Disaster Information Reference Library

The Disaster Information Reference Library (DIRL) is an open-access resource in the fields of disaster information and information technology applications in disaster contexts. Walter Seböck, Thomas Lampoltshammer, and Jochen Scholl act as co-chief editors, while Andrea Chapman is responsible for curation, and Lörinc Thurnay provides technical assistance.

Version 8.0 is the most recent update of the DIRL. It was published on November 17, 2025, as a semi-annual update. The library now contains 5,977 references. This represents an increase over the previous version of 5.2% or 307 references. The next version (8.5) is slated for release on April 15, 2026.

Download: You can download the latest version of the DIRL as an EndNote, BibTeX, or RIS file. Mendeley or Zotero versions can easily be created by importing from RIS or BibTeX files.

If you believe a reference is missing from the DIRL, we encourage you to check that it meets all the required criteria for inclusion. If it does, please send an email with the reference information to dirl@donau-uni.ac.at. Your contribution will help us maintain the completeness and accuracy of the DIRL.  

Citation: Seeböck, W., Lampoltshammer, T. & Scholl, H. J. (2025). The Disaster Information Reference Library (DIRL). Versions 8.0—8.5. Retrieved from: https://www.donau-uni.ac.at/en/university/faculties/business-globalization/departments/e-governance-administration/research/disaster-information-reference-library-.html

The purpose of the DIRL is to improve the quality of academic research in disaster information and technology by identifying and capturing a wide range of relevant peer-reviewed, publications the English language, produced by authors worldwide. The goal is to provide authors and reviewers in the multidisciplinary study domain of Disaster Information Research accessible insight into the current body of academic knowledge, supported by keyword search capabilities that enhance research discovery and ensure accuracy and reliability in citation. By doing so, the DIRL seeks to improve the use of existing knowledge within Disaster Information Research and to have a formative effect on the domain moving forward.  

Launched in 2018, the DIRL was hosted by the University of Washington until September 2024, when stewardship transitioned to the Department for E-Governance at the University for Continuing Education Krems.

Version 8.0 is the first edition published exclusively by the Department for E-Governance at the University for Continuing Education Krems. Versions 7.0 and 7.5 were co-published with the University of Washington, while all earlier versions were published solely by the University of Washington.

Release History  

Criteria for inclusion in the DIRL 

At a minimum, a paper or article must: 

• Have passed an academic peer review process, 

• Be published in the proceedings of an academic conference or in an academic journal, 

• Be published in English (or, if published in another language, an English-language translation must be publicly available), 

• Be at least seven pages (or equivalently, 3,700 words) in length (including references) for a non-technical article, 

• Be at least four pages (2,250 words) in length (including references) for a technical article. 

Search Terms 

We search the Library of Congress, LISTA, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with the following search terms*. 

*Also Spelling and acronym variations  

Additionally, we manually search preselected journals and conferences, such as.

• Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management 

• Disasters 

• Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal 

• International Journal of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (IJISCRAM) (until the journal's discontinuation in 2019) 

• ISCRAM (International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) and regional and topical ISCRAM conferences 

• Disaster Information, Resilience, for Emergency and Crisis Technologies Minitrack @HICSS (Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences) 

• ITTDR (Information Technology in Disaster Risk Reduction) Annual Conference 

The full list and search documentation can be found in DOOR.

The DIRL is a testament to the collaborative efforts of many. Under Hans Jochen Scholl's curator and editorship, the library was maintained and expanded until September 2024 with the help of dedicated teams led by University of Washington staff. Their contributions have been invaluable in ensuring the DIRL's continued growth and relevance.