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Monthly Archives: September 2015

New Report Highlights Need for FOIA Reform

News release: “In its second National Action Plan (NAP) for the Open Government Partnership (OGP), the White House committed to standardizing FOIA practices across federal agencies, improving agency FOIA processes by reducing backlogs and promoting proactive disclosure, and increasing FOIA trainings across the government. A new report from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS),… Continue Reading

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Via Quartz – This free online encyclopedia has achieved what Wikipedia can only dream of – “The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy may be the most interesting website on the internet. Not because of the content—which includes fascinating entries on everything from ambiguity to zombies—but because of the site itself Its creators have solved one of… Continue Reading

New on LLRX – Animal Rights on the Road to Personhood

Via LLRX.com – Animal Rights on the Road to Personhood – Ken Strutin’s paper addresses a seminal issue that has been an integral part of the personal and collective ethic of diverse peoples around the world. As Strutin states, when life is classified biologically, it is also defined legally. Thus is formed the tension between… Continue Reading

New on LLRX – The Next Librarian of Congress – What to do about the Internet Archive and Google Books’ scanning project?

Via LLRX.com – The Next Librarian of Congress – What to do about the Internet Archive and Google Books’ scanning project? – David Rothman offers his insights and perspective on the work and challenges that await the next Librarian of Congress. He calls for an individual who is not only steeped in the requisite expertise… Continue Reading

New on LLRX – Wearable tech data as evidence in the courtroom

Via LLRX.com – Wearable tech data as evidence in the courtroom – Nicole Black discusses how data downloaded from wearable technology has entered into the discovery phase of personal injury cases. A wealth of data can be collected about the direct activities of individuals who are using wearable devices while exercising, as well as conducting… Continue Reading

New on LLRX – Vermont’s Legislature is Considering Support for Blockchain Technology and Smart Contracts

Via LLRX.com – Vermont’s Legislature is Considering Support for Blockchain Technology and Smart Contracts:  Bitcoin is a significant disruptive technology with a growing impact on the financial sector and legal sectors, around the world. Alan Rothman expertly educates us on new legislation from Vermont that is intended to move the state towards using blockchain technology… Continue Reading

New on LLRX – Information Illiteracy Stopped through the Developmental Education Program

Via LLRX.com –  Information Illiteracy Stopped through the Developmental Education Program – In Part 2 of her 5 part series, Lorette Weldon, Librarian and Educator, shares insightful and actionable research on why high school students are not guaranteed success in college when they have completed college-preparatory courses, and methods to overcome these challenges. Continue Reading

U.S. Web Design Standards

Open source UI components and visual style guide to create consistency and beautiful user experiences across U.S. federal government websites:  “Tools for creating beautiful online experiences for the American people Built and maintained by a team of U.S. Digital Service and 18F designers and developers, this resource is built on the highest standards of 508… Continue Reading

Washington Post will publish all stories on Facebook

WSJ.com By Lukas I. Alpert – “While most publishers have been planning to post a trickle of stories on Facebook Inc. ’s Instant Articles platform, the Washington Post intends to go straight to a fire hose. The paper said Tuesday it will publish 100% of the stories that go on its website to Instant Articles. That… Continue Reading

Commentary – Science Isn’t Broken

Science Isn’t Broken by Christie Aschwanden – If you follow the headlines, your confidence in science may have taken a hit lately. “Peer review? More like self-review. An investigation in November uncovered a scam in which researchers were rubber-stamping their own work, circumventing peer review at five high-profile publishers. Scientific journals? Not exactly a badge… Continue Reading

California Healthcare Compare Project

“In California, Consumer Reports is looking out for consumers by bringing you free healthcare cost and quality information in a graphic, easy-to-understand way. Using the tools available through our website, California Healthcare Compare, you can find the higher- and lower-performing hospitals and medical groups for childbirth, hip and knee replacement, back pain, colon cancer screening,… Continue Reading

ACLU – Capitol Hill staffers should be able to make encrypted calls, send secure text messages

“Today, the ACLU sent a letter to both the House and Senate, urging them to provide secure voice and text messaging capabilities to Members and their staff. (The Washington Post writes about our letter today. In recent years, computer security researchers have warned about the poor security of cellular networks, which in many cases use… Continue Reading