Category Archives: Government information

HeinOnline’s Browsable Congressional Record Index

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We’ve recently learned that HeinOnline’s “U.S. Congressional Documents” library offers browsable copies of the Congressional Record Index.  Given proposals to axe many print copies of the Congressional Record, there is concern that, among other things, we could lose ready access to the great research tool that is the Index.  Last year, we researched dozens of wilderness-related bills in the 1950s-1960s.  Initially, title searching in Congressional documents databases did not identify them all, because a few of the earlier bills were captioned as “forestry”—a fact discovered by using the print version of the Congressional Record Index.  So, we are  relieved that HeinOnline has preserved the Index’s utility with browsable PDFs.  To boot, they do a great job with metadata structuring.  Each letter within an Index may be accessed via separate hyperlink.  As one browses, the list of hyperlinks remains visible along the left of the screen, allowing for easy navigation.  Thank you, HeinOnline!

Congressional Lawmaking: A Perspective On Secrecy and Transparency

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The Congressional Research Service (CRS) late last year put out an interesting report on lawmaking in the U.S. Congress:

Congressional Lawmaking: A Perspective On Secrecy and Transparency

Hat tip to Law Librarian Blog.

Cross-posted on Law Library Blog.

Authentication of Primary Legal Materials and Pricing Options

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Always worth reading is Intersect Alert, the one published by the SLA San Francisco Bay Region Chapter (and not to be confused with Chuck Bartowski’s Intersect).

This item about a new California Office of Legislative Counsel white paper is from the most recent issue:

Authentication of Primary Legal Materials and Pricing Options
“The recent passage of the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA) has brought to the forefront the issue of costs of authenticating primary legal materials in electronic format. This white paper briefly reviews five methods of electronic authentication. These methods are based on trustworthiness, file types, effort to implement, and volume of electronic documents to be authenticated. Six sample solutions are described and their relative costs are compared. The white paper also frames the legal landscape and background of authentication for primary legal materials in electronic format, and provides context and points to applicable resources. The aim of this collective effort is to promote the understanding of costs related to authentication and invite further discussion on the issue.”

http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/legislativerecords/docs_pdfs/CA_Authentication_WhitePaper_Dec2011.pdf

Nonpartisan research organization MapLight reveals money’s influence on politics

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The non-profit organization MapLight has posted webpages as to the U.S. Congress and certain state legislatures (California and Wisconsin) regarding money’s influence on politics:

MapLight’s Newly Launched Company Pages Profile Contributions From Organizations And The Bills They Seek To Influence

See also here.

Hat tip to Resource Shelf.

ICALIRDA Conference 2012 – Legal Information in India

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International Conference on Access to Legal Information & Research in the Digital Age (ICALIRDA 2012)
February 29 – March 2, 2012

Organizers:
National Law University, Delhi
SAARC Law
Mohan Law House

Location:
Auditorium, National Law University, Delhi
Sector-14, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078 India

Main Theme:
International Conference on Access to Legal Information & Research in the Digital Age
(29 Feb-02 March 2012)

Sub Themes:
*   Legal Education and Research: Current Development in Digital Age
*   Role of ICT in Development of Comparative Jurisprudence
*   International Law and Globalization in Digital Age
*   Current Trends in Legal Publishing :IPR Issues & Challenges
*   Licensing for Digital Resources
*   Best Practices of Information & Knowledge Management in Libraries
*   Open Access Initiatives and Scholarly Publishing
*   Free Access to Law Movement: National & International Perspective
*   Access, Authorization and Authentication of Digital Web Information
*   Role, Relevancy and Research: Online Legal Databases

For additional information contact the Conference Convener, Priya Rai:
Ms. Priya Rai
Deputy Librarian,
Justice T.P.S.Chawla Library,
National Law University Delhi,
Sec-14 Dwarka, New Delhi-110078
Tel: 011-24533441,09811260504
icalirda2012@gmail.com

http://www.nludelhi.ac.in

hat tip to Aru Satkalmi.

California Judicial Council agrees to explore accepting private grant money for computerized case management in 3 superior courts

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California’s Judicial Council is exploring whether to accept private grant money (perhaps as much as $20 million) to help deploy its computerized case management system in three superior courts.

The three superior courts will be in:

  1. San Luis Obispo County
  2. Ventura County
  3. Fresno County

Please see:

Judicial Council approves possible private
funding for case management system

Cross-posted at Law Library Blog.

Legal Issues in Mass Digitization: A Preliminary Analysis and Discussion Document

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The U.S. Copyright Office last month posted

Legal Issues in Mass Digitization: A Preliminary Analysis and Discussion Document

The Copyright Office explains here that this analytical document:

addresses the issues raised by the intersection between copyright law and the mass digitization of books. The purpose of the Analysis is to facilitate further discussions among the affected parties and the public – discussions that may encompass a number of possible approaches, including voluntary initiatives, legislative options, or both. The Analysis also identifies questions to consider in determining an appropriate policy for the mass digitization of books.
Public discourse on mass digitization is particularly timely. On March 22, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected a proposed settlement in the copyright infringement litigation regarding Google’s mass book digitization project. The court found that the settlement would have redefined the relationship between copyright law and new technology, and it would have encroached upon Congress’s ability to set copyright policy with respect to orphan works. Since then, a group of authors has filed a lawsuit against five university libraries that participated in Google’s mass digitization project. These developments have sparked a public debate on the risks and opportunities that mass book digitization may create for authors, publishers, libraries, technology companies, and the general public. The Office’s Analysis will serve as a basis for further policy discussions on this issue.

Cross-posted on Law Library Blog.

“We don’t know what it is that they’re not putting online”

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According to a new report from the Reynolds Journalism Institute, reporters regularly turn to government (Federal, State and Local) websites for data needed in their stories.

David Herzog writes on the RJI site, “The findings from the survey, conducted as part of my fellowship at RJI, show that government data – whether it’s a spreadsheet or database file – has become a key ingredient of U.S. daily newspaper reporting.”

Of those surveyed, many reporters noted deficiencies in government websites.  According to one reporter, “We don’t know what it is that they’re not putting online.”

Herzog shares a few of the notable complaints from reporters using government websites:
“They just don’t put enough of it there”
“I end up going to Google”
“Getting current records is often difficult”

 

 

 

 

Mobile PACER Case Locator

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Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) , the electronic public access service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts, has just added a mobile Web version of the PACER case locator function. This new version is accessible using Apple computer devises such as iPads and iPhones, as well as using Android devices (version 2.2 or higher).

See here for the announcement of the Mobile PACER Case Locator, which can be obtained by visiting: here.

Cross-posted at Law Library Blog.