrastructure, specifically for humanitarian aid organizations. Decades of materials in digital archives are currently unprotected and therefore at risk of loss as funding support in the U.S. and other countries dwindles. HAE is developing a response and future plan, using information from the users of humanitarian data. And we are excited to be on the Steering Committee of this important endeavor! 

To that end, they have asked for anyone interested to submit a data tool, dataset, archives, or records to their updated discovery form, which excitingly allows users to select a different language (rather than just English!). The survey tool is anonymous, and any identifying information will be deleted at the end of the project (October 2026). The goal is to create a census of humanitarian archives at risk that can guide targeted rescue responses.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.