Public Resource makes CFR available for free
Carl Malamud and Public.Resource.Org, Inc. is at work again, freeing what should be free. He has purchased the Code of Federal Regulations from GPO and is making it publicly available without charge. This is the raw, SGML and images version that GPO sells for over $17,000. Carl says:
Our intent in purchasing this product is to make it available in raw format on the Internet for access by anonymous FTP. We will not charge for access, nor will we restrict usage by the imposition of any license agreements. Since public documents are defined as “public property” in 44 USC 1119, this deployment of the raw feed of the Code will make it available for all to use without restriction and will allow for-profit and non-profit entities to construct alternative versions of the CFR.See details here and Public Resource's GPO page. Continue reading
Government Tweets
Did you know that the first announcement of the discovery of ice on Mars was by NASA on Twitter.com? Did you know that the Joint Forces Command and the Office on Women's Health in the Health and Human Services Department are using twitter to announce speaking engagements and deliver medical news and advice? Did you know that you can receive Twitter messages on your cell phone, or your instant messaging client, or by e-mail, or via other Web 2.0 applications, such as Facebook? Welcome to the new world of government communication.
- Psst! Are you Twittering yet?, By Heather B. Hayes, FCW, August 25, 2008.
Lunchtime Listen: All Your Tommorows Today: history of RAND
This is one of the reasons why I love the Web. Last year, BBC's Radio 3 Sunday feature broadcast a radio story by UK journalist and fringe explorer Ken Hollings about the RAND corporation (can also be accessed here). RAND (standing for Research ANd Development), the first think tank, was once dubbed the ‘malevolent university’ and influencer of presidents. I wouldn't have even heard this fascinating history if not for the Web as it was recently posted to BoingBoing. Wikipedia's article on [w:RAND] has an amazing list of notable RAND participants including more than 30 Nobel Prize winners. RAND has been highly influential on US foreign and public policy since WWII. I highly recommend listening to this one! [Thanks BoingBoing!] Continue reading
“To Form a More Perfect Union…” (Constitution Day)
In my department, we're preparing for Constitution Day on Wednesday--printing stickers and buttons, boxing up pocket Constitutions, creating activity booklets, updating our website. Last year, we handed out hundreds of pocket Constitutions in a matter of hours at the Political Science department, and this year we've already begun receiving requests for them. This year, we're also participating in a community event at the local Barnes and Noble, which is designed to draw grade-school kids and their parents. We’ve even got a giant replica print of the Constitution (with extra blank but “antique-looking” pages) for the kids to sign. Here are some of the many resources available online:
- Search for great resources from the Constitution Center!
- Peggy Garvin recently posted a great summary of the purpose and origin of Constitution Day on LLRX.com.
- If you're looking for last-minute display ideas, here's a great webpage at the Minnesota State University of Mankato (recommended to me by Shari Laster, Gov Docs librarian at the University of Akron—thanks, Shari!).
- Also, here are some sources for pocket constitutions and related government publications (great giveaways!).
- And we printed our replica based on the gorgeous images on NARA’s Charters of Freedom website.
- See more primary resources at the Library of Congress website.
- The Constitution Day website also has trivia and great resources for making activity booklets, etc.
Lunchtime Listen: Government Data and The Invisible Hand
In this interview, Jon Udell talks with Director and Associate Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy about the future of government information distribution and the paper Government Data and the Invisible Hand (Robinson, David, Harlan Yu, William P. Zeller, and Edward W. Felten. SSRN, May 28, 2008). The paper proposes that the government should reduce its role in presenting important government information to citizens and should provide reusable data, rather than providing websites, as the core of its online publishing responsibility.
- Ed Felten & David Robinson of the Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University, Jon Udell's Interviews with Innovators, 46 minutes, 21.1mb, recorded 2008-09-02