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Monthly Archives: November 2016

Paper – Technical Debt as an Indicator of Library Metadata Quality

D-Lib Magazine November/December 2016 Volume 22, Number 11/12. Technical Debt as an Indicator of Library Metadata Quality. Kevin Clair, University of Denver. DOI: 10.1045/november2016-clair

“Abstract – Metadata production is a significant cost for any digital library program. As such, care should be taken to ensure that when metadata is created, it is done in such a way that its quality will not be low enough to be a liability to current and future library applications. Agile software development uses the concept of “technical debt” to place metrics on the ongoing costs associated with low-quality code, and determine resource allocation for strategies to improve it. This paper applies the technical debt metaphor in the context of metadata management, identifying common themes across the qualitative and quantitative literature related to technical debt, and connecting it to similar themes in the literature on metadata quality assessment. It concludes with areas of future research in the area of technical debt and metadata management, and ways in which the metaphor may be integrated into other current avenues of metadata research.”

The Manufacturing Footprint and the Importance of U.S. Manufacturing Jobs

Economic Policy Institute Report: “Executive summary – While U.S. manufacturing has been hit hard by nearly two decades of policy failures that have damaged its international competitiveness, it remains a vital part of the U.S. economy. The manufacturing sector employed 12 million workers in 2013, or about 8.8 percent of total U.S. employment. Manufacturing employs… Continue Reading

24/7 Wall St – Ranking Gender Inequality in All 50 States

“For many Americans, the election of Donald Trump represents a step back for the feminist movement. Whether or not the president-elect’s policies will result in meaningful progress for women’s rights, there remain severe inequalities the nation has yet to overcome. These issues include a gender pay gap, a lack of flexibility in the workplace during… Continue Reading

Paper – The Impact of Paid Leave on Female Employment Outcomes

Sarin, Natasha R, The Impact of Paid Leave on Female Employment Outcomes (November 29, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2877015 “This paper provides evidence on the impact of paid leave legislation on female employment outcomes. Using a difference-in-differences and difference-in-difference-in-differences strategy, I study the impact of two state-level programs in California and New Jersey.… Continue Reading

SearchEngineLand reports on how Google is tackling fake news

Ian Bowden reports: “Following the US election and Brexit, increased focus is being placed on how social networks and search engines can avoid showing “fake news” to users. However, this is a battle that search engines cannot — and more fundamentally, should not — fight alone. With search engines providing a key way people consume information,… Continue Reading

FRB Beige Book – November 30, 2016

“Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicate that the economy continued to expand across most regions from early October through mid-November. Activity in the Boston, Minneapolis, and San Francisco Districts grew at a moderate pace, while Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, and Dallas cited modest growth. Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Kansas City cited a slight pace… Continue Reading

Pew – Among democracies, U.S. stands out in how it chooses its head of state

“Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election this month – in particular, his winning a clear majority of the Electoral College vote despite receiving nearly 2.4 million fewer popular votes than Hillary Clinton – prompted readers of another Pew Research Center Fact Tank post to wonder how the U.S. system compares with the way… Continue Reading

GAO reports on student loan debt forgiveness topping $100 Billion

Federal Student Loans: Education Needs to Improve Its Income-Driven Repayment Plan Budget Estimates, GAO-17-22: Published: Nov 15, 2016. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2016. “For the fiscal year 2017 budget, the U.S. Department of Education (Education) estimates that all federally issued Direct Loans in Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans will have government costs of $74 billion, higher… Continue Reading

GovExec – GSA’s Trump Hotel Lease Debacle

“The Post Office Lease differs from many of Mr. Trump’s other business arrangements. That’s because, in writing the contract, the federal and D.C. governments determined, in advance, that elected officials could play no role in this lease arrangement. The contract language is clear: “No … elected official of the Government of the United States …… Continue Reading

Commentary – Social Media Is Killing Discourse Because It’s Too Much Like TV

MIT Technology Review – Social Media Is Killing Discourse Because It’s Too Much Like TV We need more text and fewer videos and memes in the age of Trump. November 29, 2016. “…The problem with today’s Internet, driven less by text and hypertext (hyperlink-enriched text), is that it not only shares many of TV’s ills… Continue Reading

2017 State of the Services Economy Report

The 2017 State of the Services Economy Report Presented by Mavenlink & Gigaom “It’s clear that opportunities for services providers have never been greater. In 2016, IBS estimated that the global services economy will represent a staggering $3 trillion in commercial opportunity. And its rapidly growing. However, there is also overwhelming consensus that the industry… Continue Reading