The New York Times visual explainer – “The virus that causes Covid-19 is currently spreading around the world. At least six other types of coronavirus are known to infect humans, with some causing the common cold and two causing outbreaks: SARS and MERS. The coronavirus is named after the crownlike spikes that protrude from its… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2020
Government resources on Coronavirus
Via Kathryn Bayer, Outreach Librarian, Library Services and Content Management, GPO [GovDocs Librarians Rock!!] “Patrons across the country are in search of information on the Coronavirus. Here are some U.S. Government resources that can help. FDLP LibGuides: Coronavirus – Hot Topics: https://libguides.fdlp.gov/c.php?g=1005541 CDC Protects and Prepares Communities: https://catalog.gpo.gov/F/?func=direct&doc_number=001115600&local_base=GPO01PUB What to Do If You Are Sick… Continue Reading
WH weighs teleworking, federal agencies reviewing options, experts predict huge impact of virus
Politico – The White House is unlike any other office — a decision to have staff telework could ripple across governments and the nation…setting the tone for other officials, state governments and corporations to make their own telework determinations. A less-populated White House complex also risks sending a startling signal to the nation about the… Continue Reading
Federal judge calls Chief Justice Roberts ‘masterpiece of disingenuousness’ in law review article
ABA Journal: “A federal judge appointed by President Bill Clinton is criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority for “undermining American democracy” by weakening the Voting Rights Act, failing to rein in partisan gerrymandering, and increasing the economic and political power of corporations. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman of Milwaukee airs his dissatisfaction in an… Continue Reading
Federal courts are canceling proceedings and restricting visitors amid coronavirus concerns
ABA Journal: “Some federal courts are changing or suspending some operations as a result of concerns about the coronavirus. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington has suspended all civil and criminal matters that require in-court appearances. Courthouses remain open for filings, according to a press release and coverage by Law360 and… Continue Reading
Libraries and the practice of freedom in the age of algorithms
Barbara Fister – Libraries and the Practice of Freedom in the Age of Algorithm – “Abstract: How prepared are librarians, and the students they serve, to navigate technologies that are fundamentally changing how we encounter, evaluate, and create information? In the past decade, a handful of platforms have become powerful information intermediaries that help us search… Continue Reading
The best, and the worst, of the coronavirus dashboards
MIT Technology Review – There are dozens of sites that show you how coronavirus is spreading around the world. Here is our ranking. “If you’ve been on the web to learn more about the latest pandemic, chances are you’ve stumbled upon at least one or two coronavirus dashboards. These are the landing pages for interactive… Continue Reading
Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain
The launch of a new open access platform ushers in a new era of accessibility for the Institution – “Culture connoisseurs, rejoice: The Smithsonian Institution is inviting the world to engage with its vast repository of resources like never before. For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithsonian has released 2.8 million high-resolution… Continue Reading
Waters to Wells Fargo CEO: The Bank You Inherited is Essentially a Lawless Organization
News release: “Following the release of a Majority staff report entitled, “The Real Wells Fargo: Board & Management Failures, Consumer Abuses, and Ineffective Regulatory Oversight,” Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, convened a full Committee hearing with Charles W. Scharf, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of Wells Fargo… Continue Reading
U.S. coronavirus testing threatened by shortage of critical lab materials
Politico: “A looming shortage in lab materials is threatening to delay coronavirus test results and cause officials to undercount the number of Americans with the virus. The slow pace of coronavirus testing has created a major gap in the U.S. public health response. The latest problem involves an inability to prepare samples for testing, creating… Continue Reading
DuckDuckGo does not track you – ready to leave Google?
Via www.bitlog.com Jake Voytko’s personal log of bits – DuckDuckGo is good enough for regular use – “…I don’t personally miss most of Google’s result panels. Especially the panels that highlight information snippets. It’s easy to find these. Searching microsoft word justify text provides me a snippet from Microsoft’s Office’s support page explaining what to… Continue Reading
Google Scrubs Coronavirus Misinformation on Search, YouTube
Bloomberg – “Since Covid-19 began to spread, Google has aggressively intervened in some of its most popular online services to limit the spread of misinformation. This is a departure for a company that has relied heavily on software and automation to index and rank information throughout its 22-year existence. Google searches related to the virus… Continue Reading
