Archiving Transitional Justice at Duke

The International Center for Transitional Justice has announced a collaborative effort with the Duke University Libraries to preserve records of the ICTJ's global work. In the coming years, the Libraries' Archive for Human Rights will house the ICTJ's physical and digital archives.

"As an institution dedicated to dealing with the past, we have a strong appreciation for documentation and archives," said Louis Bickford, director of ICTJ's Policymakers and Civil Society Unit. "We became aware early on that we needed to take steps to secure our own institutional archive, and are very excited to work with Duke University Libraries to do so."

The transfer of material to take place over the next five years will include documentation relating to transitional justice and the ICTJ's work in both regional and thematic contexts. These materials will be made available to scholars and researchers.

"We are fully committed to preserving the remarkable print and digital records of the work of the ICTJ and to making them accessible into the future. It is an honor to be entrusted with this important collection of human rights documentation," said Deborah Jakubs, Rita DiGiallonardo Holloway University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University.

An innovative digital records initiative at Duke University will ensure the preservation of thousands of historically important digital records.

"The ICTJ's archive will at some point be an essential resource for a wide variety of people, including researchers, historians, and human rights activists, interested in understanding the growth of the field of transitional justice," said ICTJ President Juan Mendez.

Duke's Archive for Human Rights also houses collections of other organizations, including the Center for International Policy, the Washington Office on Latin America and the International Monitor Institute.

• patrick.stawski@duke.edu
• 660-5823