Librarians Develop an Extensive "Webliography" to Help Public Get Information on the War in Iraq

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A "webliography" that helps answer questions about why the U.S. invaded Iraq and presents information about the region's history, geopolitics and what is occurring her now, has been developed by librarians at the University at Buffalo.

Called "Iraq Crisis," it is an organized list of linked sources providing extensive background information on the region, plus up-to-date news on Iraq from around the world, and may be accessed at http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/law/guides_handouts/Iraq.html.

The effort began with UB librarian Karen Spencer, who says her goal was to provide background information and selective sites to serve as a springboard to multiple resources, including some the public might not consider or find easily.

"Like many Americans, I wrestle with my beliefs and emotions over this conflict," Spencer says. "Maintaining this Web site has provided me with a positive means of response. I believe it is imperative that people stay informed and critically analyze their sources.

"During the last Gulf War the Internet was in its infancy," she points out, "and there was no World Wide Web. Access to information regarding this conflict, however, is unprecedented in the history of the world."

Spencer and her colleagues suggest beginning with selections from the site's "Background" section, which offers a context in which to understand the current situation.

The section includes a link to a 16-page booklet, "Why Another War: A Backgrounder on the Iraq Crisis" published by the Middle East Research and Information Project; a link to a "primer" by Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies that helps explain the origins of the crisis, and a link to the PBS "Frontline" documentary "The Long Road to War."

Another section, titled "Country Reports," links to many sites offering information on Iraq's geography, government, economy, society, culture, energy and national-security concerns. Sources here include The Economist; the U.S. Library of Congress; the U.S. Department of State; the Middle East Network Information Center at the University of Texas, Austin; the U.S. Department of Energy; Harvard University's Iraq Research & Documentation Project, and the United Kingdom's Iraqi Future Affairs Institute.

The site is organized with the following additional categories:

Librarians' Webliographies: more links to material on the topics of war, peace and Iraq from academic library sources

News Sources: multiple national and international sites, including Arab and Iraqi press and alternative news sources and news "supersites"

International Law: links include the International Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, International Humanitarian Law, American Society of International Law report on "Armed Force in Iraq."

United Nations: UN News; Oil for Food Program; UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission documents; Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees

Peace, Non-Violence and Anti-War Sites: Includes American Friends Service Committee, A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), Poets Against the War, WagingPeace.Org

Think Tanks, Not for Profits: Federation of American Scientists: Iraq Crisis, Center for International Policy, Middle East Research & Information Project, ZNET: Iraq Watch, Brookings Institution and many more.

Casualty Lists: day-by-day numbers of dead and injured Iraqis, British and American troops; missing and P.O.W. counts.

Military Information and Strategic Studies: Iraq-related information from international sites dedicated to these issues.

Depleted Uranium Sites: links to international groups and international organizations concerned about the serious health effects of depleted uranium-guided weapons, which were used in the Afghan war.

The webliography also instructs visitors on how to evaluate information on the sites they visit for reliability, validity and accuracy.

Spencer says she started work on the site a few weeks ago after watching a documentary, "The Hidden Wars of Desert Storm."

"As documentaries often do, it left me with more questions and concern for verifying its claims. I was also spurred by an argument with a very close friend about the then-pending war," she said, "I realized I was not able to intelligently articulate my position.

"A faculty member sponsoring a film series on Iraq gave me a few Web sites to begin my search. I then learned that another UB librarian, Edward Herman, had also begun a site. We merged our resources and I have been expanding it almost daily."