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Daily Archives: April 4, 2015

NYT – Digital Neglect at the Library of Congress

New York Times Editorial – ” The Library of Congress has long been a beacon for an informed democracy, evolving in Washington into the world’s largest library and a revered institution built on the foundation of Thomas Jefferson’s many books and insatiable curiosity. This makes it all the more troubling that the current librarian of Congress, James Billington, has been criticized and repeatedly prodded to change his management approach to one of the keys to the library’s future: its complex systems of information technology. Mr. Billington, a respected scholar who has run the library for 28 years, has ignored calls first heard 20 years ago that he hire a chief information officer as required by law, according to a new, yearlong investigation by the Government Accountability Office. “The library does not have the leadership needed to address these I.T. management weaknesses,” the report concluded in urging Mr. Billington to “expeditiously hire” a permanent chief with the power to get a grip on the library’s assorted computer systems…” See below related GAO Reports:

  • Library of Congress: Strong Leadership Needed to Address Serious Information Technology Management Weaknesses, GAO-15-315: Published: Mar 31, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 31, 2015.
  • Copyright Office Needs To Develop Plans that Address Technical and Organizational Challenges, GAO-15-338: Published: Mar 31, 2015. Publicly Released: Mar 31, 2015.

Time-Mindedness and Jurisprudence

Luban, David J., Time-Mindedness and Jurisprudence (2015). Virginia Law Review, Forthcoming. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2589161 “Analytic jurisprudence often strikes outsiders as a discipline unto itself, unconnected with the problems that other legal scholarship investigates. Gerald Postema, in the article to which this paper responds, traces this “unsociability” to two narrowing defects in the… Continue Reading

Financial Analysis of United States Postal Service

Financial Analysis of United States Postal Service Financial Results and 10 – K Statement Fiscal Year 2014, April 1, 2015 – “In FY 2014, the Postal Service recorded its eighth consecutive financial loss, bringing the total net deficit since FY 2007 to $51.7 billion. This growing net deficit has negatively affected liquidity, depleted available borrowing… Continue Reading

California Roadkill Observation System

“Roadkill occurs when vehicles collide with or run over wildlife, such as birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. According to the Humane Society of the United States, over a million animals are killed every day on our roads and highways. We have created this site to provide a way for people like you to report roadkill… Continue Reading

The Most & Least Financially Literate States in America – 2015

John S. Kiernan, WalletHub: “The issue of widespread financial illiteracy – not just in this country, but around the world – has rightfully garnered significant attention in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The housing market collapse and ensuing global financial crisis served as a stark reminder of our societal obsession with debt as well… Continue Reading