2020/03/24 by Mariana Maia Marques, Inês Grenha, Leonor Lopes +2 · 2 voices
Arts and Humanities · Computer Science · Health Professions · Medicine · Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics · Social Sciences · #Digital and Traditional Archives Management #Diverse Scientific Research Studies #Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Protection #Library Science and Administration #Phytochemicals and Medicinal Plants #Research Data Management Practices
paper · pdf · doi:10.2218/ijdc.v20i1.1117
openalex publication_date 2026/05/01 · openalex created_date 2026/05/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/10
This paper offers a retrospective analysis of the 2016/2017 Data Rescue movement, a grassroots initiative that mobilized librarians, technologists, and activists to preserve at-risk federal environmental data in response to the anticipated threats posed by the Trump administration. Drawing on 16 qualitative interviews conducted in early 2025, this paper examines how participants now reflect on their motivations, methods, and the movement’s legacy. It explores the ethical and affective dimensions of emergency curation, the tensions between institutional and community-driven preservation, and the shifting trust in public data infrastructures. Participants expressed a strong sense of civic duty and emotional urgency, but also critical distance from the movement’s limitations, particularly its overreliance on downloading as a preservation strategy. The findings underscore that trust in infrastructure is relational and partial, shaped by the political context and social practice. This paper argues that digital preservation in politically volatile times must be grounded in care, accountability, and long-term infrastructural thinking, rather than reactive interventions alone.