Access to public data for the public good

In early 2025, changes across U.S. government websites highlighted the ongoing challenge of preserving public access to government data and documents. Librarians, researchers and data specialists identified materials that had been removed, or which were harder to find or access, including climate research, public health statistics, census data and environmental records. For data librarians with experience in digital preservation, the priority was clear: act quickly to support long-term public access.

Lynda Kellam, Director of Research Data and Digital Scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, was among the first to mobilize. A veteran of the Preservation of Electronic Government Information (PEGI) project, Kellam had the experience and network needed to act quickly. She co-founded the Data Rescue Project (DRP) in February 2025, bringing together members of three professional organizations: International Association for Social Science Information & Technology (IASSIST), the Research Data Access and Preservation Association (RDAP) and the Data Curation Network. Another grass-roots organization, Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) formed in 2022, provided the technical infrastructure. What started as a shared Google Doc became a coordinated operation within weeks.

How 800 Volunteers Preserved Government Information At Scale

The project grew quickly. By mid-2026, more than 800 volunteers had joined from around the world, including librarians, data scientists, academic researchers, programmers and retirees. They identified and preserved over 2,900 at-risk datasets from more than 90 federal agencies and offices. Volunteers contributed metadata and documentation alongside these datasets, ensuring future researchers can interpret what each dataset measures and its context. The project’s open repository, DataLumos, hosted by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan, provides free public access to the rescued data.

How the Data Rescue Project is Protecting the Future of Public Information

DRP’s work extended beyond immediate rescue. The project developed frameworks for long-term stewardship of government information and began building a playbook for rapid-response preservation that can be reused internationally in response to natural disasters, political transitions or other crises. More than 20 allied organizations joined the effort, from the Internet Archive to the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative. By spring 2026, DRP had paused new volunteer recruitment to update workflows and plan for sustainability, reflecting how quickly the project had scaled beyond its origins as an emergency response.

The Data Rescue Project describes itself as “a grassroots volunteer community dedicated to preserving and providing access to public data for the public good.” That line functions as an operating principle rather than a slogan.

The Documents to the People Award

At the 2026 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) of the American Library Association recognized DRP with the ProQuest/GODORT/ALA Documents to the People Award. It was DRP’s second major honor, following the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) Excellence Award in 2025.

The ProQuest/GODORT/ALA Documents to the People Award dates from 1977 and has recognized individuals, organizations and projects that expand public access to government information for nearly 50 years. It carries a $3,000 prize. Past honorees include digital preservation initiatives, multi-state library collaborations and advocacy organizations that support public access to government information.

The GODORT Awards Committee recognized DRP for protecting “threatened scientific data that was in danger of removal from public access,” calling the project “a model of collaboration, transparency and dedication to the public good.”

A Shared Commitment to Public Information

ProQuest, from Clarivate, has long worked to preserve and expand access to government information. The ProQuest Government Documents collection brings together millions of U.S. and international primary sources spanning more than 300 years, from Congressional hearings and executive branch publications to global statistical records, in a single research platform designed for academic libraries. The Digital National Security Archive (DNSA), produced in partnership with the National Security Archive at George Washington University, makes declassified U.S. government records available for scholarship and public accountability. Together these resources reflect decades of work organizing, preserving and making government information accessible.

The ProQuest/GODORT/ALA Documents to the People Award was presented at the 2026 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Learn more about the Data Rescue Project at datarescueproject.org.

Additional information about ProQuest Government Documents and the Digital National Security Archive is available online.