More on GBS
Here is another good post on the Google Book Settlement decision from IHE. Kolowich quotes Pamela Samuelson, Siva Vaidhyanathan, Joseph Esposito, John Wilkin, and others.
- Please Refine Your Search Terms, by Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed (March 23, 2011). "The Google Book Search initiative envisioned in the [agreement] is not a library," the judge wrote in another footnote, quoting Samuelson directly. "It is instead a complex and large-scale commercial enterprise in which Google -- and Google alone -- will obtain a license to sell millions of books for decades to come."
Data.gov and other programs slated to die
Sunlight reports on the House bill that will slash funding for major government data sharing and transparency projects. Noting that the funding for these programs is only a few million dollars, Daniel Shuman says, "The returns from these e-government initiatives in terms of transparency are priceless."
- Budget Technopocalypse: Proposed Congressional Budgets Slash Funding for Data Transparency, by Daniel Schuman, Sunlight Foundation Blog (March 23, 2011). Data.gov, USASpending.gov, and other Obama tech innovations face virtual extinction if the FY 2011 budget bill passed by the House of Representatives in February or considered by the Senate in March becomes law.
The Google Books Settlement
The best analysis I have read so far of the court's decision on the Google Books Settlement is from Barbara Fister:
- March Madness: Judge Denny Chin Rejects the Google Settement, by Barbara Fister, Inside Higher Ed (March 23, 2011) ...The judge also gave a nod toward the Department of Justice's complaint that the class action took what was a copyright complaint and turned it into a proposal for a profitable and far-reaching business endeavor. The Google project would cease being a search engine and instead become a retail platform; not a virtual library, but a bookstore, selling books that could not legally be bought from any other vendor ...Thanks to the continual erosion of the public domain through repeated copyright extensions, we've made a large portion of our cultural history virtually inaccessible. Congress, which is constitutionally authorized to make copyright decisions, has failed to make reasonable arrangements to let those books be used to "promote the progress of science and useful arts."
Open San Diego launches Flashlight to improve public access to government information
San Diego Citybeat's Dave Maass is leading a project to help San Diegans obtain public records and other data from government agencies. Produced under the Open San Diego umbrella, it's called Flashlight:
Open San Diego Flashlight is basically a big collection of bookmarks for San Diego’s enterprising community of journalists, researchers, citizen watchdogs, muckrakers and data nerds. This site contains hundreds of links to free databases, maps, records, archives and searches—each tagged and categorized for quick, convenient access.This FishbowlLA story takes a look at Flashlight along with a similar "Fishbowl" endeavor being undertaken by the LA Times: Southern California Papers Helping Wage Public Records Transparency War. Continue reading
Help save the Statistical Abstract
There has been a lot of discussion and suggestions for action on GOVDOC-L and various library listservs and ALA Connect about the pending demise of the Census Bureau's Statistical Compendia Branch and along with it the elimination of the Statistical Abstract of the United States (aka Stat Abs) and all other titles produced by that branch (State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book, USA Counties, Quick Facts). Here's the US Census Bureau's budget estimates for 2012 (PDF). Librarians around the country are beginning to mobilize. Alesia McManus, the Library Director at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD, has created a Facebook group “Save the US Statistical Abstract” to try to help spread the word and share information. ALA Washington Office has just announced a Legislative Action Alert opposing the defunding of the Statistical Compendia Branch. Lastly, below is a sample letter that I hope all of our readers will send/email/fax to their Senators and Congressmen -- many thanks to Starr Hoffman at the University of North Texas, Hailey Mooney at Michigan State University, and Kevin McLure at Chicago-Kent College of Law for getting the letter rolling! Feel free to copy and/or edit the letter to suit and forward this post far and wide. Here's an easy way to find the contact information of your Congressional delegation:
TO YOUR SENATOR: The Honorable (full name) (Room #) (Name) Senate Office Building United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator ___________: TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE: The Honorable (full name) (Room #) (Name) House Office Building United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative __________: Paragraph 1: Why you are writing and who you are. List your "credentials." (If you want a response, you must include your name and address, even when using email.) My name is __________, and I’m a librarian at INSTITUTION which has served the government information needs of the constituents of your Congressional district and state since DATE LIBRARY BECAME A DEPOSITORY. I’m writing because I and many other librarians are deeply concerned that the U.S. Census Bureau's Budget Estimates for Fiscal Year 2012 calls for the termination of the Statistical Compendia Branch which would mean the elimination of the United States Statistical Abstract and all titles produced by that branch (State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book, USA Counties, Quick Facts). The library community is deeply upset at the thought of losing access to this important program and urges you to take action to stop this program change. Paragraph 2: more details about the situation. The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published annually since 1878, is a key publication for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), which provides free, public access to government information. Both the print and online versions of the “Stat Abs,” as many librarians affectionately refer to it, are on the FDLP Essential Titles list. It is the first place that many librarians, researchers, students and your constituents(!) look for statistical information, because it compiles a vast amount of information, some of it unpublished and not available anywhere else. The Statistical Abstract also provides a citation for the original source for each table, acting as a guidebook to a huge array of diverse government statistics. The Stat Abs (as well as all of the titles published by the Statistical Compendia Branch!) is a staple of reference librarians and the public for its ease of use, comprehensive content, and as a guidebook to federal statistical sources. These long published titles -- and the federal depositories that distribute it to the American public -- are not an earmark, but are critical to the provision of social, economic, and political indicators to the American public and greatly benefit every American in every Congressional district. Without it, librarians, the public and your constituents(!) will waste much valuable time looking for statistics in multiple places and compiling longitudinal data. Paragraph 3: Close by requesting the action you want taken: a vote for or against a bill, or change in general policy. If a certain bill is involved, cite the correct title or number whenever possible. Please urge the Department of Commerce to reinstate the budget for the Census Bureau's Statistical Compendia Branch and the essential, valuable titles that the Branch provides to the public. Many thanks for your time and your service. Sincerely, YOUR NAME YOUR POSITION YOUR INSTITUTION INSTITUTION/CONTACT INFO References: Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP): http://fdlp.gov FDLP Essential Titles: http://snipurl.com/essential-titles US Census Bureau budget estimate 2012: http://snipurl.com/census-budget-estimate-2012Continue reading