In an earlier post on this blog I wrote about the Access to Information Crisis precipitated by the current Administration’s removal or altering of information and chilling of speech. Since I wrote that post things haven’t gotten better: government information continues to be removed or altered; Executive Orders targeting law firms, non-profits, higher education, and other institutions and individuals are chilling speech; and now the dismantling of agencies, like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS),[1] is directly targeting archives and libraries. Our ability to find, access, and use information is rapidly deteriorating. As librarians we pride ourselves on finding the unfindable, but finding the unfindable is becoming harder or impossible.

What do we do? In my last post I said it would be understandable if we just wanted to crawl under our desks and eat Girl Scout cookies. Well, I’m all out of Girl Scout cookies so with this post I hope to provide some practical, concrete ways to support the dissemination of knowledge and help prevent the further erosion of information access.

Help People

Helping people find and access information is not new to us, it’s an integral part of our work. Even in a disrupted information access environment, like the one we’re currently in, we continue to help people find and access information. In addition to helping people find information, we need to help our patrons understand that access to information is changing and prepare them for information access disruptions. These are learning opportunities. Transforming the negatives of the Access to Information Crisis into learning opportunities helps us gain some control of the situation. Below are a few potential learning opportunities:

Preserving Information
- Teaching our patrons how to capture web pages using tools like the Internet Archives Wayback Machine can help preserve information for our patrons and others
- Teaching our patrons how to use tools like the Data Rescue Project and GovWayback can help them access information that may have been purged or altered
- Informing patrons about the many individuals and organizations working to preserve information helps patrons understand the scope of the Access to Information Crisis and the work being done to rescue and disseminate information – and possibly grow our collective advocacy networks (see below)
Reviewing information literacy
- Helping patrons find and access information in the current information access environment provides opportunities to review information literacy concepts such as information creation as a process, the value of information, and searching as a strategic exploration
Asking for Help
- Instilling in our patrons the importance of asking for help has always been important but it’s even more important in the current unstable information environment
- Telling patrons that they may encounter more issues finding and accessing information and providing examples may inspire more patrons to ask for help
  - For example, I recently met with a student who was having issues accessing a resource they found earlier in the semester on a government website. We were able to find a captured version on the Wayback Machine and another resource that factually supported their assertion. I told them they may encounter additional issues accessing information and they shouldn’t hesitate to reach out, which they did when they hit another roadblock.

Cite, Preserve, and (Maybe) Cite Some More

In this time of information insecurity, it might be necessary to alter how we cite sources and promote more robust citation practices to students, faculty, and attorneys. This is especially important when citing government websites and data that may be removed or altered.

Some ideas for ensuring citations help current readers and future researchers find information include:

Preserve and capture cited webpages using tools like Perma.cc and The Wayback Machine
- Include a “backup” source
  - If you’re worried that a website you’re citing may be removed or altered include an additional source that factually supports the above-the-line assertion
  - If you’re worried that government data you’re using may be removed or altered, if possible, include a cite to an alternative data access point like Census Reporter or the Public Environmental Data Partners
  - Include a parenthetical explanation why you’re citing additional sources or providing alternative data access points

Prepare for More Disruption

When I worked in a museum, I was tasked with updating the disaster plan. One of the first steps was brainstorming all the possible disasters that could happen. Next, we identified what we could do now to prepare for a disaster and what we would do when/if a disaster happened. Approaching the current information environment with a disaster-planning mindset can help us identify ways information flows may be further disrupted and potential impacts, then we need to identify what we can do now and what we might have to do in the future to ensure continued access to information.

Some possible issues include:

Faculty, students, or attorneys may lose access to information or data they need to complete research
Law reviews and journals may encounter issues trying to find documents or data for source pulls and cite checks
Government resources will likely continue to be removed or altered
Non-government resources and databases may remove information, not update information, or cease to exist[2]

Some possible preparations and responses:

Identify backup resources for finding information that’s been removed or altered, such as alternative data access points like the data vault project through Harvard Law School’s Library Innovation Lab
Preserve and capture webpages using tools like Perma.cc and The Wayback Machine
Examine the stability of information when making collections decisions
Review resources and databases regularly for updates or changes

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Finding the Unfindable in an Access to Information Crisis