There has been a dramatic shift around federal government resources and information since the change from the Biden to the Trump administration. This guide is intended to help you understand what's going on and find alternative access to resources. Please be aware that links to federal resources found in the Library catalog, on our Library Guides, and elsewhere may be affected by these changes. The best place to search for archives of missing federal webpages is the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, and you are welcome to contact me if you need further assistance with federal resources.
The federal web landscape changes with every new administration to reflect changes in policy, which means there has always been a problem of certain federal information/websites being taken down when a new administration begins. The difference this time around is the scale and speed of change. Entire offices, such as USAID and the Department of Education, are being closed or threatened with closure. Large numbers of websites, datasets, articles, and other types of content have been deleted or altered. Research grants have been terminated. Massive dismissals of staff mean fewer people to research, create, publish, and maintain information resources such as websites and databases. Resources we have relied on for years may no longer be available, and access to certain federal webpages may change from day-to-day or even hour-to-hour.
Information related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) has been hit especially hard, following White House executive actions including new executive orders (EOs) and rescission of EOs from previous administrations. Environmental justice, vaccines and other health information, census research, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and other important issues have also seen significant changes across federal websites. There's a helpful Wikipedia page that outlines some of the most affected agencies and resources.
While it may be obvious why these changes to federal information resources are problematic, the American Library Association's Key Principles of Government Information provides a more concrete framework for understanding why most government information librarians like me are concerned about the recent actions. Many of you reading this page may find yourself aligned with the ideas expressed in the ALA document, and it may help you in articulating those ideas to others.
I will also point out that Federal Depository Libraries are now receiving very little in the way of printed publications from the federal government, so there may be no offline "backup" copy of federal information that has been removed from the web. This interactive map from the Government Publishing Office (GPO) shows the titles still being published in hard copy and the libraries that receive those hard copies.
