Consumer Action Handbook
The approach of December means that millions of Americans will soon be shopping, shipping, printing, mailing, baking, eating, traveling, and/or simply hiding at home and watching cable TV or DVDs. Whatever the case, most people will spend the last month of the year consuming a wide variety of goods and services. Therefore, this is an excellent time to think about being a wise consumer. Two sources that can help you in this quest are the Consumer Action Handbook and the Consumer Action Website. Both are produced by the General Services Administration’s Federal Citizen Information Center. Both provide a wealth of advice on what to consider before and after making a purchase. They also provide information about the proper way to file a complaint if the item or service you purchased was unsatisfactory, in addition to a long list of consumer contacts at major corporations. One feature available on the website that isn’t replicated in the Handbook is the Consumer News box. This very useful little box provides links to consumer alerts and announcements from a number of different federal agencies. To paraphrase both the Coneheads and Sergeant Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues, go forth and consume mass quantities, but hey, let’s be careful out there. P.S. Thanks for letting me be the Blogger for November. It was fun! Continue reading
FCC program to fund broadband for rural healthcare
FCC LAUNCHES "RURAL HEALTH CARE PILOT PROGRAM" WEBSITE Press Release (November 21, 2006) fcc.gov
The FCC has launched a website (http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html) that provides a consolidated source of information about the FCC's recently announced Rural Health Care Pilot Program. The website includes the Order adopting the pilot program and the accompanying news release, a PDF slide presentation giving an overview of the program, and frequently asked questions (FAQs), The website will be updated periodically, as appropriate. The FCC's pilot program is an innovative, enhanced funding initiative intended to help public and non-profit health care providers construct state- and region-wide broadband networks to provide telehealth and telemedicine services throughout the nation. The program will fund up to 85% of the costs of constructing those networks, as well as the costs of advanced telecommunications and information services that will ride over these networks. If selected, up to 85% of the cost of connecting to Internet2, a dedicated nationwide backbone, may also be funded by the pilot program. Connection to Internet 2 is not required, but may be requested by the applicants....Continue reading
Digital Distribution Response and Comment Submitted to GPO and DLC
We'd like to thank everyone who took the time to comment on the GPO/DLC Digital Discussion questions that we at FGI prepared responses to. Our input along with your comments and a cover letter, have been submitted to selected GPO staff and all members of the Depository Library Council. If you have thoughts about how either the Government Printing Office or the Depository Library Council could broaden the discussion on digital distribution of federal electronic documents, please comment here or consider sending a suggestion through the GPO Help System, available from any page on GPO Access. Continue reading
Comment Submission to GPO and Depository Library Council
On November 26, 2006, the volunteers at Free Government Information passed along all comments received on our DLC Digital Distribution page to the people named below. For a PDF copy of our responses and your comments, please see the file attached to this page.
Dear Mr. James, Ms. Russell, Mr. Davis, Mr. Wash and members of the Depository Library Council: As you are well aware, the Depository Library Council held a session on Digital Distribution in Washington DC on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 as part of the Fall 2006 Depository Library Council meeting. In hopes of broadening the discussion on digital distribution beyond the confines of in-person Council meetings, I and the other volunteers at Free Government Information posted responses to the Digital Distribution discussion questions presented at Council on the FGI website (http://freegovinfo.info) and invited others to add their own comments. We are attaching to this email a copy of our comments and the responses from other librarians. We do not pretend to represent the whole depository community, just a few voices from people unable to travel to Council. We appreciate the fact that you are addressing this issue and reaching out to the depository community for their comments and ideas. Because this issue is so important and because so many depository librarians cannot attend Council meetings, we suggest that you reach out to the community even more and take input from a broader section of the community before major decisions are made. Some of the actions you might take include:Continue readingThank you for taking time to receive more input on an issue that will shape citizen access to federal government information for years to come.
- Using your OPAL meeting room to hold a set of “virtual town meetings†on the topic of digital distribution.
- Survey either the entire FDLP or the subset of libraries indicating willingness to take digital items on issues related to digital distribution.
- Send GPO/DLC reps to State library association meetings to given presentations on FDSys and take suggestions on Digital Distribution.
News of EPA library closures makes headlines
Alternet just posted a story about the closing of the EPA libraries ("A Step Shy of Book-Burning." By Kelpie Wilson, 11/23/06). This article, in addition to positive news stories over the last month or so has moved the plight of the EPA libraries into the mainstream and caused our Congress people to reevaluate the horrendously bad decision that has caused the closure of EPA libraries. But the fight's not over yet. Please, please, please contact your representatives and let them know you support the refunding of EPA libraries -- AND fill in ALA's legislative action. See the ALA Washington office for background information.
In August, under the guise of fiscal responsibility, the Bush Environmental Protection Agency began closing most of its research libraries, both to the public and to its own staff. The EPA's professional staff objected strongly, insisting that closing the libraries would hamstring them in their jobs. In a letter to Congress protesting the closures, public employees said, "We believe that this budget cut is just one of many Bush administration initiatives to reduce the effectiveness of the US Environmental Protection Agency, and to continue to demoralize its employees." [..]Closing the EPA libraries is the perfect symbol to characterize the methods of the Bush administration. Since 2000, the Republicans have cemented their reputation as ushers of a new dark age. They have sought to shroud the light of science by closing libraries and by suppressing scientific reports. They have gagged their own scientists and persecuted whistleblowers. They have cloaked government in secrecy, a prime example being Dick Cheney's secret meetings with oil companies to draft an industry-friendly national energy policy. But that era is now winding down.Continue reading