LJ interviews LoC
Library Journal has an interesting set of interviews with Library of Congress staff Michelle Springer (on Flickr Commons, Twitter, and blogging), Sally McCallum (on Linked Data and SKOS [Simple Knowledge Organization System]), and Bill LeFurgy (on cloud storage and preservation).
- Stacking the Tech: The Library of Congress Talks Digital Initiatives, by Ellyssa Kroski, Library Journal (8/6/2009).
Q.) What type of an impact do you think cloud computing could have on the library field? A.) It has great potential. Cloud computing offers the prospect of a distributed preservation infrastructure, which is vital because no single institution can handle the job alone. Most cultural heritage organizations lack the resources and the capabilities to preserve large amounts of digital content—and the volume of data worthy of preservation is growing by the day. Libraries will need to work together as part of a collaborative network to achieve the necessary economy of scale. Services like cloud computing fit nicely within this collaborative concept.Continue reading
Transparency at the Supreme Court
When it comes to transparency, Supreme Court's Web site is dark, by Aliya Sternstein, NextGov, (08/07/2009).
To find searchable and comprehensive databases of Court documents, the public must consult unofficial Web sites such as SCOTUSblog, Thomson Reuters' free legal information service Findlaw and its paid-subscriber service Westlaw.Continue reading
Marines did NOT ban Twitter!
NextGov says they goofed in reporting that Marines banned Twitter: Marines and Social Nets: We Goofed, By Bob Brewin, NextGov, (08/07/09)
...the AP misconstrued the meaning of the Marine administrative instruction issued on Aug 3, which reinforced a longstanding directive released by the Defense Information Systems Agency in 2007 banning access to social Web sites on Defense networks to conserve bandwidth for operational requirements. The instruction issued on Monday, he said, actually made it easier for Marines whose jobs require access to social nets to get waivers to use Defense nets to connect with Twitter, YouTube etc.Continue reading
Transparency camp west
Just a quick note to let folks know that I'm currently at Transparency Camp this weekend. It's a great meeting of activists and technologists concerned with all kinds of transparency and government. To follow what's happening, you can track on the twitter hashtag #tcamp09. Since it's an unconference, talks can be proposed on the fly. I gave a talk on the FDLP which got a lot of interest. Contact me if you've got other ideas for presentations. There are still slots available for sunday. Continue reading
Marines Ban Twitter, MySpace, Facebook
UPDATE: NextGov says this and similar reports were in error and the Marines did NOT ban Twitter. See: Marines did NOT ban Twitter! Marines Ban Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, by Noah Shachtman, Wired Danger Room (August 3, 2009). The article also reports that, "The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has 4,000 followers on Twitter. The Department of Defense is getting ready to unveil a new home page, packed with social media tools. The Army recently ordered all U.S. bases to provide access to Facebook. Top generals now blog from the battlefield." Continue reading