State Agency Databases Activity Report 1/13/2013
This week we added new volunteers to the State Agency Databases project at http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/State_Agency_Databases. We welcomed Ellen Richardson and Jennifer Ekblaw as the new documents specialists for the Massachusetts project page. ORPHAN STATES With Ellen and Jennifer's adoption of Massachusetts and the pending adoption of Montana, the project is now looking for people to adopt the following pages:
- Arkansas
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Banks in Connecticut - Lists institution, main office addresses, CEO, and regulating authority.
- Dealers, Licensed Repairers, and Licensed Recyclers only. Dept. of Revenue Services, Most Popular Downloadable Forms
- Directory of Performing & Teaching Artists - This directory provides lists of Connecticut artists (dance, traditional arts, literary arts, music, theater) willing to perform/provide specialized instruction in schools or community settings. Click on the individual discipline links for the listings.
- DMV Learner's Permit Test Appointments - Use the online Quick Service Center to schedule, reschedule and pay for the learner's permit test. Infraction Ticket Processing - You may either pay your ticket or plead Not Guilty on this website.
OMB proposes to eliminate, consolidate 376 reports
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has compiled a list of recommendations for consolidating or eliminating congressionally-mandated reports to Congress. The list is based on information supplied by the agencies themselves.
- What congressionally-mandated plans and reports did agencies propose for Congress to consider modifying in response to the GPRA Modernization Act (P.L. 111-352)? Federal agencies annually produce thousands of congressionally-mandated plans and reports, and some that were once useful can become outdated, duplicative, or less useful over time. Through the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010, Congress required Federal agencies to identify for elimination or consolidation plans and reports that are outdated or duplicative. Agencies identified for Congress the linked list of 376 plans and reports as potentially outdated, duplicative, or otherwise warranting modification.
- List of Reports Required by PL 111-352 [Excel file] (Also available here as a PDF file).
- OMB proposes to eliminate, consolidate 376 reports, By Jason Miller, Federal News Radio, (1/9/2013). OMB recommends: Consolidating 47 reports Eliminating 269 reports Reducing the frequency of 31 Streamlining 29
More Foreign Relations volumes available as e-books
The essential series Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), published by the Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State, presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. The Office of the Historian has apparently finished its pilot project with producing FRUS in e-book formats (ePub and Mobi). It now is offering 108 publications during its current phase releasing e-books.
- Historical Documents > E-Books Edition, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian.
GAO launches Key Issues web site
The Government Accountability Office has launched a new Key Issues web site that highlights and groups GAO reports on critical issues.
- Key Issues, Government Accountability Office. List of topics. List of agencies. List of Collections.
- GAO Launches “Key Issues” Website to Assist New Congress and the Public, Press Release, Government Accountability Office (January 7, 2013). ...to provide incoming Members of Congress and the American people with quick and easy access to bodies of GAO work on issues of critical importance to the nation.
State Agency Databases Activity Report 1/6/2013
There was a flurry of end of year activity at the State Agency Databases Across the Fifty States project (http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/State_Agency_Databases) over the last few weeks, including our annual compilation of usage statistics. We also had the sad duty of returning 11 pages to orphan status as they were not updated in 2012. But first, the good news! All together, state project pages were visited 201,084 times in 2012. This is nearly triple the number of visits in 2011. Our subject pages also got about three times more visits in 2012, logging 28,131 visits. The most popular state page was Alaska, followed closely by Missouri. The Prisoner Locater page continued in its number one spot among subject pages, but Lynn McClelland's Healthcare Practitioner pages were a close second. The full statistics worksheet listing individual stats for all states and subject pages is linked from our main project page under 2012 Usage Stats. DATABASE ACTIVITY For a full listing of all changes to project pages during the last two weeks, visit http://tinyurl.com/statedbs14d. Below are some highlights of activity. DATABASES ADDED MICHIGAN (Michael McDonnell) Michigan Healthcare Help - This site provides information on where to find free or inexpensive health related services. Included are links to free clinics, mental health services, dental care, prescription drug programs, family planning, and cancer screening and treatment services. You can also find assistance with Medicaid enrollment here. MISSOURI (Annie Moots) Field Guide - What plant or animal is that? - Search the database of plants, animals and mushrooms found in Missouri. OHIO (Audrey Hall) Interest Calculator - Select tax type, amount due, and payment date to calculate interest. WASHINGTON (Marilyn Von Seggern) Children's Safe Products Act Reports Database - Beginning in August 2012, manufacturers of children's products must report to Dept. of Ecology if their products contain toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium and phthalates. The Reporting List of Chemicals of High Concern to Children can be searched by chemical, company, or product. NEW ORPHANS FOR 2013 Some bad news for the project, but potentially good news for you. Since 2011, our project guidelines state that we will terminate volunteers who have not documented link checks or updated their pages in the past calendar year. State pages meeting that condition are put out for adoption the following January. So here is our new orphan list for 2013:
- Arkansas
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina