GPO “clarifies” its position
Printing Office to Keep on Printing. by Paul Singer, National Journal, 02-26-2005, page 606. [subscription required]
When GPO Superintendent of Documents Judy Russell suggested that the Government Printing Office was going to stop distributing all but 50 titles to Federal Depository Library Program libraries, she "set off a firestorm." This National Journal article says that, "GPO officials would neither discuss this story nor provide a copy of Russell's remarks" but that "Russell issued a statement Wednesday to 'clarify' her January remarks."
Russell posted a message to the govdoc-l mailing list on 3/1/2005 with more information. Unfortunately, while speaking of the importance of "electronic documents" this message still only mentions "dissemination of tangible products" to depository libraries. The message also says that GPO will "expand electronic information offerings through the FDLP" -- apparently confusing GPO (which has electronic information content) with FDLP libraries (into which GPO will not deposit electronic documents).
Continue readingA plea to make public records retention digital
Real-Time Sunshine Government Technology, March 2005 By Paul W. Taylor.
Open records laws -- driven by citizen initiatives at the ballot box three decades ago as government accountability measures -- were intended to prevent the last scandal from happening again, tens of thousands of exemptions notwithstanding. Erring on the side of caution, paper, microfilm, microfiche and digital records on various media are put in archival boxes, never to be seen again....
The public record is effectively lost to obscurity at a time when real advances are being made to broaden the circulation of literature and library holdings by bringing the world of wood pulp to the World Wide Web....
There is still time and considerable urgency to make the unique, authoritative public record held by government a primary source online. Citizens expect it, the historic values of transparency demand it, and government will be conspicuous in its absence if it fails to make it so....
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Govt open code collaborative
"Government Technology":Government moves into the open Here's an idea who's time has come. As local, state and federal govts are increasingly defunded, they will need to find ways to provide the services they provide in more collaborative, open-source ways. Enter the Government Open Code Collaborative Repository. It's a great way to share expertise and software rather than relying on multiple (usually expensive) solutions. As Peter Quinn, CIO of Massachusetts, puts it, "if one state developed a better electronic licensing system or voter registration system using open source and then shared it with other states, it was an exercise in democracy through the exchange of information in an open society underpinned by reliable technology." What a concept, efficient government using democratic principles! Continue reading
Freedom of Information Far From Free
Freedom of Information Far From Free, OMB Watch, 2/07/2005. The Justice Department has responded to the People for the American Way(PFAW)'s FOIA request, "all records related to the decision to seal the records of immigrants detained in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will cost nearly $400,000." Continue reading
Republican Policy Committee Attempts to Bolster Data Quality Act
Republican Policy Committee Attempts to Bolster Data Quality Act, OMB Watch, 02/07/2005.
This article analyzes a new "background document" from the Senate Republican Policy Committee on the Data Quality Act. OMBWatch says that document "praises the law’s benefits and attempts to bolster its legitimacy" but makes factual errors and inadvertantly supports criticism of the Act. The article gives an example of use of how the Act has been used in attempts to suppress scientific information.
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