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Editor's Corner
No full textTo make democracy representative, our electoral process contains two related concepts: “electoral equality”—an individual’s vote should count the same as every other individual’s vote, and “representational equality”—elected representatives should represent approximately the same number of people
Georgia Depository Libraries: Expanding Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThrough the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the Government Publishing Office (GPO) provides materials published by government agencies to designated libraries in the United States and its territories. In return, these libraries offer free, public access to the materials in their depository collections. The state of Georgia has 23 federal depository libraries—one Regional and 22 Selectives. All but two of these libraries are affiliated with academic institutions, and the majority are part of the University System of Georgia (USG)
Wildfires and the Dissemination of Information in Oregon
No full textWildfires have the reputation for being fast and unpredictable, government documents tend to be the opposite. So, what happens when the two meet? The 2020 Oregon wildfire season was one of the most destructive in the state’s history. We examined the 2020 Oregon wildfires and relief, specifically the Mount Hood fires and witnessed how the world of government publications responded. Wildfires are also very labor-intensive natural disasters to manage in a normal year, and 2020 was even worse. Due to labor constraints of the pandemic, the Oregon 2020 wildfire season was particularly bad. A wide array of federal government organizations quickly got involved, ranging from the IRS to the USDA, as well as state and local agencies. We also learned some specific senators and representatives were quick to respond, although the House and the Senate, as well as the president, were much slower to respond. This is the story of a collection of four distinct fires just outside of Portland, Oregon, that grew to become one large fire control effort, and the governmental responses to this natural disaster. The four wildfires in Oregon we will focus on are the Riverside Fire, Beachie Creek Fire, Lionshead Fire, and P515 Fire
Improving the Freedom of Information Act Through the Office of Information Policy
No full textGovernment transparency is a modern expectation of the United States of America’s government operations. Information transparency can be found from presidential records to congressional hearings and can be found in places such as the Congressional Record, GPO databases and programs, and many other databases that house or link to government information. The Freedom of Information Act does well to ensure that citizens are able to stay informed and have the ability to request access to some federal agency information. In addition to this, the DOJ has the Office of Information Policy (OIP) that has set focus on continually improving the FOIA by launching an Open Government Initiative in 2010 and releasing three additional revisions by 2016. All plans continue to increasingly evolve the OIP, while dissecting the efficacy of the Open Government Initiatives across agencies that are required to disseminate information to the public. Exploration of dissemination of information relating to the OIP and the prevalence of access issues are discussed
Beyond HHS: An Analysis of Federal Resources Which Exhibit Impacts of the United States Opioid Epidemic
No full textIn recent years, the opioid crisis across the United States has influenced the research of many professional fields. Widely known as a first stop information source for analysts and professionals in the medical and public health worlds, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) gathers and presents extensive data on prescription rates and overdose numbers to the public. However, the opioid crisis is a collective matter. It holds cause and effect economically, environmentally, and socially. This article explores resources developed by federal departments outside of HHS, which provide useful data and information relevant to their fields on such impacts. Departments such as Agriculture, Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development—even the General Services Administration—make available statistics both the public and researchers can access to learn more about the effects of this crisis
Chapter 3. The Toolkit in Action
No full textChapter 3 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 8), “Using the Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit,” covers a few different approaches for how to use the toolkit (as a whole or in pieces). It also uses anecdotes from the pilot process to illustrate how the toolkit can be utilized (e.g., to discuss connection speed problems with an internet service provider beyond describing the connection as “slow”)
Chapter 7. Maintaining Digital Materials over Time
No full textChapter 7 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 4), “Creating Adaptable Digital Preservation Workflows,” sums up the required resources and processes needed to maintain digital content over time with a focus on the National Digital Stewardship Alliance’s “Levels of Digital Preservation” functional areas of storage, integrity, and control, as well as how to manage organizational infrastructure and resource allocation to maintain a sustainable digital preservation program
The Blossoming of the Library Garden: How One Library Is Engaging Families Outdoors
No full textAs twenty-first-century libraries create programming, they are finding innovative ways to engage children and families in lifelong learning through hands-on experiences.Outdoor nature spaces and gardens at public libraries are ideal environments for both formal and informal learning. In underserved, urban communities where greenspace is limited, providing a learning garden as a resource is especially valuable.Using Cuyahoga County Public Library’s (CCPL’s) Warrensville Heights (WVH) branch library as a case study, this article explores how a library in a low-income inner-ring suburb installed a children’s garden that led to numerous positive impacts. In October 2015, Sari Feldman, then executive director of Cuyahoga County Public Library in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, approached the staff of the WVH branch with the idea of developing a children’s garden at the branch. In Warrensville Heights, a community with a population of roughly thirteen thousand, many families live in apartments and lack access to green space. The area is aptly described as a “food desert,” where residents have little access to fresh produce
Chapter 2. Getting Started with Cloud Services
No full textCloud services provide a wide range of tools and services that can be used to create a digital repository. Software subscriptions, development platforms, and virtual infrastructure services can provide libraries with the specific tools they need to develop a repository to any specification
Chapter 5. Other Considerations for Video Accessibility
No full textChapter 5, “Other Considerations for Video Accessibility,” of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 3) delves into other accessibility considerations for video content. It introduces the idea of sign language interpretation in videos, explains the advantages of this approach to access, and describes the importance of avoiding flashing content to avoid triggering seizures. It also discusses the importance of ensuring that the media player used to display videos is accessible. Finally, it offers guidance on designing visual content for videos that will avoid common accessibility issues