Data rescue events to preserve at-risk government data

Ever wonder what happens during a White House administration transition? From replacing appointed officials and personnel to the exchange of agency information and security clearances, a dizzying number of changes occur in a short time frame after the January inauguration.

With so much going on, one may not notice the alteration or suppression of public information on government websites and the data hosted on those sites, especially when that information no longer reflects the priorities or beliefs of the new administration. While there are strict rules about how government information must be managed and preserved, there have been several high-profile incidents over the last decade that demonstrate the cracks in the system, especially during presidential transitions. In response, there has been the advent of community-led digital preservation of government data and, in cases of at-risk information such climate science data, rapid response digital archiving.

With many wondering how to address the clashing viewpoints over environmental research and policy within the incoming administration and among the general public, now is the time to preserve public information and data. Regardless of the policy debate, the climate crisis continues to worsen and the public has the right to access information on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related environmental disasters.

As part of this preparation, the University of Washington Information School’s Center for Advances in Libraries, Museums, and Archives (CALMA) is joining a constellation of community-led national efforts to preserve publicly available data about “grand challenge” issues such as the climate crisis. With your help, the Seattle community can work toward ensuring at-risk data continues to be accessible for both present and future users!

Two emergency “Data Rescue” events will be held in January on the Seattle UW campus, facilitated by CALMA-affiliated PhD candidates Itza Carbajal and Sarah Nguyễn. These events are open to all who are interested and will have a Zoom option for those who cannot attend in person. Lunch and snacks will be provided on site. All skills and interests are welcome!

How to participate: Events will be hosted on Wednesday, January 15, from 12:30 to 5:30 pm PT; and Wednesday, January 22, from 12:30 to 5:30 pm PT. Both will take place in the University of Washington Suzzallo Library’s Open Scholarship Commons (1st floor), on the Seattle campus. A Zoom link will be provided for those who cannot attend in person. You can join one or both events and can attend for as little as one hour or up to the full length of the session.

Complete the registration form to indicate your attendance plans and any accessibility or dietary needs.

What is a Data Rescue: Modeled after the 2016-2017 Data Rescue/Refuge movement, these “guerilla archiving actions” are community run hackathons; that is, collaborative drop-in events where people work together on a variety of digital archiving tasks over a short period of time. While Data Rescues can focus on any type of at-risk public data, many have focused on environmental issues given documented threats and modifications by presidential agendas or politicians.

Why this is important: As a new presidential administration and incoming elected officials transition into office with many expressing disbelief or disdain towards environmental and health protections, education, and social health and wellbeing, threats to government data emerge. While changes in presidential administrations always bring uncertainty as to whether information will be transferred completely and efficiently, a number of incoming elected officials have explicitly outlined plans to remove, erase, or discontinue government information and initiatives on issues vital to public health, identity, and freedom as was done during the Obama to Trump administration transition.

History of past work: Data Rescues were first held in response to 2017 threats by the Trump administration aimed at data that mentioned climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, and many other partisan issues. These digital archiving community driven actions brought together information professionals, librarians, archivists, students, researchers, climate scientists, civic hackers, and interested volunteers to identify, collect, describe, and share public data like websites, datasets, and social media posts. Data Rescue volunteers worked together in hackathon-like settings to identify and prevent potential data loss or destruction come the new administration.

How else to get involved:

1. Learn about other At-Risk Data Preservation efforts like DataRefuge, Climate Mirror, Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI), Silencing Science Tracker, and the End-of-Term Project.

2. Reflect and share thoughts with your peers on why government and publicly available data matters and how local and institutional groups can help protect these valuable yet vulnerable information.

Contact CALMA staff at calma@uw.edu if you have questions or comments.