The archive itself does not connect users. Users connect through the contact information – which points users to The Energy Rights Project team, available via email – and they can join the research team if they would like to connect. The archive is not designed to connect people. There is no functionality for this built in and we have not designed anything in beyond pointing users back to the research team.
I’m not sure there is much ambition to grow the archive beyond the next year. We have funding for research team members to continue curating and contributing content for another four months. After that it will be done on a volunteer basis. There is some possibility that I will apply for summer funding next summer to do additional work, but unless I randomly decide to apply for an NSF grant to study energy transitions in the MidAtlantic… I don’t know that there is a desire to grow the archive beyond what we have planned.
And as far as what we have planned this includes:
Creating two timelines: one for the media briefs and one for the project generally.
Finish uploading data stored in Google Drive.
Curate collections and exhibits, some of which will be created in support of peer-reviewed publications.
If folks want to access restricted areas, they would have to apply to become part of our research team and agree to our project’s collaboration protocol.
The archive is hosted by Digital Ocean and Revax runs the show.