Introduction to Data Rescue

Abstract

Since Donald Trump's second inauguration, he has signed dozens of Executive Orders and issued numerous statements that have directed government agencies to delete thousands of government web pages, removing important government data from public access. Among the pages taken down are more than 3,000 pages from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 3,000 pages from the Census Bureau, more than 1,000 pages from the Office of Justice Programs, and more. The removed pages contained data, information about policies and programs, training materials, guidelines, and press statements. Information related to public health, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and other topics that the Trump administration has targeted in anti-DEI orders and memos. We will discuss the impact of data removal on research and teaching, and will share the outline and results from a pilot Data Rescue Event in UMD Libraries.