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Monthly Archives: May 2019

Legal Linked Data Ecosystems and the Rule of Law

Springer Professional Open Access E-Book: 5.1 Introduction: The Rule of Law in a New Brave World – We will expand in this chapter some ways of implementing linked democracy on legal and political bases. Linked democracy is not only a theoretical approach incorporating open linked data to theories of democracy. It consists of practices and the real behaviour of people exercising their political rights on everyday bases. Thus, it also possesses a personal and cultural dimension that should be valued and protected. Law is an obvious element. Behaviour on the web should be ‘fair’ and ‘legal’. What does it mean? Different states have different jurisdictions, and despite the international trends of the global market, law has been, and still is, dependent on national states. How could we incorporate regulatory forms of empowering people on the web? How could algorithmic governance , data analytics, and semantics be used to foster the principles of linked democracy that we have just presented at the end of Chap. 4“…

Using Lexis Advance’s Legislative Outlook to Predict if a Bill Will Become Law

RIPS Law Librarian Blog – Sarah Gostchall – “…Lexis Advance, with its relatively new (2016) predictive analytics Legislative Outlook feature, was the clear winner. Though Bloomberg Law has a number of statutory tracking features for select areas of law, such as banking, tax, IP, etc., it doesn’t have a Arizona bill tracking database with all… Continue Reading

Titles of 13 New “Secret Laws” Revealed

“The Project On Government Oversight has obtained new details about legal opinions from the Justice Department’s secretive Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), including 13 previously unreleased memo titles, and the dates of memos whose titles remain redacted. Obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the newly released memo titles reveal some of the subjects… Continue Reading

Want to feel less anxious about the state of the world? Try diversifying your online news sources

NeimanLab – “Participants who reported actively trying to diversify their online news streams by interacting with people and content espousing different points of view also reported lower levels of anxiety related to current events. “A new study suggests that consumers who actively take steps to diversify their news consumption — following accounts and news outlets… Continue Reading

Metadata is the biggest little problem plaguing the music industry

The Verge – Metadata is the biggest little problem plaguing the music industry – It’s a crisis that has left, by some estimations, billions on the table unpaid to musicians – “Recently, a musician signed to a major indie label told me they were owed up to $40,000 in song royalties they would never be able… Continue Reading

The Books of College Libraries Are Turning Into Wallpaper

The Atlantic – University libraries around the world are seeing precipitous declines in the use of the books on their shelves. – Dan Cohen – Vice Provost for Information Collaboration at Northeastern University “…These stark statistics present a conundrum for those who care about libraries and books. At the same time that books increasingly lie dormant,… Continue Reading

HHS Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force Report

Final Report – Updates, Gaps, Inconsistencies, and Recommendations: “Patients with acute and chronic pain in the United States face a crisis because of significant challenges in obtaining adequate care, resulting in profound physical, emotional, and societal costs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 million adults in the United States have chronic… Continue Reading

Here’s a prediction: In the future, predictions will only get worse

Quartz: “The Australian election produced a winner no pollster predicted: Prime minister Scott Morrison’s ruling coalition remained in power, despite all expectations to the contrary. After the surprise outcomes of the Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump as US president, what now feels like the most predictable outcome of any election is that the… Continue Reading

Google Maps adds ability to see speed limits and speed traps in 40+ countries

TechCrunch: “Google Maps is gaining some features previously exclusive to Google’s navigation app, Waze. The company confirmed it’s rolling out the ability for Google Maps users to see speed limits, speed cameras and mobile speed cameras in more than 40 countries worldwide — an expansion of its earlier launch of these features, which were previously… Continue Reading

8 Great Reasons to Co-Work in a Library

BookRiot: “The news keeps reporting back on the gig economy and the ways in which working remotely is becoming an increasingly available option. With more and more jobs that are focused primarily on having a laptop and access to an electrical outlet, it is no wonder that people are seeking out the best spot they… Continue Reading

What’s the state of state public records law?

MuckRock – “Explore our four-part series detailing crucial aspects of state records law.  Over the last nine months, our FOIA Fellow Jessie Gomez has been looking at public records law across the nation through our State of State Public Records Law project. Today, we’ll be exploring the major takeaways from her reporting. Primarily, our coverage… Continue Reading