Jefferson Muzzles awards for 2007
2007 Jefferson Muzzles, Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression
Since 1992, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression has celebrated the birth and ideals of its namesake by calling attention to those who in the past year forgot or disregarded Mr. Jefferson's admonition that freedom of speech 'cannot be limited without being lost.'
The top 5:
# The Bush Administration # The National Collegiate Athletic Association # The Charles A. Beard Memorial School Board of Knightstown, Indiana # The Philadelphia (PA) Commission on Human Relations # United States Department of DefensePress coverage:
- Bush administration gets Muzzle award, by Zinie Chen Sampson, Apr 10, 2007.
Lack of collaboration among DHS watch centers
The Department of Homeland Security has 25 operations centers throughout the U.S., and according to a recent GAO audit, they're not collaborating very well. Here's the full story: GAO faults DHS for poor management of watch centers According to the report, DHS doesn't have a clear set of procedures in place for the operation of its Homeland Security Information Network, which in turn hampers the operations centers' ability to share information related to terrorist threats and the like. As we saw after 9/11, the lack of coordination between the FBI and CIA put the nation at risk. Obviously, there has to be better cooperation among these 25 centers in order to avoid a similar situation. The same goes for information-sharing prior to, during, and following a natural disaster or other catastrophe. It's alarming that "basics" like information-sharing policies and procedures are either non-existent or poorly defined at both the regional and national levels, especially given that more complex and technical processes are needed to keep the citizenry safe. Continue reading
GPO LOCKSS report: Why LOCKSS vs. FDsys?
I do not understand why the GPO report on LOCKSS ( GPO LOCKSS Pilot: Final Analysis, Government Printing Office, April 12, 2007) seems to take an "either LOCKSS or FDsys" approach.*
It is my understanding that FDsys uses the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model and that LOCKSS is 100 percent OAIS compatible (OAIS Formal statement of Conformance to ISO 14721:2003).
To me, this means that the bulk of the work that GPO did to get content ready for LOCKSS would be work that would also prepare content for FDsys. If that is true, the two systems are not incompatible, but complementary. It should not be necessary for GPO to choose one or the other, but, instead, could choose both.
The report notes in its Final Recommendations that "GPO’s emerging enterprise architecture requires that new applications be compatible with FDsys or face the risk of near-term obsolescence" but it does not explain how LOCKSS does not meet this criterion.
In both the report and the Clarification, GPO says that it would require 9 FTEs to harvest and re-publish content to GPO servers in a LOCKSS-friendly format and only 1 FTE to write LOCKSS plugins. This is the "much larger use of staff time" that evidently is the primary reason GPO is using to decide to "devote its resources to the development of FDsys..." and devote no resources to using or enabling use of LOCKSS.
This leads me to more questions about the GPO LOCKSS report. Perhaps these can be addressed at DLC?
- In what way does LOCKSS fail to meet the criterion that "that new applications be compatible with FDsys"
- In what way would content processed for LOCKSS not be usable by FDsys?
- What will the cost be to process into FDsys the 592 serial titles identified in the GPO LOCKSS report?
Finally, the report consistently refers to LOCKSS as a "distribution" system and ignores LOCKSS as a preservation system. The report only mentions the benefits of LOCKSS once ("IP authentication for over 1260 depositories would be cumbersome, and may not be cost effective in relation to the benefit received." p.6) but does not specify what GPO sees as the benefits of LOCKSS. I would suggest that a better evaluation of LOCKSS by GPO would have included the benefits of LOCKSS, particularly as a redundant (fiscally, physically, and technologically) preservation system, and would have included a perspective of LOCKSS as complementary to FDsys, not a competitor to it.
* The report says that GPO tested the LOCKSS technology "as a potential precursor to GPO’s Future Digital System (FDsys)" not as a complement to FDsys. It speaks of a choice between "duplicating effort" or requiring all libraries to use LOCKSS. It sets up scenarios such as "If a title such as this were to be distributed through LOCKSS only..." and "If LOCKSS were to become the only distribution method for e-journals distributed to the FDLP..."
Continue readingState Libraries in Second Life: KS and SC
As promised the last time I did a Second Life related posting, I visited the virtual branch of the State Library of Kansas.
I was impressed on two levels. First by how well the virtual space works as exhibit space, as shown by this photo of some author posters:
I was also impressed by how much state government information is being dispensed through this virtual branch. Information on maps, statistical information, governor messages from 1861 forward. It was presented in a way that wasn't too difficult to use by these information kiosks:
Finally I just liked the look of the building, which is framed by a delicate rainbow:
While scouting out the State Library of Kansas, I came across the building below which proclaimed itself as "Reserved for the South Carolina State Library."
Not much there yet, but interesting that two State Libraries have staked a claim in Second Life. You can read more about the SCSL experiment at their library's IT blog.
Is it is a good way to serve government information? I'm not sure, but it's good to see people experimenting. Definitely worth visiting if you've got the bandwidth and hardware to run Second Life without ripping your hair out.
One thing I *am* sure about is that museums work for me in Second Life. Once you get used to moving and looking around, it feels like a pretty credible experience of wandering through exhibits. I hope to see more museums in Second Life.
What do you all think?
Thanks to Flickr for image hosting! Continue reading