Federal CIOs say meh to administration transparency goals
A recent survey of federal CIOs entitled "Transparency and Transformation Through Technology" (PDF) found that Federal agency chief information officers want to "concentrate on integrating information technology systems with business processes, not necessarily on transparency and performance management initiatives." Number one on their list of greatest value projects was "integrating systems and processes." In fifth place, the last place, was "transparency and performance management initiatives." The survey asked more than 40 federal CIOs about which initiatives will provide greatest value and what they consider the greatest barriers to increased effectiveness. For more, see the Fierce Government IT news briefing: Federal CIOs aren't sure Obama administration IT goals add value. By David Perera. March 24, 2010 [HT Jason Crawford!] Continue reading
Creating an Institutional Repository for State Government Digital Publications
An interesting case study:
- Meikiu Lo and Leah M. Thomas. Creating an Institutional Repository for State Government Digital Publications. The Code4Lib Journal (22 Mar. 2010). In 2008, the Library of Virginia (LVA) selected the digital asset management system DigiTool to host a centralized collection of digital state government publications. The Virginia state digital repository targets three primary user groups: state agencies, depository libraries and the general public. DigiTool’s ability to create depositor profiles for individual agencies to submit their publications, its integration with the Aleph ILS, and product support by ExLibris were primary factors in its selection. As a smaller institution, however, LVA lacked the internal resources to take full advantage of DigiTool’s full set of features. The process of cataloging a heterogenous collection of state documents also proved to be a challenge within DigiTool. This article takes a retrospective look at what worked, what did not, and what could have been done to improve the experience.
Special issue on Technology and digital preservation
Library Hi Tech, Volume 28, issue 2 (2010) is a special issue on "Technology and digital preservation." Preprints of articles are now available, though subscription may be required to access some. A few that you may find interesting:
- Economics, sustainability, and the cooperative model in digital preservation, by Mr. Tyler O. Walters, Dr. Katherine Skinner. "The authors provide an examination of the emerging field of digital preservation and its economics. They consider in detail the cooperative model and the path it provides toward sustainability as well as how it fosters participation by cultural memory organizations and their administrators, who are concerned about what digital preservation will ultimately cost and who will pay."
- "Land of the lost": a discussion of what can be preserved through digital preservation, by Mr. David Pearson, Mr. Nicholas del Pozo, Mr. Andrew Stawowczyk Long. "...proposes the concept of preservation intent: a clear articulation of a commitment to preserve an object, the specific elements of that object that should be preserved, and a clear time line for the duration of preservation. It investigates these concepts through simple and practical examples."
- Keeping It Simple: The Alabama Digital Preservation Network (ADPNet), by Mr. Aaron Trehub, Mr. Thomas C. Wilson. "The purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of the current state of Distributed Digital Preservation (DDP) networks in North America and to provide a detailed technical, administrative, and financial description of a working, self-supporting DDP network: the Alabama Digital Preservation Network (ADPNet). The authors view ADPNet in a comparative perspective with other Private LOCKSS Networks (PLNs) and argue that the Alabama model represents a promising approach to DDP for other states and consortia."
The Iraq Papers
The Iraq Papers, Edited by John Ehrenberg, J. Patrice McSherry, Jose Ramon Sanchez and Caroleen Marji Sayej. Oxford University Press, 2009.
No foreign policy decision in recent history has had greater repercussions than President George W. Bush's decision to invade and occupy Iraq. It launched a new doctrine of preemptive war, mired the American military in an intractable armed conflict, disrupted world petroleum supplies, cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars, and damaged or ended the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and Iraqis. Its impact on international politics and America's standing in the world remains incalculable. The Iraq Papers offers a compelling documentary narrative and interpretation of this momentous conflict. With keen editing and incisive commentary, the book weaves together original documents that range from presidential addresses to redacted memos, carrying us from the ideology behind the invasion to negotiations for withdrawal. These papers trace the rise of the neoconservatives and reveal the role of strategic thinking about oil supplies. In moving to the planning for the war itself, the authors not only provide Congressional resolutions and speeches by President Bush, but internal security papers, Pentagon planning documents, the report of the Future of Iraq Project, and eloquent opposition statements by Senator Robert Byrd, other world governments, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the World Council of Churches. This collection addresses every aspect of the conflict, from the military's evolving counterinsurgency strategy to declarations by Iraqi resisters and political figures-from Coalition Provisional Authority orders to Donald Rumsfeld's dismissal of the insurgents as "dead-enders" and Iraqi discussions of state- and nationbuilding under the shadow of occupation. The economics of petroleum, the legal and ethical questions surrounding terrorism and torture, international agreements, the theory of the "unitary presidency," and the Bush administration's use of presidential signing statements all receive in-depth coverage. The Iraq War has reshaped the domestic and international landscape. The Iraq Papers offers the authoritative one-volume source for understanding the conflict and its many repercussions.Thanks and a tip of the FGI hat to Steven Aftergood who says that "Somewhat heavy-handedly, [the editors] offer their own interpretation of events involving the decisive influence of neo-conservatives, the unitary executive, and a U.S. drive to global hegemony, among other factors. Alternative explanations are not considered here." Continue reading
Workshop: Providing Social Science Data Services: Strategies for Design and Operation
Announcement of Workshop: Providing Social Science Data Services: Strategies for Design and Operation http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/courses/0041 August 9-13, 2010 Ann Arbor Michigan Instructors: Chuck Humphrey, Head of the Data Library, University of Alberta Jim Jacobs, Data Services Librarian Emeritus, University of California San Diego This five-day workshop is being offered for individuals who manage or provide local support services for ICPSR and other numeric data for quantitative research. Providing access to data has taken on greater prominence over this past decade with the emergence of several significant developments, including, e-Science infrastructure funding, the open data movement, national and institutional digital preservation strategies & services, data enclaves for confidential data, lifecycle data management planning, and data mash-up technologies on the Internet. Given these major environmental changes, how does one plan and design appropriate levels of data service in her or his local institution? This workshop is structured around a five-stage data lifecycle model that focuses on data production, data dissemination, data repositories, data discovery and data repurposing. A day is dedicated to each stage in this model during which discussions address issues for local data services and computer exercises demonstrate service activities. In this context, fundamental data topics are covered, including understanding the data reference interview, working with variables, interpreting data documentation, coping with various dissemination formats, accessing different online services (e.g., SDA and Nesstar), searching for social science data, subsetting data using Web-based tools, selecting and downloading ICPSR data, and options for local data delivery. Throughout the workshop, an emphasis will be placed on social science concepts and terminology, as well as on practical solutions to service delivery. Who Should Attend: Anyone who is new to providing services for numeric social science data or is seeking to revitalize an existing service. This is not a course in statistics and attendees are not expected to know how to analyze data. Online Registration: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/2010/index.jsp Workshop will remain open only until the Summer Program office has received 20 paid applications. Questions? If you have questions about registration, fees, travel, housing, or other courses at the ICPSR Summer program, please get in touch with ICPSR directly: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/contact.jsp If you have any questions about the workshop content, please feel free to send email to Chuck or Jim: Chuck: humphrey at datalib.library.ualberta.ca Jim: jajacobs at ucsd.edu Dates: August 9-13, 2010 Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI. Fees (Participants from ICPSR member institutions): $1,500 Fees (Participants from institutions that are not members of ICPSR): $3,000 http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/2010/application.jsp List of ICPSR member institutions and Official Representatives: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/membership/ors.jsp Information about transportation and housing: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/visiting.jsp This workshop is part of the ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/sumprog/index.jsp --- James A. Jacobs jajacobs at ucsd.edu Continue reading