Transcript of Nixon’s Watergate Grand Jury Testimony To Be Released in November
Richard Nixon texts and tapes will be released soon, by Al Kamen, Washington Post, (October 11, 2011).
On Nov. 10, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Archives will make public for the first time a series of recordings and documents, including the much-anticipated transcript of Nixon's grand jury testimony in the investigation of the Watergate scandal. A group of historians sued to make the testimony -- which had been redacted under laws that shield grand-jury materials -- available to the public.Continue reading
OMB Watch: “Libraries Can Connect the Public to Open Government”
Via INFOdocket.com From a New OMB Watch Article:
In recent years, government has increasingly embraced the proactive disclosure of information and created online tools to increase transparency. But how do Americans discover that information? Who helps them learn how to use complex government databases and tools? The answer may be a surprisingly familiar one: libraries. Libraries have traditionally played a leading role in helping the public discover and use government information. However, the rapid expansion of e-government creates new opportunities and challenges for empowering the public with such information. The Government Printing Office (GPO) is now considering a proposal that could help libraries around the country to modernize and expand their government information services, supporting equitable public access to information and amplifying the impact of open government initiatives.The article goes on to discuss government information in libraries and the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) focusing on the rejected Ithaka S+R report. Finally, OMB Watch shares several key priorities for the FDLP which were included in comments about the Ithaka report that OMB Watch sent to the GPO on September 16, 2011 (3 pages; PDF) Continue reading
ARL Releases Statement on Recent USGPO Decisions Concerning the FDLP
via INFOdocket.com From an ARL Announcement:
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) released a statement calling upon the US Government Printing Office (GPO) to reverse its recent, troubling decisions concerning the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). ARL asked that GPO approve the University of Minnesota Libraries as the regional for the State of Michigan once it is designated by the relevant Senators, as well as approve and support the ASERL “Guidelines for Managing FDLP Collections in the Southeast Region.” Such actions are consistent with GPO past precedent and, importantly, comply with provisions in Title 44. These types of collaborations and cooperative efforts are essential to the success of the FDLP both now and in the future. ARL and its members have long-standing participation in and support for the FDLP, a partnership between the Federal Government and libraries throughout the United States that ensures the public has no-fee access to US government information. ARL members invest significant staff, financial resources, and space allocations to the Program with the belief that equitable access to information about our Government and its programs is central to our democracy. Recently, changes in policy and practice by GPO and its failure to embrace needed changes to the Program present serious challenges to the Program’s sustainability and viability. These changes will seriously impact the ability of the public to effectively access government information both now and in the future. Decisions by the leadership of GPO over the last nine months call for costly changes in practice by federal depository libraries that are not supported by provisions in Title 44, the governing statute of the Program. In addition, GPO leadership has reinterpreted provisions in Title 44 and dismissed long-standing precedent concerning the designation of regional federal depository libraries to the Program. Finally, GPO has not acknowledged current library practice across all types of libraries and has not positioned the Program and its resources to reflect how users engage in digital discovery and access to information.Read the Complete Statement (2 pages; PDF) See Also: Background and Primary Documents: Recent Developments on FDLP as of August 2011 (via ARL) Continue reading
NY Times Sues Government To Reveal ‘Secret’ Patriot Act Interpretation
Newspaper sues government to reveal 'secret' Patriot Act interpretation, By Zack Whittaker, ZDNet (October 12, 2011).
The New York Times is suing the U.S. government for refusing to divulge how its law enforcement interprets the Patriot Act. After a series of Freedom of Information requests were declined to reveal the classified interpretation of the Patriot Act -- a description that Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Mark Udall (D-Colorado) described as "deeply disturbing" -- the newspaper sought to battle it out in the courts. Some months ago, it was found that the Patriot Act was being interpreted by government departments in a way to aid their ongoing investigations, leading to calls that there was a "classified" element to the counter-terrorism law.Continue reading
HHS eliminated 36 website domains
Better check your links to MEDLARS, HIV.gov, TheDataWeb.gov, and 33 more HHS websites. They are all gone. "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has formally notified GSA that it is relinquishing 21 domains. HHS is in the process of relinquishing additional sites and expects to have relinquished a total of 36 sites, 23 percent of the domains owned by the Department per the base GSA survey, by the end of September."
- HHS Interim Progress Report, HHS, Web Communications & New Media, Dot Gov Task Force (DGTF) (9/6/2011) The allocation of HHS Web resources is currently so fractured that no one knows the total annual Departmental investment in Web-related activities. ...HHS is an historically siloed entity, and its Web holdings reflect that legacy. The result is a Web experience that is not only antithetical to the concept of customer-centric design but is undeniably wasteful of precious resources. Like and related content is scattered across multiple office and program Websites, and the Googling customer is left to divine what content is relevant. Overcoming this entrenched culture will be the greatest challenge we face.
- A Brutal Self-Assessment of HHS' Web Presence, By Joseph Marks, NextGov (10/07/11).