responses to many crises. In 2002 the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Trust and Terror report [4] highlighted new demands for crisis information dissemination and management. Postcrisis reports have devoted sections to information and communication lessons learned (Katrina; foot and mouth disease) [5,6] Information challenges in a crisis include: I Information overload or, conversely, lack of information I Changing information needs at various stages of a crisis: preparedness, warning, impact, response, recovery and reconstruction I The many diverse actors and agencies involved who increase the amount of information produced I Integration and coordination of information by these actors and agencies I The connection of informal and formal channels of information creation and dissemination I Information uncertainty I Trustworthy sources of information I Conflicting information I Getting the right information to the right person at the right time Crisis informatics is an emerging, interdisciplinary area of study. The term was first coined by Hagar, 2006 [7] and is broadly defined as the interconnectedness of people, organizations, information and technology during crises. Informatics often relates to the development of new uses for information technology and focuses on how people transform technology and how technology transforms people [8]. This definition of crisis informatics also includes the important human ways of communicating and disseminating information that play a key role when technology infrastructure breaks down during a crisis. Crisis informatics strives for T he world seems to be facing crises on an unprecedented scale. A crisis -"an interruption in the reproduction of economic, cultural, social and/or political life" -encompasses a whole range of situations [1. 123-125]. This year we have witnessed major natural disasters in Haiti, Chile and China that have claimed thousands of lives. As well as coping with such natural disasters, the world has faced other types of crises, for example, human-made crises such as terrorism attacks (9/11, Mumbai bombings), the spread of human and animal viral disease (H1N1, foot-andmouth disease), nuclear and chemical crises (Bhupal, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island), war and many more. With advances in information and communication technologies, every crisis is more likely to be seen widely throughout the world [2, p. 9].Crisis situations have been studied from a risk communication perspective, from a management perspective, from a systems perspective and more recently from an information perspective. Crises usually present complex information environments. The management of information before, during and after a disaster is critical. It can have a direct influence on how well the crisis is managed [3].Events such as Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and the Haiti earthquake have demonstrated that there is a great need to understand how individuals and government and non-government agencies collect, organize, manage, access, share, coordinate and dis...

In 2001, the UK was hit by Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) precipitating one of the biggest crises ever to affect the UK farming system. The crisis unfolded as a series of information and communication problems, from government to farmers and from farmers to farmers, with consequences for action in a time of crisis, social support, and the maintenance of community. What happens to a farming community during such a crisis? When the countryside shuts down, and no one can enter or leave the farm, how can information be disseminated? As methods of dealing with the disease change rapidly, as happened in this crisis, how can information be delivered in a timely and coordinated manner? To explore these questions, data have been gathered from reports and writing about the crisis, and from interviews with Cumbrian farmers. Although we will address throughout the multiple information channels used by farmers, this paper focuses on the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) during the crisis, notably a community networking initiative known as Pentalk. We conclude with a look at the current role of Pentalk in the farming community, and with discussion of how networks such as these can help during crises involving major information and communication management.

Refugees and asylum seekers are very much in the news today, and libraries work to identify information resources, services, skills, training and/or research in order to support the resettlement and integration of these groups. ALA has passed resolutions and gathered information about how libraries respond to and empower immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Public libraries have often been leaders in these activities providing library cards; computers with Internet access; free wifi; books, movies, and materials in a number of languages; English classes; electronic resources; programs on topics, such as job searching; and library staff to assist with questions.

The Internet and digital technology create new possibilities for the development of cultures, communities and knowledge. Over the last twenty years there has been a great increase in interest in indigenous knowledge from a variety of groups, including academia, development agencies and the corporate world. Within this diverse range of interests, there have been initiatives to facilitate a global network to exchange indigenous knowledge by development agencies such as the World Bank's 'Indigneous Knowledge for Development Program' and UNESCO's 'Best Practices of Indigenous Knowledge' database. The development agencies appear to be mainly concerned with systematizing indigenous knowledge and looking at the notion of indigenous knowledge as forming part of global knowledge which can be preserved, transferred, or adopted and adapted elsewhere. Multilateral and bilateral donors have also facilitated the establishment of national indigenous knowledge resource centers which are organizational structures through which indigenous knowledge is recorded, stored, screened for potential economic uses at the national level, and distributed to other centers in appropriate ways.

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