The Human Rights Documentation Initiative (HRDI), a Web site that provides resources for research, highlights human rights-related archival materials at the university, informs the public on HRDI’s documentation partnerships and promotes human rights events and research, has been introduced by the University of Texas Libraries.
The site also features a blog to document participant perspectives, project trips and experiences regarding the work being done to advance the project. The HRDI has concurrently introduced a Twitter feed to provide real-time project updates, event reminders and human rights-related news.
“The HRDI Web site not only serves as an access portal for the unique human rights documentation preserved by the HRDI but also showcases the diversity of human rights-related resources, research and advocacy originating from UT’s libraries, academic programs, research centers and student groups,” says project archivist T-Kay Sangwand. “We hope it can serve as a starting place for new partnerships and be a valuable tool for both academics and activists at UT and beyond.”
HRDI was established to collect, preserve and provide access to records of human rights abuses around the world. The project began in 2008 as a result of a grant from the Bridgeway Foundation to assist in the preservation of survivor testimonies, court proceedings and other records of the Rwandan genocide.
To date, the program has also partnered with the Free Burma Rangers to preserve records of human rights violations by the Burma/Myanmar junta, the Texas After Violence Project, which collects testimonies on the impact of the death penalty in Texas and is considering other projects in Latin America.
Learn more about the University of Texas Libraries Human Rights Documentation Initiative online.
