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Federal Computer Week story about DLC conference
Librarians air frustrations BY Aliya Sternstein Published on Apr. 27, 2005.
Federal depository librarians, who attended the meeting in Albuquerque, came away saying much has to be done before the FDLP can truly provide permanent public access in the digital age.Continue reading
Peter Suber on Open Access to Government Information
Peter Suber is a tireless advocate of open access. His Open Access News blog is the definitive source of news on the open access movement to scholarly communication. On April 22, Suber added this comment to the story about the Santorum bill that would drastically limit distribution of weather data by the government:
The argument used by Santorum --that government shouldn't compete with private-sector companies-- has been used against OA to research literature as well. If the private-sector companies are not repackaging and reselling publicly-funded resources, then this argument might be taken seriously. But when they charge customers for something already paid by the customers' taxes, then the argument collapses. For example, if the private weather companies collected the same data at their own expense, then it might be wasteful duplication for the government to do so as well. But if the companies want to use publicly-funded data, then their request to be the sole distributors is simply the request to rip off the public. Governments have an obligation to prevent that from happening, not an obligation to step back and let it happen.
Santorum wants to end OA to publicly-funded weather data
Suber has posted more information about the bill and its supporters here.
Continue readingRemix page updated
There is new information on the Remix page. Recently added: U.S. Congressional Committee Meetings Index from NCSU and INSIDE Idaho; Idaho's official geospatial data clearinghouse. If you have suggestions for this page, please send them to us or post a comment on the Remix page. It is part of our growing library of information.
Continue readingBoston Globe: “public loses information”
In war's name, public loses information By Charlie Savage, Boston Globe, April 24, 2005. (If that link doesn't work, Try this one sent in from an anonymous commenter. Thanks Anonymous commenter!)
This is an excellent update on the how public information is being increasingly concealed from the public. The article makes clear the difference between the system for classifying information as "Confidential," "Secret," or "Top Secret," and the "50 to 60 loosely defined security designations that can be imposed by officials as low-ranking as government clerks."
The article lists many examples of loss of access to public information including:
- topographic chart
- phone book
- environmental information
- statistical report
- planning document Continue reading
Secrecy Report Card: An update
The Federal Government Keeps More Secrets for Longer, New Data Shows. OpenTheGovernment.org, press release, April 5, 2005. full report (pdf). Reporting and summarizing new government figures, Open The Government shows an increase in documents being classified, a decrease in the number of pages being declassified, and more documents being kept classified longer. We note that if publications are not deposited in FDLP libraries, it will be easier to classify publications, easier to remove them from the official public record, and easier for the government to control the information which citizens would otherwise be able to use to hold the government accountable for its actions. Continue reading
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