Internet Reviews

Joni R. Roberts and Carol Drost

Joni R. Roberts is associate university librarian for public services and collection development at Willamette University, email: jroberts@willamette.edu, and Carol A. Drost is associate university librarian for technical services at Willamette University, email: cdrost@willamette.edu.

Blackpast. Access: https://www.blackpast.org/.

Blackpast is a free website with thousands of encyclopedia articles on African American and Global African history spanning 1526 to the present, as well as transcripts of speeches and primary documents, articles, bibliographies, and guides. Topics are chosen for their “clearly evident impact on African America, the United States, or the world.”

Blackpast started as an online reference center by University of Washington (UW) faculty in 2004. The project expanded beyond UW, and the Blackpast.org website went live on February 1, 2007. Their Academic Advisory Board is made up of fifteen noted scholars in US, African, and African American history from around the US and Canada. Contributors are unpaid independent and academic historian volunteers from around the world; each has a profile so users can see their background and relationship to the topic.

The online encyclopedia’s entries average around 500 words and provide introductions to individuals and events with significant impact on Black history. Every entry also lists its sources. There are transcripts of more than 300 speeches, 63 from global figures and events, and 243 from African American history. The “Perspectives Articles” by academic historians describe lesser-known yet important events or offer viewpoints about historical developments shaping the contemporary Black world.

The content can be navigated to by using the basic search bar located at the top of every webpage, or one could browse topics under African American history, Global African history, or by the main and special features. At the bottom of the page, users can browse African American and Global African history by categories: “People,” “Places,” “Groups & Organizations,” “Events,” “Primary Documents,” “Institutions,” “Speeches,” and “Perspectives.”

The transcripts of American and international primary documents and the fun, visual timeline potentially could be of particular use for research and classrooms.

This resource is great for those who want a general introduction or a jumping-off point to their research and learning in Black history, with its excellent and easy to understand entries and articles providing plenty of historical context. There is an abundance here for undergraduate academic researchers. Also of note are the K-12 resources within the sections called “The Children’s Page,” which has entries denoted as “children’s edition” and the guide for using Blackpast in the classroom, with recommended lesson plans, websites, and other resources, especially useful for educators teaching grades 6–12.—Hilary Robbeloth, University of Puget Sound, hrobbeloth@pugetsound.edu

National Rehabilitation Information Center. Access: https://www.naric.com/?q=en.

Established in 1977, the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) is the library for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). NARIC’s primary mission is to collect and share research funded by NIDILRR. NARIC provides access to several databases, allowing users to search thousands of documents. Students looking for journal articles, books, and reports can use NARIC’s REHABDATA database. This database also includes international research that was originally collected by the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange. In addition, REHABDATA is accompanied by a thesaurus of controlled vocabulary terms. NARIC’s Knowledgebase contains information about organizations, agencies, and online resources supporting people with disabilities. Users may limit Knowledgebase searches by state as well. In addition, the NIDILRR Program Database is available to assist users in finding more than 2,800 current and completed research projects funded by the organization since 1986. Students may also browse this database by outcome domains and funding mechanism. Each listing in the program database includes contact names, a project abstract, and links to additional resources.

The site also contains a collection of NARIC publications such as Librarian’s Picks, a series of librarian-selected disability resources that serve as a ready reference collection for students looking for quick information on topics such as “Assistive Technology,” “Independent Living,” and “Universal Design.” Also included among the NARIC publications is a weekly digest called Research In Focus. It includes summaries of NIDILRR-funded research projects. NARIC also provides a weekly newsletter called “News and Notes” from the NIDILRR Community and beyond, which spotlights the accomplishments of NIDILRR-funded projects across the United States.

The site’s multimedia collection contains videos, podcasts, and webcasts. Students also get access to NARIC’s own “Spotlight Podcast,” which touches on a variety of topics related to disability, rehabilitation research, and the latest research from NIDILRR grantees. Each podcast includes both English and Spanish transcriptions.

In addition to providing thousands of online resources, NARIC librarians provide reference services via live chat, email, and telephone. Students looking for resources on disability and independent living are sure to find plenty of reliable resources at the National Rehabilitation Information Center.—Michele Frasier-Robinson, University of Southern Mississippi, Susan.FrasierRobinson@usm.edu

ReliefWeb. Access: https://reliefweb.int/.

Since 1996, the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has hosted ReliefWeb. OCHA mobilizes aid, shares information, supports humanitarian efforts, and advocates for crisis-affected communities.

ReliefWeb’s editors select, classify, curate, and deliver 4,000 sources, from local to international, think tanks, government, research, and media—mostly reports, infographics, and maps. Offices in Bangkok, Nairobi, and New York, provide 24/7 coverage in Arabic, French, English, Russian, and Spanish. Annual reports since 2005 and historical information are available. Be aware of separate but similar products: ReliefWeb Response, OCHA’s corporate site for field operations pages, and a sister site, RedHum. Essential content is delivered through other channels including social media, an API, and RSS feed.

The homepage features Headlines, Recent Disasters, Latest Blogs, Opportunities, and Most Read. The top bar includes “Search,” “Updates,” “Countries,” “Disasters,” “Organizations,” “Topics,” “Jobs,” and “Training.” New visitors should browse “Topics,” a curated list of current issues. In the “Countries” section, for each country, researchers will find a variety of resources such as interactives, situation reports, manuals and guidelines, evaluations and lessons learned, assessment, analysis, and more.

The maps in the “Disasters” section allow users to search current, ongoing, or past disasters. Emblem color indicates alerts or active situations, and the icons map to type of disaster. Also in “Disasters,” users can search for a specific event (such as a named hurricane) or browse a list of disaster types (mud slides, earthquakes, etc.).

Under “Organizations,” users can find an alphabetical listing or can search by name. “Jobs” provides categories for “Remote/Roster/Roving” and “Closing soon,” as well as filters such as Job Type, Career Category, Experience, and more. “Training” offers options such as “Closing soon,” “Free courses,” “Online courses” or “Ongoing/Permanent” and filters like Format, Theme, Country, etc.

Some sections, including “Updates,” “Jobs,” and “Training,” offer the helpful Theme filter, which provides users with the ability to focus their search by topics like climate, education, food, water, gender, health, safety, etc.

For all those interested in learning about humanitarian efforts worldwide, ReliefWeb provides a wealth of information.—Jennifer Stubbs, Bradley University, jastubbs@bradley.edu