Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group

The Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group (CDTRWG) maintains and updates SAA’s Documenting in Times of Crisis: A Resource Kit; develops and provides immediate and ongoing resources and response assistance to archivists, allied cultural heritage professionals, and their communities in times of tragedies, disasters, or other crises; and builds partnerships with organizations focused on relief efforts and cultural stewardship and preservation. The CDTRWG continues and builds upon the work of SAA's Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force.

See the complete group description and charge here.

SAA's Commitee on Ethics and Professional Conduct (CEPC) has drafted a statement regarding the ethical acquisition of campus protest materials. Documenting in Times of Crisis: A Resource Kit and the services of the CDTRWG are included in the statement's short list of resources and further readings. 

SAA has created a set of Pandemic Response Resources with information for managerial advocacy, support for displaced archives workers, and other resources to help the archives community navigate this global health crisis.

News & Announcements

Planning for Love: Towards a Theory and Praxis of “Institutional Love” in Archives

In this talk, Dr Jennifer Douglas (School of Information, University of British Columbia) will draw on her research about grieving and recordkeeping with both bereaved records creators and practicing archivists to consider what institutional love might look like in archival repositories, sketch the transformative work necessary to achieve it, and argue for its prioritization in the face of current social, cultural, fiscal and environmental pressures on archival institutions.

CDTRWG Virtual Open Meeting

The CDTRWG annual open meeting will be held Friday, July 12 at 11am CST.

Cautious Balance: Collecting and Presenting the Experience(s) of 9/11 Survivors

The CDTRWG hosted this virtual talk on May 14, 2024

Proximity and Oral History: Trauma-Informed Listening and Practice

The CDTRWG hosted the third public online talk of 2023 on Wednesday, November 28 at 11 a.m. CT.

Understanding the Need for Trauma-Informed Practice in Archives

The CDTRWG hosted the second public talk in our new speaker series on June 28, 2023.

Archiving Disaster Support Group Records: A Guide for Support Groups and Professionals

The CDTRWG hosted a virtual talk on March 1, 2023.

CDTRWG Open Meeting--July 15, 2022

The Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group (CDTRWG) will hold an open business meeting on Friday, July 15, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (CT) leading up to ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2022.

CDTRWG Open Meeting - July 23, 2021