Rescuing Data, Resisting Loss - Emergency Curation, Anticipatory Maintenance And The Limits Of Feeling Resilient

Rescuing Data,Resisting Loss LAURA ROTHFRITZ EMERGENCY CURATION, ANTICIPATORY MAINTENANCE AND THE LIMITS OF FEELING RESILIENT Data Rescue 2017/2018 STARTED AT THE U TORONTO BY A GROUP THAT LATER FORMED EDGI AFTER 2016 U.S. ELECTION AS GUERILLA ARCHIVING AROUND THE SAME TIME: DATA REFUGE BY ACADEMICS AND LIBRARIANS AT U PENNSYLVANIA NATIONWIDE ABOUT 50 “HACKATHON” EVENTS WITH MORE THAN 1.500 PARTICIPANTS IN TOTAL AIM: IDENTIFYING AND “SAVING” FEDERAL DATASETS SEEN AS “AT RISK” AT THAT TIME METHODS: NOMINATING TO INTERNET ARCHIVE AND/OR DOWNLOADING AND STORING AND SO, I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT FELT ACTIVE AND FELT LIKE IT MIGHT HELP DOCUMENT WHAT WAS HAPPENING (I_01) THERE'S OF COURSE, ALL KINDS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL MOTIVES. AND I THINK, MORE THAN ANYTHING, THIS SENSE OF DESPAIR AT THE DIRECTION OF POLITICS AND OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SOMEHOW MITIGATING THAT DIRECTION THROUGH INDIVIDUAL ACTION. SO IN THAT SENSE, ONE MIGHT EITHER THINK OF THIS AS A SOCIAL MOVEMENT OR AS A KIND OF COLLECTIVE THERAPY. (LAUGHS) (I_79) Emotional arcs of activism EARLY PHASE HOPE COLLECTIVE ENERGY PRODUCTIVENESS LATE PHASE EXHAUSTION FRUSTRATION OVERWHELM INTERNAL FRICTION FEELING RESILIENT VS SUSTAINING RESILIENCE “I REMEMBER CRYING AT DINNER THAT NIGHT BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS LIKE, "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NEXT, XXX?" AND I WAS LIKE, "I'M A FUCKING MIDDLE MANAGER AT ONE INSTITUTION!" I WAS HAVING WEEKLY CALLS WITH THE PERSON WHO RUNS DATA.GOV! THE UN CALLED ME! ME! ON MY WORK PHONE! THE UN DATA PROGRAM! AND THEY WERE LIKE, "WELL, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE US IS CONTINUING TO MEET THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM"? AND I WAS LIKE, "I'M FUCKING NOT!" LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, UNITED NATIONS? (...) AND I WAS LIKE, DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS. YOU KNOW, YOU'RE THE HEAD OF IT AT (LARGE UNIVERSITY). WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? (...) I JUST COULDN'T.... WE COULDN'T GET ANYONE TO SORT OF ADDRESS THE PROBLEM FOR WHAT I FELT LIKE IT WAS. SO, NO. IT DID NOT SUCCEED.” (I_80) Conceptual Lens EMERGENCY CURATION RAPID, PROVISIONAL DATA CURATION AND PRESERVATION EFFORTS IN RESPONSE TO PERCEIVED THREATS ANTICIPATORY MAINTENANCE PREVENTIVE, FUTURE-ORIENTED MODE OF CARE, THAT TRANSLATES ANTICIPATED DISRUPTION INTO PRESENT INTERVENTIONS TO SUSTAIN CONTINUITY UNDER UNCERTAINTY BROKEN-WORLD THINKING JACKSON (2014): INFRASTRUCTURES ARE ALWAYS UNFINISHED AND VULNERABLE RUBIO (2015): FRAGILITY AS A RELATIONAL CONDITION, NOT A FLAW MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR ARE ONGOING, SPECULATIVE ACTS Critical Reflections EFFORTS WERE OFTEN SYMBOLIC RATHER THAN STRATEGIC REDUNDANCY WITHOUT CONTEXT LEADS TO LOSS OF USABILITY TENSIONS OVER SPEED VS. METADATA QUALITY OVERLY TECHNOCRATIC APPROACHES AND MY DISILLUSION WITH IT IN THAT PHASE CAME FROM THE SENSE THAT WE WERE ESSENTIALLY TAKING THE FAMILY VALUABLES AND PUTTING THEM IN JARS AND BURYING THEM IN THE BACKYARD. (I_79) BUT I THINK IT STARTED SLIGHTLY AS THIS, LIKE, WE CAN CODE OUR WAY OUT OF THIS SOCIETAL PROBLEM. AND I THINK THAT'S JUST NEVER TRUE. AND I WISH WE HAD ADDRESSED THAT EARLIER, HONESTLY. (I_49) Five shifts in 2025 SPEED & SCOPE: BIGGER, FASTER EDITS/REMOVALS; DATASETS LOST/ALTERED CESSATION: AGENCIES STOP COLLECTING SOME DATA (IRRECOVERABLE) TARGETS BROADEN: HEALTH DATA AND DEI-RELATED DATA UNPREDICTABILITY: TRIAGE HARDER; FIRST HIT AGENCIES DEFY EXPECTATIONS ORGANISATIONAL SHIFT: FEWER GRASSROOTS EVENTS; MORE INSTITUTIONAL, LESS VISIBLE EFFORTS