Crazy born digital content
One of the best things that could happen for digital preservation is for producers of digital content to understand that they need to produce preservable content. If producers and publishers created digital content in neutral, preservable formats, we would not have to spin our wheels with the Sisyphean task of constantly trying to fix un-preservable content with techniques such as emulation and format migration. For publishers (and of course this includes government agencies) to create preservable content, they would have to understand that their essential role in the information lifecyle includes creating information that is preservable -- not just instantaneously deliverable in the short-term. Although there are efforts to develop this understanding and to create appropriate formats and processes, most born-digital information seems to be generated with only the most short-term utility in mind. A lot of born digital content is badly-formed and uses non-standard, proprietary, and closed formats. All that brings me to this example of what looks to be shoddy content creation.
- 2011 U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Annual Report On Intellectual Property Enforcement. U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, March 2012.
In June 2010, the Administration, through the IPEC‘s Joint Strategic Plan, emphasized the protection and enforcement of U S intellectual property rights These rights drive the economy, create jobs for American workers, promote innovation, and secure America’s position as the world’s leader for creativity and ingenuity The 2011 Annual Report provides an illustration of the coordinated efforts that the U S Government is undertaking to address the challenges of enforcing intellectual property of U S rightholders abroad, securing supply chains, pursuing sources of counterfeit and pirated goods, and meeting the challenges posed by emerging criminal trends such as the online sales of counterfeit pharmaceuticals, economic espionage, and targeted theft of trade secretsThis is probably just some odd, unique production mistake. But that is the point: When an agency cannot even take the time to make sure its born digital text has periods at the end of sentences, how can we expect agencies to produce digital content that conforms to preservation technology requirements? There is a lot of work to be done before we can ensure the public that we can preserve digital government information! (Hat tip to Mike Masnick who, in a highly critical review of the report, says, with tongue in cheek, that the reason the report "seems to do away with the grammatical icon known as 'the period' at the end of sentences" might be that the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator found it "too expensive to license.") Continue reading
New Census site and blog: Research Matters
The Census Bureau has a new web site and blog that focus on research at the Bureau.
- Research @ Census. This new Web page is a gateway to the world of research at the Census Bureau. Visit the site to learn about innovations to measure and understand America through improved statistics, statistical products and analysis. The new blog -- "Research Matters" -- features the work of researchers from all areas of the Census Bureau. Research ranges from substantive topics of interest in demography, economics and other social sciences to methodological questions, such as the role of statistical modeling in surveys, designs for the 10-year census, research on record linkage and confidentiality protection. Census Bureau researchers include geographers, statisticians, economists, demographers and more. (press release)
- Research Matters, U.S. Census Bureau. Welcome to Research Matters, a new blog highlighting research at the Census Bureau. We aim to discuss important research in government statistics, and stimulate informed debate. Research ranges from substantive topics of interest in demography, economics and other social sciences, to methodological questions, such as the role of statistical modeling in surveys, designs for the Decennial Census, research on record linkage and confidentiality protection.
State Agency Databases Activity Report 3/26/2012 – We Did It!
NO MORE ORPHANS! Thanks to Alex Burnett publicly claiming the Maine project page and Sabrina I. Pacifici publicly claiming the Maryland page, it is my happy duty to inform you all that the State Agency Databases Across the Fifty States Project is now fully staffed. Every state page linked from http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/State_Agency_Databases now has a documents specialist to care for it. I'm making a big deal of this because this is the first time in the history of our project that all states have been staffed. WIKI ACTIVITY As I say nearly every week, our volunteers kept busy. For a full list of our past week's activity, see http://tinyurl.com/statedbs. DATABASES ADDED ALABAMA (Paula Webb) Alabama Inmates on Death Row - a database of current inmates on death row in Alabama correctional facilities. CALIFORNIA (Joel Rane) Weed Identification Key - Use this database of images to identify weed species, especially the most common weeds found in California lawns. Because flowering parts are often mowed and not seen in turf, this key was developed using vegetative characteristics. The key goes from general to specific images of the plants; work through the key until you get to a summary page of your weed. The summary pages include control methods. There are related keys for invasive ants, aphids and other pests. IOWA (Julie Thomas) Lobbyist Information - Includes searchable databases of lobbyists, clients, contact information, functions, and declarations on bills. LOUISIANA (Rita Franks) Louisiana Office of Tourism Imagebase - This project is designed to make the Office of Tourism's complete collection of 35 mm slide images available to the Travel and Tourism industry around the world. The collection of over one thousand images have all been digitized and stored as high-resolution Kodak PhotoCD (.pcd) format files. Smaller, lower resolution jpeg (.jpg) images are used within their web site to preview these images. The PhotoCD images average between 3 and 5 Mb in size, and are available for download, provided you provide the Office of Tourism with some information about how these images will be used, and you agree to abide by the Office of Tourism's Image Use Policy NORTH CAROLINA (Jennifer Davison) North Carolina Environmental Education Database - Search for camps, after school programs, University EE courses, grants, educational materials and additional resource types. Limit by distance, audience served, age groups, academic and environmental focus. OHIO (Audrey Hall) Ohio Secretary of State DAMs Directives, Advisories, and Memoranda - Scroll over "References" in left side-bar and click on "Ohio SOS DAMs" for DAMs related to election issues from 2002-2008. Coverage by category is uneven. VERMONT (Paul J McDonough) Vermont Archives Series Database Search - The Series Database is an index to records in the Vermont State Archives. Series are comprised of file units or documents that are kept together because they relate to a particular subject or function, result from the same activity, document a specific type of transaction, take a particular physical form, or have some other relationship arising out of their creation, receipt, maintenance, or use. DATABASES REMOVED LOUISIANA Procedural Risk Database Former URL - http://www.dhh.state.la.us/offices/page.asp?id=99&detail=3587 This database describes risks and hazards related to medical care and surgical procedures. It was developed by the Louisiana Medical Disclosure Panel in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1299.40. Search by the entire database or search for risks by procedure category. Continue reading
Digital #FDLP: Louisiana GODORT keynote address
[UPDATE 3/25/12: for those of you on ipads/iphones (which don't play well with flash), I've attached the PDF version below. JRJ] I just got back from Shreveport, LA (and boy are my arms tired :-)). I was honored to be invited as the keynote speaker at the Spring 2012 meeting of the Louisiana Government Documents Round Table (LA GODORT) during the 2012 LA Library Association annual conference. We had a great conversation about the future of government information and the FDLP -- and I reminded everyone to submit their FDLP library forecast survey!! I showed a few case studies describing ways that librarians could build digital govt documents collections (including Everyday Electronic Materials (EEMs), LOCKSS-USDOCS, and Archive-it). Thanks again to Miriam Childs, Stephanie Braunstein and the rest of the LA GODORTers for a wonderful time!
Help improve public access to Congressional/legislative information #FDLP
March 28, 2012 / Leave a comment
FGI just signed the letter below written by the Sunlight Foundation asking Congress to improve public access to legislative information by directing the Library of Congress to make their Thomas database accessible in bulk format. If you and/or your organization believe that free access to Congressional information is of critical importance, please please consider adding your name to the list of signatories on the letter. Daniel Schuman, Sunlight Foundation's policy counsel and director of the Advisory Committee on Transparency, requests that people sign on by COB on Monday April 2nd. Interested people may also email Daniel at dschuman@sunlightfoundation.com) with how they would like to be identified on the letter. Daniel thanks you and so do we!
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