Library Resources, Refugee Terminology Thesasurus & ExCom Conclusions
Introduction to 'Open Access'
Open access literature is defined as "digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions" (Suber 2008). The particular target of the open access movement is the peer-reviewed research reported in scholarly journals. Because of subscription costs and copyright constraints, many SRLAN members may be blocked from getting at the knowledge and information disseminated in these publications.
The solution? Open access journals and open access archives/repositories - two types of mechanisms that were developed to overcome these restrictions and to make it easier to access research literature. Use the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) to locate titles of the former and search their contents. Use the openDOAR directory to search the latter.
For more information about open access generally, read Peter Suber's "A Very Brief Introduction to Open Access" (available in multiple languages) or his longer "Open Access Overview." Another great resource is the Open Access Scholarly Information Sourcebook (OASIS), which covers the "concept, principles, advantages, approaches and means to achieving" open access.
Additional questions regarding open access can be directed to Elisa Mason, manager of the Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog, at fminfotracker [at] gmail [dot] com (fminfotracker[at]gmail.com).
Refworld
www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain
Refworld is the leading source of information necessary for taking quality decisions on refugee status. Refworld contains a vast collection of reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks. The information has been carefully selected and compiled from UNHCR's global network of field offices, Governments, international, regional and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and judicial bodies.
The Forced Migration Digital Library
http://www.forcedmigration.org/
Make your documents available for everyone!
The Forced Migration Online (FMO) Digital Library is a key dissemination resource of the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford. It is the largest collection of its kind on this subject area in the world and contains published and unpublished documents, photographs, documentary films, podcasts of lectures, a directory of organisations and a discussion list which welcomes questions and announcements relating to forced migration and refugee law. This digital library was established so that this important part of the University of Oxford's library could be accessible to the world.
The Fahamu Refugee Programme website is using the FMO Digital Library as its main repository for storing documents useful to legal aid providers. We encourage you to submit documents you wish to make available to others, including annual reports and other documents that are currently only available on your website. They will also be available for others to use - including researchers. Instructions on how to submit documents appear below. When you submit a document, you can make its availability known by posting it on the SRLAN-list [at] fahamu [dot] org (SRLAN Listserve).
The FMO Digital Library contains over 4,700 documents and journal issues, which can be searched, read online and printed as required. Journals available include back issues of the International Journal of Refugee Law.
The website can be searched via the main search page: http://www.forcedmigration.org/search/, more precise searching of journals and documents is available via the Digital Library [search http://repository.forcedmigration.org/] and advanced search pages http://repository.forcedmigration.org/advanced/.
We welcome document submissions for the FMO Digital Library. Send your document, stating that you own the copyright, via e-mail attachments (Microsoft Word and PDF only) to: //mce_host/beta/fmo [at] qeh [dot] ox [dot] ac [dot] uk ">fmo[at]qeh.ox.ac.uk or by mail to:
Forced Migration Online Queen Elizabeth House 3 Mansfield Road Oxford, UKThe Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog
The Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog was launched in 2005. This free information service was established to assist users with the following:
- keep up with new publications, journal and newsletter issues, events and opportunities for professional development and learning, web sites, and other relevant online resources;
- track new research and publication;
- learn about online tools that can facilitate the search and retrieval of relevant information resources.
The service seeks out new information sources as well as regularly monitoring standard ones. As a result, it saves users’ much time and effort in the information-gathering process. It also expands the knowledge base for those researchers who may not have ready access to library collections or who may not be familiar with the full range of information resources available to them. The service aims to circulate at least one information alert on a daily weekday basis. On average, 26 messages are posted per month.
Interested readers can monitor blog postings two ways:
To start exploring, please visit http://fm-cab.blogspot.com/.
International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology
The International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology (ITRT) is designed to facilitate information retrieval and exchange. In print since 1988, the Thesaurus has proven an essential resource for librarians and information workers. However, the specialized nature of and ongoing evolution in refugee terminology meant that the print editions were soon outdated. In 2002, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Library and Forced Migration Online (FMO) began discussing how to create a web-based version of the Thesaurus that would be more responsive to the needs of its users.
The Thesaurus is now available as an interactive and searchable tool online, in English, French and Spanish. The editors hope that this new version will serve as a more efficient medium for identifying relevant indexing terminology and as a value-added mechanism for managing refugee- and forced migration-related information.
International Organization for Migration: Glossary on Migration
The IOM publishes a Glossary on Migration, which is now in its second edition. This glossary summarises terms used in international migration law, allowing for variations in terminology.
Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration (OXMO)
OXMO is a UK based online journal dedicated to protecting and advancing the human rights of forced migrants. Authored and edited by students, the inaugural, and current, edition was published in February 2011. The current issue contains articles concerning Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Ecuador, Hong Kong, the UK, and the USA. Submissions for the next edition, to be published in September 2011, should be received by the 24th of June.
A Thematic Compilation of Executive Committee Conclusions, UNHCR
This, the fourth edition, groups by subject the conclusions of the UNHCR Executive Committee and includes all conclusions up to decision 108 of October 2008.
The Guide to International Refugee Law Resources
http://www.llrx.com/features/refugee.htm
The Guide to International Refugee Law Resources includes an introduction to global refugee law and a library of relevant resources and online publications.
HuriSearch
HURIDOCS have launched a new, Open Source version of HuriSearch, its specialised search engine for human rights information. HuriSearch is a very useful resource for human rights researchers and advocates, academic staff and students, journalists, diplomats and staff of international organisations. HuriSearch searches the content of over 5000 human rights websites, with a total of almost 7 million pages. This content is always fresh, because HuriSearch indexes the content of these websites very frequently. Search results are based upon relevance of contents rather than website popularity - which makes the pages from smaller organisations more visible than on other search engines.
