Track 2.2: Digital Library

Project funding will support the digitization and dissemination of Canadian research currently housed at CRS and at multiple sites throughout Canada. With the support of the staff of York’s Scott Library, CRS is in the process of digitizing key documents such as its own journal Refuge and selected grey (unpublished) materials. The hiring of a full time IT/Communications manager will support the collaboration of librarians at York and the Université de Montréal to draw together, digitize, and format suitable Canadian documents, whether in English or French. Network staff will partner with the Forced Migration Online (FMO) project, hosted by Oxford’s RSC, to ensure that all materials will be accessible, and searchable on FMO as well as sites in Canada. The Network is also committed to supporting FMO in the transition of its site from proprietary to open-source software. This transition will make it possible to store the entire FMO collection (currently 10,000 and growing) on updatable discs, so it can be distributed to libraries in the Global South, which often lack stable online access. Working with CARFMS and IASFM, the project will develop a database of the profiles of Canadian and international refugee scholars; this will make it easier for researchers to connect with others pursuing similar topics and for policy makers, practitioners and advocates to identify scholars pursuing research relevant to their activities. The expansion of the databases and online connectivity means increased access to existing research including grey literature and the more rapid and complete dissemination of new findings.