In the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, a wave of data deletions swept through government websites, erasing crucial information on topics ranging from vaccines to census data. The onslaught of deletions, likened to a “digital book burning,” was met with widespread concern and resistance from archivists and librarians working tirelessly to preserve vital information for the public good.
Archivists and Librarians: Guardians of Information
A loose coalition of archivists and librarians, often working behind the scenes, emerged as the unsung heroes in the battle to safeguard valuable government data. Organizations like the Internet Archive and the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative stepped up to the plate, creating projects to back up federal websites and ensure critical information was not lost forever. Lynda Kellam, a social scientist and data librarian, emphasized the irreplaceable nature of government data, highlighting its role in shaping our understanding of the world around us.
Kellam’s efforts, alongside those of her peers, were crucial in coordinating preservation initiatives and ensuring that valuable data sets were not left to languish on private hard drives. As the threat of information oblivion loomed large, archivists and librarians raced against the clock to compile, backup, and store critical government data before it was permanently erased.
Data Hoarders: Unsung Defenders of Digital Permanence
While archivists and librarians were on the front lines of the battle to preserve government data, a lesser-known group of volunteers, known as data hoarders, also played a pivotal role in the fight for digital permanence. These individuals, often operating in online communities like r/DataHoarder, dedicated themselves to saving a wide array of digital content, from zines to defunct websites, in an effort to defy the corporate control of media and ensure that valuable information was not lost to the sands of time.
Volunteers like Sze, a product manager from Hong Kong, and Andrew, a tech-support professional in Kansas, joined forces with seasoned archivists to back up critical government data and prevent its disappearance. Their tireless efforts, fueled by a passion for preserving knowledge and a deep-seated belief in the importance of data permanence, proved instrumental in the ongoing battle against information censorship and loss.
As the fight to protect government data continues, the collaboration between archivists, librarians, and data hoarders remains essential in ensuring that vital information is not erased or altered beyond recognition. Together, these dedicated individuals are writing a new chapter in the history of data preservation, one where the power of collective action and a shared commitment to knowledge preservation triumph over threats of censorship and information loss.
