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The recurrence of both human-made tragedies and disasters of weather combined with the great speed of technological development lead archivists to a new role in society—as stewards of contemporary information. To assist cultural heritage responders, the Society of American Archivists Council created the two-year Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force in January 2018. One of the Task Force’s responsibilities is to provide templates and documents that will assist archivists in collecting materials on tragedies within their communities. (This resource is now maintained by the Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group, created in January 2021.)
We hope that sharing the documents collated in the toolkit will help archivists and others responsible for archiving the aftermath of tragic events by providing templates that are ready for use without further burdening cultural heritage responders.
The documents are designed to be a starting point and are meant to be customized for local use in consultation with communities, administrators, and legal counsel as necessary.
The templates and documents are divided into broad categories linked below, or see the complete Google Drive folder here.
Immediate ResponseThe following templates are designed for aiding in the collection and gathering of material. Although some of the files are volunteer focused, they contain useful information and strategies for acquiring material. Before you begin collecting, we highly recommend questioning whether or not collection response is appropriate. More information regarding decision making processes regarding collecting and policies can be found in the “Administrative Policies and Agreements” section. |
Contact Tracking |
Inventory Guidelines |
Inventory Template |
Tragedy Response Preparedness Checklist |
Volunteer Agreement Form |
Volunteer Checklist |
Volunteer Procedures |
Collection ManagementAfter material is collected, it will require ongoing management for preservation and access purposes. These forms are designed to help with hiring and budgeting for the collection. |
Job Description |
Management Budget |
Processing Budget |
Administrative Policies and AgreementsThese guidelines and policies address additions and changes that may need to be made for the acquisition of tragedy based material. They are intended as guidelines for individuals/organizations starting from scratch or making addendums/editions to existing policies. It can be crucial to document decision making processes to help lessen current and future confusion around decisions made. |
Anonymous Donations Accession Policy |
Appraisal Policy |
Collection Policy Guidelines |
Collection Policy Template |
Deaccessioning Policy |
Deed of Gift Template |
Digital Deed of Gift Addendum |
Memorandum of Understanding |
Organic Material Policy |
Use Agreement for Digital Content |
Digital Content |
Digital Submissions Terms and Conditions |
Digitization Guidelines Bibliography |
Guidelines for Twitter Captures |
Web Content Crawling/Archiving Permission Form |
Web Content Crawling/Archiving Permissions Templates |
Website Archiving Nomination Form |
Emotional SupportResources and ethical considerations when working with trauma-based collections. |
Grief, Trauma, and Self Care Resources |
New Zealand Psychological Society, Emergencies and Traumatic Events Resources |
Oral HistoriesYour community may want to preserve the cultural impact of the event through oral histories. The following documents ensure that the oral histories can be preserved and shared. |
Creative Commons Permission Form |
Release Form |
Web Guides to Doing Oral History |
Copyright and Licensing Agreement |
Manuals and ResourcesMany other individuals and organizations have created toolkits, guidelines, and documentation related to responding to tragic events. Although not all of these resources are specific to archives, they may be of help. |
“Psychosocial Guidelines for Temporary Memorial Management” |
“Bibliography of Disaster/Tragedy Literature as Related to Archives” |
“Resources for Archiving the Aftermath” |
Contact the Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group (at saahq@archivists.org) with any suggestions for additional resources.
Approved by the SAA Council, August 2019. Last updated: September 5, 2019.
Support Supplemental Funding for the Humanities (March 2020)
NARA and NHPRC Funding (March 2020)
Questions for U.S. Presidential Candidates (Jan 2020)
Archives and Climate Change (Sept 2019)