Reauthorization of the E-Government Act on Hold
Attempts to reauthorize the E-Government Act of 2002 (116 Stat. 2899, Public Law 107–347, Dec. 17 2002) are being held up, apparently because of an amendment that would require federal agencies to conduct privacy impact assessments before using outside contractors to manage personal information.
- Amendment likely to prevent e-gov act reauthorization, By Andrew Noyes, CongressDaily, 12/11/2008.
Library of Congress Issues Report on Its Flickr Project
Library of Congress Photos on Flickr. The Library of Congress has prepared a report on the results of the first nine months of it use of Flickr. The report: For the Common Good: The Library of Congress Flickr Pilot Project, by Michelle Springer, Beth Dulabahn, Phil Michel, Barbara Natanson, David Reser, David Woodward, and Helena Zinkham. October 30, 2008
This project significantly increased the reach of Library content and demonstrated the many kinds of creative interactions that are possible when people can access collections within their own Web communities. The contribution of additional information to thousands of photographs was invaluable. Performance measures documented in this report illustrate how the project has been successful in achieving the objectives and desired outcomes of the Library’s strategic goals. The Flickr project increases awareness of the Library and its collections; sparks creative interaction with collections; provides LC staff with experience with social tagging and Web 2.0 community input; and provides leadership to cultural heritage and government communities.Near the end of the report, the authors quote some of the typical fears about projects like this and say that experience has not borne out the concerns of critics.
At the start of the pilot, critics pointed out several risks often expressed as questions. Experience so far has not borne out their concerns. The skeptics wondered: Would the public conversation contribute to a better understanding of the photos or would fan mail, false memories, fake facts, and uncivil discourse obscure knowledge? Would a public-commercial partnership undermine the Library’s reputation for impartiality? Would the Library lose control of its collections? Would library catalogs and catalogers become obsolete? Would the need to moderate and respond to comments overwhelm all other work? Would history be dumbed-down? Would photographs be disrespected or exploited? Would entire collections be welcome or would selection of safe content border on censorship of historical information?This is an interesting, well done report with specific details that should be useful to others thinking about how to expand their library services. Continue reading
42 Days to Government Information Liberation
1. Recognize the importance of librarians and their institutions in the sustainability of a dynamic civic culture. One simple question to pose tonight -- is it possible for federal depository libraries to tap into the critical relationship they share with either their designated congressional districts or senate sponsors? Much of our tradition and practice aims to serve the communities defined by our depository's host institutions -- academic, public, special or law libraries. But, in this time of digital democratic transition and transparency, what if a major new goal for the federal depository library program was to shift the depository library obligation from our bibliographic institutions? What if we were to focus our energies on the civic and democratic communities represented by the districts and states they serve? For instance, imagine all the depositories in the Chicago metropolitan area collaborating with each other and through their respective House of Representative districts. This could involve using not only physical collections, but innovative digital tools to reach out to the constituents and local neighborhoods through the congressional district offices. Imagine reference tools designed to meet the particular social, economic, and cultural needs of these communities. In the case of the Seventh Congressional District in Illinois, these communities could be as varied as part of Chicago's Gold Coast along Lake Michigan through the impoverished streets of the Austin neighborhood to the west, and along the inner suburbs of both the upper and middle classes found in River Forest and Oak Park. In rural areas, where many of the congressional districts must somehow overcome both geography and infrastructure issues, imagine how the designated depository libraries might work together, hand in hand, with the congressional district offices to assure that the citizens and communities are kept informed in an affirmative fashion through technology and inter-library cooperation. This kind of civic renewal, I think, is a better way to strike at the "digital divide" issue. If our discussions about the program's future began from these kinds of assumptions, rather than focusing on how much paper and how digital we should keep, I think the community of government information librarians will be in a much better place to take advantage of the civic possibilities made apparent during these days of liberation. After all, its about documents to the people, not documents to the libraries. Something to think about. See you on Day 41. Continue reading
Atlas of True Names
Break time! If you work with government information in a library, you probably also either work with maps or work with someone who does. So, you may be interested in The Atlas of True Names, which "reveals the etymological roots, or original meanings, of the familiar terms on today's maps of the World and Europe." Even if you are not a map librarian, you may be interested in this book if you are a science fiction fan (see True Names by Vernor Vinge) or religious, or a fan of Tolkien. Anyway, enjoy, and check out the map! Continue reading
State Dept: Crisis in the “Foreign Relations” Series
State Dept: Crisis in the “Foreign Relations” Series, by Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News, December 11, 2008. Steven reports on a recent meeting at the State Department in which the chairman of the Department’s Historical Advisory Committee warned that the future of the Department’s Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series is in jeopardy due to mismanagement by the Office of the Historian and announced his resignation from the Committee. William Roger Louis also said in a written analysis that "This year alone the office has lost 20% of its FRUS staff (7 of 35 members) and 30% of its FRUS staff experience (64 of 212 years)." Steven has links to the analysis and other related documents. Continue reading