The transition to digital information raises a number of issues of possible interest to Congress. This report discusses those possible concerns as they affect FDLP. These issues, which are in some cases interrelated, may not only affect FDLP, but also extend beyond the program to a variety of contexts related to the management of government information in tangible and digital forms. Issues include the following: maintenance and availability of the FDLP tangible collection; retention and preservation of digital information; access to FDLP resources; authenticity and accuracy of digital material; robustness of the FDLP Electronic Collection; and the costs of FDLP and other government information distribution initiatives.

A Roundup of Recent Government Info News and New Resources (April 2, 2012)

April 2, 2012 / Leave a comment

More news and new resources via INFOdocket.com. Our site is updated daily. We hope you stop by and/or follow @INFOdocket.

1. U. of Minnesota and Ancestry.com Announce Plans to Create Massive Database of 1940 Census Material

2. Dutch National Archive To Open Data

3. New From Kent College of Law/Oyez Project: Searchable/Shareable Audio of Health Care Reform Act Arguments

4. New iOS App from National Library of Medicine: Recovering Library Collections After a Flood

5. Roundup: U.S. Government Rolls Out a Number of “Big Data” Initiatives, Projects

6. Unpublished Letters Written by Ernest Hemingway Made Available for the First Time by JFK Library

8. UK: New Website for the Archives Sector Launched

9. NARA: Archives Crowdsources Advice on Federal e-Records Management

10. Statistics: IRS Releases FY 2011 Data Book

11. Census Bureau Releases New List/Maps of Urban Areas (Based on 2010 Census)

12. Wolfram|Alpha Adds Plant Data from USDA

13. New iOS App: Consumers Take the Driver’s Seat on Safety with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SaferBus

14. Australia: New South Wales Government to Open Source Digital Archives Software

16. World Trade Organization Launches New Database on Preferential Trade Arrangements

17. National Archives of Australia Shares Records Digitization Strategy With Release of Digital Continuity Plan

18. MapLight’s Launches Topic Pages, Search for Bills by Issue Area

19. Mass. Court OKs Live, Unedited Court Proceedings

20. Doing Business at a Glance 2012, iOS App from World Bank Group (Free)

ProQuest To Begin Publishing “Statistical Abstract of the United States” (Print & Electronic Versions)

March 22, 2012 / 2 Comments on ProQuest To Begin Publishing “Statistical Abstract of the United States” (Print & Electronic Versions)

via INFOdocket.com

From ProQuest

ProQuest will rescue one of researchers’ most valued reference tools when it takes on publication of the Statistical Abstract of the United States beginning with the 2013 edition. The move ensures continuation of this premier guide to an extraordinary array of statistics, which has been published since 1878. The U.S. Census Bureau, responsible for publishing the work, announced in March 2011 that it would cease production of the Statistical Abstract after the 2012 edition, prompting widespread concern among librarians, journalists, and researchers about the disappearance of this essential research tool.

“I’m thrilled that ProQuest will continue aggregating this important content,” said Wright State University librarian Sue Polanka, author of the widely read No Shelf Required blog. Polanka was part of a Reference User Services Association committee who organized a discussion at the American Library Association’s Midwinter conference about how to save the Statistical Abstract from extinction. “Even in our increasingly digital world, the Statistical Abstract remains one of the best reference sources for libraries.”

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The ProQuest Statistical Abstract will be available in both print and digital formats. The digital version will include monthly updates to tables, deep searching at the line-item level, powerful facets for narrowing search results, image and spreadsheet versions of all current and historical tables, along with links to provider sites. The digital Statistical Abstract will be available as a stand-alone service or as a fully integrated part of ProQuest Statistical Insight, a comprehensive collection of statistical publications, including a million plus tables, covering subjects in economics, business, market research and the social sciences.

The print edition will continue much like its previous incarnations, with roughly the same number of tables as in past editions. The ProQuest statistical editorial team will also include detailed bibliographic documentation, an updated back-of-the-book index, and updated introductory sections. ProQuest will co-publish the book with Bernan Press, an imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc, which will print, market and distribute the book.

Both are available for pre-sale beginning in April 2012.

Note: We’ve also asked ProQuest for answers to a few questions about pricing, access, etc. We will we report back on INFOdocket when we here back.