Review of states’ election websites
Being Online Is Still Not Enough, Pew Center on the States.
Reviews and Recommendations for State Election Websites 2010 Millions are turning to official state election websites to find the information they need to cast a ballot. Being Online Is Still Not Enough provides state-by-state reviews and analysis based on detailed criteria of election websites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It also includes recommendations for improving each site to better inform voters, and provides a list of best practices adopted by many states to maximize their election office's online presence. This report follows Pew's initial 2008 study, Being Online Is Not Enough. Assessments were based on three categories: content, lookup tools, and usability. Roll your cursor over the map below to see each state's overall score, and scores broken down by category.Continue reading
ALA Creates Federal Depository Library Program Issues “Community and Resources Page
via INFOdocket.com From the ACRL Insider Blog:
ALA has created a community within ALA Connect so that ALA members from any interested unit or division can discuss the issues surrounding the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). This is a way toward aiding the ALA in reaching consensus on the future of the FDLP or at the very least, having a better understanding of the various perspectives held by members on these topics. Additionally, ALA has created a webpage where various information related to this topic and the recent happenings surrounding this issue are available. If you feel that there are any items missing from this list, please let us know! We want this compilation to be as inclusive as possible of official communication. If you have questions or commnets, please contact Jessica McGilvray, Assistant Director of the ALA Washington Office.Continue reading
Secrecy in Making Laws
CRS has a new report that outlines the historical tension between secrecy and transparency in the congressional process and identifies various closed door lawmaking activities and more.
- Congressional Lawmaking: A Perspective On Secrecy and Transparency, by Walter J. Oleszek, Congressional Research Service, R42108 (November 30, 2011).
Open Source Data.gov code
White House Begins Open Sourcing Data.gov, By J. Nicholas Hoover, Information Week (December 05, 2011).
The Obama administration has begun to open source pieces of the Data.gov platform and plans to launch a full-scale open source project early next year. This open data platform--called Data.gov-in-a-box--will allow other governments to easily stand up their own versions of Data.gov. Data.gov developer and General Services Administration software architect Chris Musialek last Wednesday posted to open source development site Github some early test code for what appears to be a database management system and Web app that will serve as key pieces of Data.gov-in-a-box....Continue reading
Two Volumes on Cloud Computing from NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) has release a two volume report on "cloud computing."
- US Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap Volume I Release 1.0 (Draft) High-Priority Requirements to Further USG Agency Cloud Computing Adoption, NIST Special Publication 500-293, NIST Cloud Computing Program Information Technology Laboratory (November 2011) [PDF, 32 pages]. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), consistent with its mission, has a technology leadership role in support of United States Government (USG) secure and effective adoption of the Cloud Computing model to reduce costs and improve services.
- US Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap Volume II Release 1.0 (Draft) Useful Information for Cloud Adopters, NIST Special Publication 500-293, NIST Cloud Computing Program Information Technology Laboratory (November 2011) [PDF, 85 pages].