CRS on Sensitive But Unclassified
Steven Aftergood (Project on Government Secrecy, Federation of American Scientists) has obtained a CRS report that examines "sensitive but unclassified" information of the federal government. 'Sensitive But Unclassified' Information and Other Controls: Policy and Options for Scientific and Technical Information, by Genevieve J. Knezo, Congressional Research Service, dated February 15, 2006 (published March 14, 2006). (86 page PDF document)
This report traces the evolution of SBU-related controls; summarizes actions taken to protect certain types of scientific and technical information; describes critiques of some control policies; and summarizes proposals and actions, including congressional, executive and other initiatives, to clarify these issues and develop policies that serve various stakeholders. It also raises issues that may warrant further attentionFor more documents and links see A Focus on "Sensitive But Unclassified" Information by Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News, Volume 2006, Issue No. 34 March 15, 2006. Continue reading
Future Scenario: Leaving 36% of the country behind?
A future scenario that envisions that all Americans will get government information directly from the Internet at home risks leaving nearly a hundred million Americans left in the dust. Who dares to believe that a significant portion of US Citizens will be offline in the coming years? Business Week, as reported by public relations specialist Shel Holtz:
The [3/20/2006 Business Week] article that struck me: Why the Web is Hitting a Wall (paid subscription required). The article by Roger Crockett reports on a Parks Associates survey that reveals 39 million American households do not have Internet access—meaning only 64% of households do. (And only a small percentage of these read blogs or listen to podcasts!) The study broke down the reasons why so many Americans are avoiding the Net. It’s a knee-jerk reaction to assume they’re all just getting what they need at work. In fact, that rationale accounts for only 31% of nonusers, according to the study. Sixty percent of people over 65 aren’t connected. There are 6 million homes with PCs but no Internet connection, and most of them wouldn’t subscribe to Net access at any price. Another million say they’re not interested in “anything†on the Net. Analysts anticipate the total online US population will only reach 67% by 2009.What is the advice of this experienced communications specialist for businesses with clear stakes in reaching customers?
The bottom line is simple: Abandon traditional methods of communication for social media and you also abandon 36% of the total consumer market. Sadly, rather than shift all your efforts to social media, you’ll just have to allocate the resources to do both.We hear so much talk that government should be run like a business. Perhaps that should include making government information available in formats that a hundred million Americans can use and relegating paper and fiche to the "legacy" age? Continue reading
71 legislators sign on to save SIPP
Last month, FGI blogged about the SIPP program budget problem. Thanks to the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and the action of many in our community, there is positive movement afoot. According to an email received from CEPR, "On Friday, 29 U.S. Senators and 42 Members of Congress sent a letter to President Bush asking him to reverse the administration's decision to eliminate the SIPP (see PDF of the letter). The "Save SIPP" sign on letter is approaching 500 names! If your representative is on either the House or Senate Appropriations Subcommittees, please consider calling them up and letting them know that the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) as well as the other work that the Census bureau does is extremely important to librarians, researchers, students and citizens. CEPR has created a handy call-in guide with talking points. Please keep the momentum going! Continue reading
Aftergood receives James Madison Award from ALA
First of all, happy Sunshine Week!! Check out these Sunshine week editorial cartoons while you're at it. Steven Aftergood, director of the FAS Project on Government Secrecy, will be presented with the James Madison Award by the American Library Association for his work on secrecy. The Award which is "presented annually on the anniversary of Madison's birth (March 16) to honor those who have championed, protected, and promoted public access to government information and the public's right to know." US News & World Report has an excellant interview with Aftergood entitled, "Secrecy Under Scrutiny" By David E. Kaplan. Congratulations Steven! Continue reading
(WI) Statistics on the number of nurses by degree or education completed
A member of our nursing faculty was looking for statistics on the number of nurses by degree or education completed. I helped her locate Table 154, Health Professions--Practitioners and Schools: 1990-2002 in the online 2006 Statistical Abstract This table provided a portion of the information she needed, but the category "baccalaureate" combined data for all levels of nurses with advanced degrees. The rest of the data she needed was found on the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses Web site. Chart 2 of the summary included an initial nursing preparation chart. More statistics were located by searching the entire report. Our professor found what she needed and was very pleased. Mary Hayden Library Services Asst-Government Publications UW-Eau Claire McIntyre Library Continue reading