Get Hearings Fast!
Getting a hearing quickly is difficult if not impossible -- unless you have money. Now, without fanfair, one committee is making it easier. See a list here, and read more about it in Dan Froomkin's article, Citizen Journalists, Start Your Engines! (December 4, 2007).
Continue readingMajor hearings are often transcribed in real-time by CQ Transcripts and the Federal News Service, but those are copyrighted works that are only available to those who pay for them or have a subscription to Nexis.
Up until now, it took more than six months for public-domain transcripts of most hearings to become available. They had to work their way through an arduous proofing and approval process before finally being published by the Government Printing Office.
But now, without any formal announcement, the House Oversight Committee has started Web-publishing the preliminary transcripts prepared by official stenographers as soon as they are available -- typically within a few days of the hearing. In other words, while the news is still fresh.
Let's hope other committees follow its lead.
Wikileaks puts another Gitmo document online
A couple of weeks ago, we posted about Wikileaks releasing a sensitive Guantanamo Standard Operating Procedures manual. They've just posted a second leaked manual -- Detainee Operations in a Joint Environment (available for download below) -- that provides detailed instructions about how guards at Guantanamo’s Camp Delta were instructed to treat detainees at the military prison in 2004. Like the 2003 Gitmo manual, this document is unclassified but still contains significant information about the isolation of prisoners, the use of dogs at Guantanamo, and forms of punishment for detainees. Wikileaks editor Julian Assange has put together a handy side-by-side comparison showing changes between the 2003 and 2004 documents. Continue reading
Happy 50th to Paul Meek Library at Univ of TN!
According to govdoc-l poster Ania Lasota, the Paul Meek Library had a terrific 50th anniversary as a Federal Depository Library:
This week we have celebrated 50th Anniversary of our depository status. We did great: we had coverage by a local radio station, and also Jackson, local and college paper. We ran information about the docs anniversary on the web, and the campus main electronic marquee. The staff put together a nice display of government documents and posters, and we had a great reception - which went really well! Our guests included Congressman and Mrs. John Tanner, Mayor, Chancellor, and others. As an extra enticement for students to attend our event, we had a bunch of door prizes which local businesses graciously donated to us.
Our hats are off to Ania and others at the Paul Meek Library who did such a terrific job ensuring visibilty for their event!
It looks like it impressed Rep. Tanner as well who is reportedly planning to return to the library to give a lecture.
50-State subject database guides – what next?
Recently, the 50-State Agency Database Registry produced an annotated list of searchable inmate locaters. Many states have databases on many given subjects, so the volunteer staff of the Database Register is interested in expanding the offerings on our subject-focused databases page.
We (the Registry volunteers) would like to do this with subjects of interest to the community. So tell us what we should do next, either by leaving comments here or by participating in a brief poll on the main page of the State Agency Database Highlights blog at http://statedatabase.blogspot.com.
For databases from the 50 states, please see the 50-State Agency Database Registry
The Nurturing Librarian
An aspect of the job that I enjoy doing is public service. I really like the one-on-one contact that I have with my patrons. At times, you developed friendships with some of them. It has gotten to the point when they will stop by my office, the reference desk, or the gov. docs. desk to talk about what's going on in their lives or just have someone who will listen. There is this one patron whom I believe may have saved a great deal of money in pyschiatric services just because he stops by once a week to vent with me.
One of the biggest attractions of working at a library for me is the wonderful mix of research, history, and public service that is involved in the position. I am constantly learning something new everyday. Since my B.A. is in American history, I really am proud of the fact that I use my degree every day as a government documents coordinator. But, one of the aspects of the job that really makes it all worthwhile for me is the need to nurture. Being there for someone who might be in distress because they cannot find the resources they need or coming to you shyly because they need help using the online catalog. Yes, this is the part of the job I enjoy the most.
I guess, for me as a single male, that is the outlet for my nurturing tendencies. I imagine that for those of you who are married with children and grandchildren, having to nurture patrons as well might be more than you are willing to do. What I do know, though, is how appreciative they are after you have helped them. That usually makes my day and it also makes up for the times when I really don't want to be at work...its what motivates me to get up in the morning and head happily to work.
I am proud of the service the library community provides for its patrons and, for the most part, most patrons are grateful for the service you provide them. I really am very proud to serve my community as a librarian and for the opportunity to help meet their needs.
This is my last blog entry as guest blogger for FreeGovInfo. I am thankful for the opportunity to talk about life in the library.
I also would like to wish you:
Merry Christmas
Feliz Navidad
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Kwanzaa
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