Preserving Under Pressure: The 2016/17 Data Rescue Movement and the Limits of Emergency Curation

This paper offers a retrospective analysis of the 2016/17 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, the study 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 both political context and social practice. Ultimately, the 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.