Preserving the Record: A Year-End Reflection

There’s always a shift in the air at this time of year. This year, that shift feels especially present in our field.

Much of what happened touched the places where our work takes place. Some months felt steady, while others felt like we were racing to record things before they slipped away.

As the year wraps up, we’re taking this moment to reflect on what we witnessed and what we learned from it. 

(If you’re new here, you’ll find brief recaps and links to each issue below.)

WHAT WE WITNESSED IN 2025

February: How We Can Meet This Moment—Together

We opened the year by naming what many of you were already sensing. Changes were rolling through museums, archives, and cultural heritage sites. Polarization spread further across the political spectrum. DEI programs drew scrutiny. Early censorship pressures became visible.

And so, we created The Moment—a nimble newsletter (the one you’re reading right now) to witness what’s happening on the front lines of history. 

In our first issue, we weighed the pros and cons of pluralism as a strategy to make space for differing perspectives without sliding into “bothsidesism.” We also explored how civic language (or “bridgey words”) can help us find common ground and unite diverse audiences. 

Our annual forecast also pointed to three areas worth close attention:

• how language choices shift public trust,
• where DEI programs might land next,
• and the growth of anticipatory censorship. 

February: Protecting Our Past & Securing Our Future

By late February, policy changes moved from talk to action. Executive orders signaled a new set of priorities, sparking concern around federal budgets for IMLS, NEH, NEA, and the Historic Preservation Fund. With budgets on the chopping block, advocacy became urgent. 

Lost funding negatively impacts accessibility through canceled programs and stalled projects. So, local professionals and community members banded together—studying the proposed cuts, calling representatives, building local partnerships, and creating more diversified funding plans.

March: “Fire” at the National Archives

In March, concerns deepened. The abrupt firing of Colleen Shogan, the first female Archivist of the United States, and the sudden resignation of Deputy Archivist William Bosanko raised alarms about political pressure on the National Archives (NARA). Rumors of wider firings across the NARA, National Park Service (NPS), and JFK Presidential Library added concern. What happens when our trusted institutions are gutted and compromised? 

Around the same time, people noticed gaps in public databases, including missing DOJ case records tied to January 6. This pushed many in our field to take stock of what’s at stake when archival leadership is destabilized:

• Oversight of the Electoral College, 
• publication of the Federal Register, 
• management of federal records retention, 
• and access to declassified materials. 

When the people who safeguard public records are removed, we must wonder: are the records next? This moment served as a wake-up call to document as many physical and digital records as possible, before they disappear. 

April: History—A “working draft”

April made clear how fast the historical record can shift. Executive orders and policy changes quietly scrubbed marginalized histories from public view.

Examples accumulated quickly: all mentions of transgender people were removed from the NPS website; DODEA school materials were purged; the NEH Chair was removed; military history databases were selectively edited; and online labels changed without explanation. One Smithsonian label even removed Felix Gonzalez-Torres tribute to his partner’s battle with AIDS, effectively stripping the installation of its meaning. 

These weren’t small adjustments. They showed how “maintenance” can become erasure, leaving a narrower account of who we were—and are.

May: How Local Action Can Save Our National Heritage

By May, federal instability reached local doors. Budget cuts and administrative choices strained institutions across our home state of Oregon and the region. We followed:

• NW Digital Heritage as it faced sudden financial constraints
• Washington County’s 5 Oaks Museum as county support faltered
• Salem Public Library as one branch approached possible closure

Each scenario revealed how quickly local collections can disappear when budgets shrink and officials redirect funds. Advocacy helped, but many colleagues described the month as one spent in limbo, waiting to see which programs would remain.

June: The Future of Preservation is (Still) at Risk

June brought another difficult turn. Even though Congress had fully appropriated the Historic Preservation Fund for FY 2025, the dollars weren’t released.

The impact landed hardest on State Historic Preservation Offices and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices—the only federal stream for many tribal preservation programs. Layoffs started, projects stalled, and community services were paused.

Update: Despite being delayed, the funding was released in July. Still, the disruption left lasting effects. SHPOs and THPOs were required to apply for funds and wait for awards, adding uncertainty to programs that, in more stable times, would have moved forward as a matter of course.  

July: The Continued Erasure of Our Nation’s History

In July, we saw another concerning case of censorship when the National Council of Public History issued an alert tied to the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order. The NPS was directed to review and revise interpretive signs that could be seen as “disparaging” or showing “improper ideology,” and the public was encouraged to report signs that broke those rules. 

In response, the Data Rescue Project launched #SaveOurSigns, urging visitors to photograph signs and exhibits before the federal government removed context. 

A reminder that erasing nuance doesn’t simplify history. It strips away information communities rely on to understand their present.

September: Under Siege—Museums As Safe Spaces

By September, concerns shifted toward safety and trust. One widely shared example showed DHS vehicles surrounding the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago. Protection… or intimidation? Local leaders called it the latter. 

Meanwhile in D.C., armed troops lining the museum-lined National Mall shifted the mood for everyday citizens. 

These scenes raised difficult questions: When protective measures become militarized, do people still experience museums as safe spaces for belonging—especially those from communities that already face heightened policing? How far is too far? 

October: The U.S. Isn’t Alone in Losing Local History

Themes of instability weren’t isolated to the U.S. this year. Canadians faced the closure of Halton Region’s Heritage Services in Ontario, ongoing uncertainty at the Ontario Science Centre, and the dissolution and sale of Hudson’s Bay Company’s collection.

Each case reflected the same pattern: when cultural heritage is treated as expendable or commercial property, communities lose more than objects. They lose the places that anchor shared memories. 

November: Creative Resistance to the Rescue 

We ended the year by turning toward the people who refused to let the record shrink quietly.

Citizen archivists documented the Smithsonian room by room. Artists installed public works that pushed back against official narratives, including the Best Friends Forever sculpture and Banksy’s piece at the Queen’s Building.

In Portland, inflatable frogs appeared at protests, easing tension and redirecting attention.

Different tactics, but one intent: protect history and create moments of relief in a heavy year.

THE THEMES WE NOTICED

Patterns help us form predictions and recognize recurring or similar situations. They help us learn what works and what doesn’t. Looking back at the events we covered this year, we noticed several recurring themes: 

Truth under pressure

Decisions at every level, from federal to municipal, narrowed or reframed the historical record.

Institutions stretched thin

Museums, archives, and public institutions faced unstable budgets, leadership shifts, and heightened scrutiny.

Local losses with broad impact

When a local museum or cultural center shutters, the community loses a part of its history and sense of place. 

Creative resistance

People rose up with cameras, art, notebooks, eyewitness accounts, and even inflatable frog costumes to counter erasure and document history. 

Community as the constant

Engagement didn’t disappear. In fact, it expanded in many ways—restoring faith and giving us hope for the future. 

WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR

For all the strain 2025 placed on our field, participation remained steady. Our colleagues and communities held the line and showed up in incredible ways. 

Together we: 

• wrote to our representatives, 
• showed up at local meetings, 
• participated in postcard and letter-writing efforts, 
• documented exhibits and signage before changes took effect, 
• supported parks and historic sites, 
• donated and volunteered locally, 
• and lifted up community programs during periods of uncertainty. 

Every one of these actions, no matter how big or small, played a role in keeping history visible. History, after all, is a collection of human culture and experience.

IN CONCLUSION 

Thank you for the work you showed up for this year. Whether public or quiet, large or small, your efforts made a difference in a year that placed real demands on all of us.

As always, it’s an honor to do this work alongside you. We have more work to do, and so much to be proud of. 

This blog post content was originally included in our community newsletter: The Moment -- where we respond quickly and thoughtfully to impactful events and decisions that challenge or disrupt our profession.