What’s New at CRID?

If you haven’t visited the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID) lately, some new features are waiting for you.

CRID has developed a series of InfoPacks on frequently requested topics. Currently, there are InfoPacks on earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and drought. The InfoPacks bundle together different types of information about each topic. For example, click on the earthquake InfoPack and here is what you will find: an overview fact sheet on earthquakes with a list of safety measures; a section containing examples of public information pamphlets on dealing with earthquakes; online access to the full text of many interesting documents on earthquakes from CRID’s collection (grouped by themes such as health care, lessons learned reports, emergency plans and more); contact information for institutions and agencies dealing with earthquakes in the Americas; and links to global web sites with some of the best earthquake information.

Did you know that now more than 3,000 documents and publications have been converted to digital format? Previously, a search of the CRID database would turn up a reference (or sometimes a short summary) of documents matching the search query. Users then had to request that CRID send a hard copy by mail. Now, those who want instant access to the full text of articles and publications can search through the “electronic documents” collection (see Information Services on the CRID home page).

Visit the CRID home page at www.crid.or.cr (and click on the “English” button) to learn about all of CRID’s bibliographic tools and information services.