The E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection

The E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection Reading Room is currently open to visitors by appointment only. 

​​​​​The E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection at the Disaster Research Center is open to all researchers. For general inquiries related to the Collection or to schedule a visit, please email elq-resource@udel.edu.

Research staff are also available for virtual reference inquiries Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 4:00pm at elq-resource@udel.edu. 

Search our collection and view our online holdings on our Research Tools page.

First established by Disaster Research Center co-founder Enrico Quarantelli, the E. L. Quarantelli Resource Collection is the world’s leading collection of disaster-related material. Comprised of archival holdings, published material, and disaster-related artifacts, the Collection is open to interested scholars and agencies involved in disaster research. 

This premier collection includes documents and publications not readily available elsewhere, and acquisition priorities include the collection of rare or otherwise unavailable items and documents, with a particular emphasis on the social and behavioral science aspects of disasters. The Center also maintains its own book, monograph, and report series.

Valerie Marlowe is the Assistant Director for Archives and Collections at the Disaster Research Center. Valerie is responsible for strategic oversight of DRC collections and archival holdings, including the E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection, which currently holds over 125,000 items, including historic research data and other disaster-related documents and publications. Valerie's research and practical work primarily focuses on the documentation of disasters, and the creation of new cultural heritage in the post-disaster context.

Cornelia Posch is a Research Assistant in the E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection at the Disaster Research Center. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Library and Information Science from Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany, and a Master of Arts degree in Romance Studies/Italian Language and Literature from the University of Vienna, Austria.

In more than five years at the Bibliotheca Hertziana, Max-Planck-Institute for Art History, a research library in Rome, Italy, Cornelia developed her interest and skills in emergency preparedness in libraries, and the field of conservation and preservation. Her research at the University of Delaware will focus on the intersection of cultural heritage and disasters, investigating ways cultural assets need to be protected, as well as ways in which cultural institutions, in particular public libraries, contribute to community wellbeing and resilience. 

Cornelia collaborates on projects with HENTF (Heritage Emergency Task Force), DLDI (Delaware Libraries and Disasters Initiative), and DEMA (Delaware Emergency Management Agency), and is a member of the National Heritage Responders (NHR).

Melissa Shutz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Baltimore in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. 

She, along with a few of her fellow cohort members, created and ran the literary magazine Artichoke Haircut and the accompanying reading series “You’re Allowed” out of Baltimore. Artichoke Haircut won “Best Little Magazine” from the City Paper.  

Currently, she is studying at the University of Delaware to receive a second bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. Her portfolio explores the boundaries between representation, realism and identity — or rather, how the identity of an object can affect representation. 

Melissa is currently focused on records management and collection planning, and the aesthetic value and presentation of elements of the Collection. Her broader areas of interest include documentary photography, illustration and printmaking. At the DRC, she sits among a wealth of books, which is really the best place to be. 

Current Fellows

Matthew Van is a Doctoral student at the University of Delaware, and hails from Orange County, California. Matthew comes to UD from the California State University, Long Beach Masters in Emergency Services Administration program. His background includes biology, public affairs, and medical sciences. Some of the research topics he has previously explored involve the effects of COVID-19 on social safety net organizations, and variances in public health pandemic policies across different countries. Matthew is currently assessing mapping tools for use in the COVID Collections Project.

Justin Jacoby Smith is a Masters student in the Disaster Science and Management program. After early years as a student organizer, Justin earned a Bachelor's degree in poetry, and later came into contact with the notion of mutual aid via the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011. Soon after, Occupy Sandy solidified a research interest in social solidarity in disaster, and in understanding the political economy of the disaster setting.  After a decade of political organizing and communal living with the Love+Solidarity Collective, his research interests include post-disaster mutual aid, social movements, and group dynamics under pressure.

Neisha Maharaj is a Food Science major at the University of Delaware, and a Research Assistant in the E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection. In addition to her food science expertise, Neisha has a professional background in logistics and manufacturing. Neisha is currently working to evaluate and update the Collection's holdings on foodborne illnesses and food security in the post-disaster context.

Past Fellows

Yajaira Ayala is a Doctoral Fellow at the University of Delaware, and earned her Master's degree in Disaster Studies from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. During this time she worked at the Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences researching mechanisms to address health and social disparities in vulnerable populations of the US-Mexico border. Yajaira is currently compiling an annotated bibliography for researchers interested in exploring the concept of disaster recovery in Latin America and the Spanish-language literature.

Eileen Young is a PhD Candidate at the University of Delaware, and is currently engaged in research using agent-based modeling of social factors in evacuation from fire. Her research interests are in collective behavior, resilience in vulnerable populations, and the evolving role of computing and big data in social science. Eileen currently works on data management for the COVID Collections Project.

​In honor and appreciation of her years of dedication to the field, the Disaster Research Center is pleased to announce the establishment of the Pat Young Award for Most Innovative Use of the E.L. Quarantelli Collection. 

Established for an initial term of 10 years, each year one award of $100 will be given to an individual who has used the E.L. Quarantelli collection in a way that demonstrates creativity, advancement to their discipline, or advancement to practice and community well-being. 

Awards will be given based on work conducted or newly completed in the calendar year. In some special circumstances, it may also be awarded for long-term and sustained use. To nominate someone for consideration, please email elq-resource@udel.edu. 

This award is funded by a generous donation, but gifts in support of this award or the E.L. Quarantelli collection in honor of Pat Young are welcomed.

​​​​​The E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection at the Disaster Research Center is open to all researchers, by appointment only.

Collection hours:

Monday- 9:00am-4:00pm

Tuesday- 9:00am-4:00pm

Wednesday- 9:00am-4:00pm

Thursday- 9:00am-4:00pm

For general inquiries related to the Collection or to schedule a visit, please email elq-resource@udel.edu.