Thanks to the library workers!
This week (April 6-12) is National Library Week!
Most of our active DRP members are librarians, so we wanted to bring attention to their hard work and dedication. Many have volunteered time outside of work to help rescue datasets, build the Data Rescue Tracker of rescued data, and assist with metadata cleanup. None of us expected the pace of these events, which means we haven’t had much time to do things perfectly. But we are DOING THINGS to save as much data as possible now.
In addition, many of the federal employees who work in government repositories and data services are also librarians. In some cases, they have experienced real trauma in the loss of their jobs and the years of effort they've committed to public access to government information. Please give them some public appreciation and support.
If you want to support librarians, call or email your representatives and ask that funding for the IMLS be continued. So much of our work is dependent upon that funding, especially for rural libraries and public libraries. You can also advocate in your local communities and draw attention to the importance of access to government information.
We appreciate the wider support, and DRP has certainly benefited from many non-librarians. But today, we celebrate the librarians out there who care about government information access and preservation.
Big virtual hugs! 🤗 🫶
