What is Endangered Data Week?
Endangered Data Week is recognized the week of February 25- March 1. Democracy depends on the transparency of the government along with access to public information. However, this is being threatened since information is being removed. Data is changed and deleted with each new administration. According to the official website of the Endangered Data Week, "there's little guarantee that information under federal control will always survive changes to federal agencies." The University of Montana defines Endangered Data Week as an "international, collaborative effort, coordinated across campuses, nonprofits, libraries, citizen science initiatives, and cultural heritage institutions, to shed light on public datasets that are in danger of being deleted, repressed, mishandled, or lost." This week encourages awareness of government transparency. It is the people's' right to have this data and is one of the principles of democracy.
The University of Pennsylvania is holding an event this week informing the public about how "government shutdowns disrupts access to federal data." The Boston College is also hosting an event that teaches individuals about civic and public data, and how to access it. The Endangered Data Week provides additional events that aim to inform the public about the importance of knowledge.
What is the Digital Library Foundation?
According to the Digital Library Foundation (DLF), one of the sponsors of Endangered Data Week, the goal of their organization is to "advance research, learning, social justice, and the public good through the creative design and wise application of digital library technologies." The institution works to achieve the following objectives: open digital library standards, research data management, preservation for digital collections, services that increase access to resources, education and professional development, and transparency of government records. The DLF is a program that is supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The official website of CLIR advocates "strategies to enhance research, training and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning."
What are some other events that promote the preservation of data?
Sunshine Week endorses open government and public access to all information, along with the discouragement of government secrecy. Sunshine Week advocates for the freedom of information because it plays an essential role in Democracy. The Sunshine Week organization works to help "keep public officials honest, makes government more efficient and provides a check against abuse of power."
In addition, Open Access Week (OA) strives to "maximize research investments, increase the exposure and use of published research, facilitate the ability to conduct research across available literature, and enhance the overall advancement of scholarship." The OA allows individuals to share research and information.
~by Emily Hancz
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