Author archives

Modern Slavery Statistics: Victims Significantly Outweigh Convictions

Modern Slavery Statistics: What We Know and What We Don’t By Meggie Weiler “Last year the Washington Post Fact Checker series investigated several widely used statistics that anti-trafficking advocates often cite, including UNICEF’s estimated numbers of child soldiers. It found that UNICEF and other organizations were using heavily estimated and outdated figures. Human trafficking is …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The King Library and Archives in Atlanta is the largest repository of primary source materials on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American Civil Rights Movement in the world. The collection consists of the papers of Dr. King and those of the organization he co-founded, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as well as the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Recommended Books

Commentary – Why Public Libraries Matter

Why Public Libraries Matter – It’s time for America to stop starving its libraries of funding. By Katrina vanden Heuvel “There are more public libraries in America—some 9,000 central buildings and 7,500 branch locations—than McDonald’s restaurants, making them one of the most ubiquitous institutions in the nation. Far from serving as obsolescent repositories for dead …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

New design and features for loc.gov

(The following is a post by Gayle Osterberg, director of communications for the Library of Congress) “The Library of Congress launched its first website in 1994. Since that time we have digitized and made available millions of items from our collections and added new features to help you take advantage of all that the Library …

Subjects: Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries, Web Site Accessibility and Usability

GAO – National Park Service reported $11.9 billion in deferred maintenance

National Park Service: Process Exists for Prioritizing Asset Maintenance Decisions, but Evaluation Could Improve Efforts, GAO-17-136: Published: Dec 13, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2017. At the end of fiscal year 2015, the National Park Service reported $11.9 billion in deferred maintenance—that is, the estimated costs of asset maintenance or repairs that the agency has …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Consumers Could Benefit from Improvements to Nursing Home Compare Website and Five-Star Quality Rating System

Nursing Homes: Consumers Could Benefit from Improvements to the Nursing Home Compare Website and Five-Star Quality Rating System, GAO-17-61: Published: Nov 18, 2016. Publicly Released: Dec 6, 2016. “Millions of Americans are cared for in nursing homes each year, and that number is expected to increase as baby boomers age. So how do you choose …

Subjects: E-Government, Economy, Education, Government Documents, Health Care, Medicine

Paper – Trump, Brexit, and Rise of Populism: Economic Have-Nots and Cultural Backlash

Trump, Brexit, and the Rise of Populism: Economic Have-Nots and Cultural Backlash. Inglehart, Ronald, and Pippa Norris. “Trump, Brexit, and the Rise of Populism: Economic Have-Nots and Cultural Backlash.” HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP16-026, August 2016. “Rising support for populist parties has disrupted the politics of many Western societies. What explains this phenomenon? …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief

CRS report via FAS – Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief, Jim Zanotti, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. January 6, 2017. “U.S.- Israel Relations in a Time of Transition – For decades, strong bilateral relations have fueled and reinforced significant U.S.-Israel cooperation in many areas, including regional security. Nonetheless, at various points throughout the …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents

Inauguration Security: Operations, Appropriations, and Issues for Congress

CRS report via FAS – Inauguration Security: Operations, Appropriations, and Issues for Congress, Shawn Reese, Analyst in Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy; Jacob R. Straus, Specialist on the Congress; Christina M. Bailey, Information Research Specialist. January 11, 2017. “Every four years, on January 20, the President-elect is sworn in as President of the United …

Subjects: Congress, Cybersecurity, Defense, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management

18F – Transforming U.S. government services in a digital world

Via GovFresh – “18F has developed a framework for how it helps agencies with digital transformation efforts and has created a deck, “Transforming U.S. government services in a digital world,” that offers a blueprint for others looking to do this on their own. 18F’s Chris Cairns shares more about the work around this effort….”

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management

EPA Notifies Fiat Chrysler of Clean Air Act Violations

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued a notice of violation to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. and FCA US LLC (collectively FCA) for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act for installing and failing to disclose engine management software in light-duty model year 2014, 2015 and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Transportation