Do you twitter?
Do you use twitter? We're experimenting with using the service -- sort of a microblog that lets you also post to it from your cell phone and other cool features. We've just set up a twitter acct -- freegovinfo of course! -- so go on over and subscribe to the RSS if you're so inclined. Also, if you user twitter, drop us a comment telling us your twitter acct. You can expect some twitter posts from Philly as I'm off to ALA until next tuesday.
Continue readingWhite House ordered to provide millions of missing email
This issue has been around for a while (see "White House eschews email." and "What's worse than 18 1/2 minutes of deleted audio?" previously posted on FGI). According to the SF Chronicle, the White House today is being ordered to provide information on millions of missing email from White House servers. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has more background and a link to the judge's order.
A federal magistrate ordered the White House on Tuesday to reveal whether copies of possibly millions of missing e-mails are stored on computer backup tapes.
The order by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola comes amid an effort by the White House to scuttle two lawsuits that could force the Executive Office of the President to recover any e-mail that has disappeared from computer servers where electronic documents are automatically archived.
In their lawsuits, the National Security Archive and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington suggest the e-mails were improperly deleted from White House computer servers. Over 5 million White House e-mails are missing, CREW alleged. Recently, the group said it has been told by reliable sources that the actual figure of missing e-mail is over 10 million.
In asking that the complaints be dismissed, the Bush administration says the president’s record keeping practices under the Presidential Records Act are not reviewable by the courts. Also, the Federal Records Act does not allow the far-reaching action the two private groups are demanding, the administration contends…
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Back to the future: Jefferson’s 1815 Library records and Preservation of 21st Century State Digital Information
Thanks James! And greetings to FGI readers! A couple of recent posts piqued my interest over the last few days ---
The first is from the wonderful community of booklovers at the LibraryThing about Thomas Jefferson: a fascinating exercise in "social bibliographic control."
The second is an announcement from the institution that owes much to Jefferson's library, the Library of Congress, and its news release that describes its efforts to preserve state government information -- Digital Preservation Program Adds New Partners To Preserve State Government Digital Information. Just another indication that the best preservation efforts are often multi-institutional.
Finally, not to leave the civil rights stones unturned, here is an article that describes the legal troubles over border inspectors asking folks coming into the United States to turn on their laptops and show the officials what is on the hard drive. Setting Boundaries at Borders: Reconciling Laptop Searches and Privacy.
Looking forward to much discussion and reading, and thanks for the opportunity to join the conversation.
jashuler
Continue readingWelcome John Shuler, blogger of the month for January, 2008
Greetings and welcome to 2008. FGI has been a little quiet over the holidays, but we're rested and ready to go for 2008. With that in mind, our blogger-of-the-month for January is John Shuler, from the University of Illinois Chicago (see John's bio for more background). Please check back early and often as there's bound to be lots of interesting posts from John as well as the FGI volunteers. The podium is yours, John. Take it away! Continue reading
John Shuler, BOTM for January, 2008
John Shuler is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a Bibliographer for Government Information and Urban Planning/Documents Librarian Collections Development. Previously he was head of the documents department at Colgate University. Shuler has published extensively on information in electronic media and is a strong advocate of virtual reference. He worked with GPO to create our first ever formal digital partnership between the U.S. State Department the FDLP, and spearheaded library virtual reference collaboration and is working with the Government Printing Office to implement the reference project as a full partnership. Shuler is also an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate Library and Information program of Dominican University. He serves on the Public Printer's Depository Library Council, on the editorial board of Journal of Academic Librarianship, and is an assistant editor for Government Information Quarterly. He is primarily interested in blogging about the impact of digital government information and local/state governments. Continue reading