Free Government Information (FGI) - Because Government information needs to be free

Towards an Open Source Repository and Preservation System: Recommendations on the Implementation of an Open Source Digital Archival and Preservation System and on Related Software Development, Kevin Bradley, Junran Lei, and Chris Blackall. Paris: UNESCO, 2007.

This is an interesting and worthwhile whitepaper. It examines existing open source tools and evaluates them for constructing a digital archival and preservation system compatible with the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). Their aim it to develop a single package open source repository system based on existing open source platforms. Its model organization is a small- to medium-size cultural heritage organization with a low, but not non-existent, capital investment budget aiming to manage between 1TB and 20TB of data.

One of the recommendations of the whitepaper is to "Encourage the development of federated and cooperative approaches through the adoption of standard data packages."

Although the report does not examine LOCKSS because its goal was to be able to support standalone preservation repositories that are not dependant on remote storage facilities or systems, it does have as another key finding that the system should "Make multiple copies, and check and verify them regularly" -- just as LOCKSS does

This from the executive summary:

This Document defines the requirements for a digital archival and preservation system using standard hardware and describes a set of open source software which can be used to implement it. This report defines the requirements for a digital archival and preservation system using standard hardware and describes a set of open source software which could used to implement it. There are two aspects of this report that distinguish it from other approaches. One is the complete or holistic approach to digital preservation. The report recognises that a functioning preservation system must consider all aspects of a digital repositories; Ingest, Access, Administration, Data Management, Preservation Planning and Archival Storage, including storage media and management software. Secondly, the report argues that, for simple digital objects, the solution to digital preservation is relatively well understood, and that what is needed are affordable tools, technology and training in using those systems.

September 8, 2007 / 1 Comment on C-SPAN series on Presidential Libraries

C-SPAN series on Presidential Libraries

Presidential Libraries: History Uncovered began this week. It is broadcast at 8PM Eastern Time on C-SPAN, and on C-SPAN Radio Saturdays at 3pm ET The series offers what presidential historian Richard Norton Smith predicts will be "a kind of history that people don't get out of their textbooks." The series covers Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton. The first show (September 7 on TV, and September 8 on radio) was on Hoover. More material is online at the above link.

More about the series here:

C-SPAN Libraries series opens door to presidential history, by Jeannie Kever, Houston Chronicle Sept. 6, 2007.

Public Libraries Can’t Fill Digital Divide Alone

Public Libraries Can't Fill Digital Divide Alone, Senate Committee Told
Jennifer Pinkowski -- Library Journal, 9/7/2007

Public libraries alone cannot fill the digital divide that plagues rural Arkansas, Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System director David Burdick told United States Senators and officials from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on August 28. Burdick testified in Little Rock at the Central Arkansas Library System's downtown branch before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in a field hearing on the accessibility and affordability of broadband in Arkansas organized by Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR).

Lunchtime Listen: Checks and Balances

In his new book Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy, Charlie Savage documents how the Bush administration has expanded presidential power and limited the checks and balances of Congress and the courts. In an interview with Terry Gross he outlines many of the key points of his book:

Charlie Savage, In Pursuit of the Imperial President, Interview of Charlie Savage by Terry Gross, Fresh Air, (September 5, 2007)

A transcript is available on LexisNexis and Factiva and the audio is also available as a podcast.

Savage describes some of the expanded executive powers this way:

...the ability to unilaterally pull out of a treaty without consulting the Senate as Bush did in the anti-ballistic missile treaty in December of 2001, which means some future president who doesn't like NATO or the UN could just say, 'We're out,' and we would be out. The ability to impose martial law over the objections of a state governor. The ability to hold a US citizen without trial or without charges perpetually by naming them an enemy combatant. The ability to keep all matters of documents and government activity secret from lawsuits and from Congress in a much broader fortress of secrecy than previous presidents have enjoyed. A much more aggressive use of the ability to shut down lawsuits simply by uttering the magic words 'state secrets.'"

And he says that the implications reach far into the future:

...the Bush administration could leave office entirely tomorrow and the agenda will already have been completed.... The strategy was, 'We are going to permanently expand the power of the presidency as an institution for all future presidents to wield. We are going to throw off the restraints that were imposed in the '70s after Watergate and Vietnam. We are going to magnify the powers that the historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. dubbed "the imperial presidency," which had arisen just in the first couple of decades of the Cold War, peaked under Nixon and were sort of brought under control again after Watergate and Vietnam.'

Charlie Savage covers national legal affairs for "The Boston Globe" and won a Pulitzer Prize for investigation into President Bush's use of executive signing statements.

Bookmobile Day 4 : A perfect day

Day 4: Staying up until 2 am blogging, flickr-ing (here is Day 4 photos), and imovie-ing :-) and waking up early morning to set up the bookmobile requires a little will power. However, once in a while for morale, bookmobilistas need a day when they can sleep in and start the day a little late. Today was one of those days.

We got into Orland yesterday and scoped out the town. When the railroad was built around the 1870s (we talked with the town historian!) Orland was a lively little crossroads town. However, today you can only faintly see the traces of Orland's past in its downtown buildings and marquees. So I wasn't quite sure what to expect from our day in Orland.

When we arrived at the library around 12:30pm, and met Margarita, one of 6 staff (they have 2 librarians) at the Orland Free Library -- and an artist whose beautiful self-portrait hangs on near the front door of the library. We asked Margarita where we should set up the boookmobile. With no hesitation, she said, "just drive the car on the lawn and park in front of the library;" shortly we confirmed this with Marilyn, the head of library. Being able to park the bookmobile right in front of the library is always a good sign for bookmobilistas :-) .

As soon as we set up shop, Estelle, Margarita, and Marilyn showed up and they were so eager to see the bookmobile. Of course we pulled out our best -- and only! -- repertoire Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and made a book for them. We heard oohs & ahs which meant that we had perfected our act.

Since today was the first friday that the library was scheduled to be open, there weren't many visitors to the library; but this turned out to be better for us. The Library staff was able to come out and hang out at the bookmobile with us, ask lots of questions and receive the full power of the public domain.

While we were talking about random stuff, I asked Magarita if she knew what a blog was. She said that she had heard about them but didn't know much more than that. We explained to her and asked her if she liked to have one for her. She said "sure" with a big simile in her face. Sitting next to the bookmobile with JRJ's laptop we helped Margarita create a worldpress blog account. While Magarita was thinking of her user name for her blog, Jody, the children's librarian, came and suggested that she create a library blog. Perfect timing! We changed course from a personal to collective blog and Orland Free Library blog was born. Jody and Magarita were so thrilled and started to talk about what they can do with it. And when Marilyn came out we told her that Orland Free library now had a blog. Oh my!! was her response. Jody posted her first blog post and Estelle posted her first comment. We could feel the pure excitement in the library with their new blog and meeting with the bookmobilistas. All of the staff are like a family and they were all very kind and beautiful.

Our next stop is Anderson which is not until monday. So we drove to the Trinity Mountains to explore the area. On the way to Weaverville, we passed Whiskeytown lake at sunset and the beauty was stunning and unfathomable. I was thinking of capturing nature with my digital camera but I decided against it because I knew it wouldn't do it justice. It was simply a beautiful and prefect day.