Author archives

Gov’t Sponsored Project Offers Expert Virtual Reference Services

Get Assistance from a Federal Depository Librarian: Government Information Online Pilot Project “U.S. Government agencies provide information on a wide variety of topics, from nutrition and health care to gardening and saving money on your electric bill. Other topics include laws and regulations, statistics, international affairs, public safety, and more. If a government agency does …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research, Libraries

Public Remains Concerned With Privacy and Patriot Act

At a presentation today titled, “They Want Your Secrets: Personal Information Privacy in the Post-9/11 World, during the Emerging Issues in National and International Security conference, Valerie Caproni, General Counsel of the FBI stated in reference to issues concerning Section 215 of the Patriot Act, “We don’t like the fact that librarians are upset…While their …

Subjects: Congress, Patriot Act, Privacy

Chart of State Laws and Regs for Living Wills

Available as a free feature on today’s Wall Street Journal, State Laws for Living Wills – “Rules for living wills, written instructions on the type of care a person would want in the event of a life-threatening medical condition, vary by state. Download the details on living wills and advance directives for your state.”

Subjects: Legal Research

Sensitive But Unclassified Gov Docs Released by Sen. Levin

Press release yesterday: “Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., today released previously withheld portions of an FBI document critical of interrogation practices used by the Department of Defense (DOD) at Guantanamo Bay in 2002, disclosing information in that document previously withheld by the Department of Justice (DOJ). In a letter to DOJ on February 10, 2005, Levin …

Subjects: Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

Another Antispyware Bill Introduced Today

Press release: “U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today announced the introduction of legislation to prohibit a variety of surreptitious practices that result in spyware, adware and other unwanted software being placed on consumers’ computers. The bipartisan SPYBLOCK (Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge) Act, introduced with Senator Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), would prohibit the …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, Legislation, Privacy

Free Credit Report Website Unblocked

As previously documented, there has been an ongoing controversy associated with website blocking of links to free annual credit reports, resulting in the requirement that users had to actually type the requisite URL into their respective browsers. Today EPIC reported that due to the efforts of advocacy groups and the support of Congressman Barney Frank, …

Subjects: Privacy

CDC Study Indicates Country Lags on E-Health Records

Press release: New Study Shows Limited Use of Electronic Medical Records: “Less than a third of the nation’s hospital emergency and outpatient departments use electronic medical records, and even fewer doctors’ offices do, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…The use of electronic records in health care …

Subjects: E-Records