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Daily Archives: July 27, 2022

NOAA tool now brings disaster risk, vulnerability down to community level

NOAA – “A comprehensive update to NOAA’s Billion Dollar Disasters mapping tool now includes U.S. census tract data – providing many users with local community-level awareness of hazard risk, exposure and vulnerability across more than 100 combinations of weather and climate hazards. The enhanced interactive maps from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) cover all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and provide data for over 72,000 U.S. census tracts, which are small subdivisions of counties that average about 4,000 inhabitants. Users can now visualize a community’s combined physical exposure, socioeconomic vulnerability and markers of resilience to natural hazards on a finer scale than ever before. “The updated tool will provide a better understanding of how weather, ocean, and climate disasters impact many Americans at the community level, and help guide targeted preparation and mitigation efforts as we build a Climate-Ready Nation,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D.. “This hyper-local information advances NOAA’s vision for resilient communities and economies, and will strengthen our support for vulnerable populations that face outsized weather, ocean and climate risks.”

New LibGuide tracks response to the Roe v. Wade Dobbs v. Jackson decision

“I’ve created a new LibGuide to compile federal statements/actions to track the response to the Roe v. Wade/Dobbs v. Jackson decision. I’m being a bit more selective with this guide than some earlier guides, but please feel free to suggest resources I may have omitted or missed.” [Kelly L. Smith, Government Information Librarian, Librarian for… Continue Reading

Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing

The New York Times – “…The universal symbol for recycling, known as the “chasing arrows” logo, is stamped on so many things. But that doesn’t mean they’re recyclable. Manufacturers can print the logo on just about any product. That’s because its main purpose isn’t to say whether it’s recyclable, but to identify the type of… Continue Reading

A major publishing lawsuit would cement surveillance into the future of libraries

Fast Company – The suit would erode the public’s last great venue for information free from corporate or government surveillance: “…Today, libraries generally are blocked from purchasing and owning digital books—and readers are in a similar boat. Instead, publishers offer only high-cost licenses for which libraries rely on emergency funds and may only be able… Continue Reading

You Can’t Stop Pirate Libraries

Reason – “Where there’s demand for books, the internet will supply them. Shadow libraries exist in the space where intellectual property rights collide with the free-flowing exchange of knowledge and ideas. In some cases, these repositories of pirated books and journal articles serve as a blow against censorship, allowing those under repressive regimes to access… Continue Reading

Committee Reveals Major Gun Companies Collected More than $1 Billion in Revenue from Military-Style Assault Weapons

New Documents Also Reveal Gun Companies’ Dangerous Marketing Tactics to Sell AR-15s and Failure to Monitor Use of Their Guns to Kill Americans Washington, D.C. (July 27, 2022)— “Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released new findings from the Committee’s investigation into five major gun manufacturers’ sales and… Continue Reading

Gmail’s new search tweaks will make sure you’re emailing the right person

The Verge: “Google’s improving Gmail’s search results, which should make it easier to find a specific contact. In a blog post, Google explains it’s rolling out “intent matching for names and email addresses,” as well as new “personalized suggestions” in Gmail. With intent matching, a machine learning tool Google uses to help you find topics… Continue Reading