2026 Volume 76 Issue 2 Pages 72-77
Kobe University Library, located in the area affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1995, established the “Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster Materials Collection (EDMC)” as part of its responsibility as a university library. Since opening to the public in October of the same year, we have continued to work to collect, preserve, and make publicly available materials related to the earthquake. This paper outlines the collection’s history over 30 years and examines the factors enabling its sustained operation throughout this period. Furthermore, challenges for utilizing these materials have emerged due to the unique characteristics of earthquake-related archives. This paper introduces these current challenges facing EDMC.
