Home » Articles posted by James A Jacobs (Page 7)
Author Archives: James A Jacobs
Tracking the unlawful or accidental removal of government records
In the age of digital information, it is easier than it ever has been for government agencies to alter or delete official records at the flick of a switch. The U.S. Code (Title 44) and Code of Federal Regulations (Title 36) require agencies to “prevent the unlawful or accidental removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of […]
Time Use Study of Reading in America
It is nice to see an article in a popular magazine make good and explicit use of government data. This article has a couple of added bonuses for government information librarians: It is about reading and it does a very good job of explaining how to avoid being mislead by sloppy use of data. It […]
Modernizing the FDLP Modernization Act
The so-called FDLP Modernization Act of 2018 (H.R.5305) corrects many of the flaws of the 1993 law. It catches the law up to what it should have been in 1993 and conforms to current GPO practice. Specifically, it requires GPO to provide free access to digital content; it requires GPO to have a program of […]
Dept. of Commerce must release data under FOIA, not charge $174,000
Many federal government agencies are allowed (and in some cases are required) by law to charge fees for access to data they collect. The US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) maintains a database of U.S. visitors by their origin, age, residency, port of entry, visa type, and initial destination. ITA charges from thirteen […]
Save Government Information!
March 15, 2018 / Leave a comment
Library Journal published our opinion piece in its “Peer to Peer Review” section today: Save Government Information! by James A. Jacobs and James R. Jacobs. Library Journal Peer to Peer Review (March 15, 2018). In it, we make the case that the impending Title 44 bill does not go far enough to building a truly […]
Continue Reading →