Librarians Create Archive to Save National Park History

When librarian Jenny McBurney heard that signs at national parks were being changed, she grabbed her camera and started what she calls a "sign quest."

McBurney co-founded Save Our Signs in 2024 with fellow librarians and public historians. Their mission is simple but powerful: photograph and archive every informational sign at national park sites before changes erase important stories.

The group sprang into action after the Department of Interior directed officials to remove materials deemed "disparaging to Americans" or that fail to emphasize the "beauty and grandeur" of parks. McBurney and her team visited sites in Washington D.C., documenting what had been altered.

At the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, they found changes to a plaque about suffragists. The original described how women protesters were "beaten and force-fed when they went on hunger strikes" in 1917. The new version removed this detail and the fact that these actions helped change public opinion on voting rights.

Save Our Signs now maintains a free online archive where anyone can view photos of the original signs. Volunteers across the country contribute images, creating a crowdsourced historical record that preserves stories about women's contributions, labor movements, and civil rights history.

"If people go to these sites and expect to see the full history, and they're not seeing that, then that is a missed opportunity," McBurney said. The archive ensures visitors can access complete stories even when physical signs change.

Why This Inspires

These librarians aren't protesting or politicking. They're simply doing what librarians do best: preserving information for everyone who seeks it. Their grassroots effort proves that ordinary citizens can protect shared history through documentation and community action.

The archive grows daily as more volunteers photograph signs at parks near them. Each image becomes a permanent record, ensuring future generations can learn the full stories of suffragists, labor activists, and others who shaped America.

Their work shows how small groups armed with smartphones and determination can safeguard collective memory for everyone.