Author archives

How Classified Presidential Library Records are Released to the Public

Nate Jones Via Redacted – This a version of this article originally appeared in The Federalist, Newsletter of the Society for History in the Federal Government “The Presidential Records Act of 1978 (PRA) established that the papers of U.S. Presidents legally belong to the American people. According to the law, the Archivist of the United States …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

2015 American Housing Survey Statistics for Selected Metropolitan Areas

“This release of statistics from the 2015 American Housing Survey includes summary tables for the 15 largest metropolitan areas and 10 additional metropolitan areas.  The 2015 American Housing Survey examined many characteristics, including: Housing costs for owners and renters. Remodeling and repair frequency. Reasons for moving. Additionally, the latest survey data provide statistics about: Food …

Subjects: Economy, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Housing, Poverty

Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan

“In response to today’s release of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released the following statement from Elisabeth Kruger, Arctic program officer and polar bear expert: “The plan shows the complexity of what it means to truly protect America’s most iconic Arctic species. It addresses the …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Environmental Law, Legislation

BEA’s API Expands Access to International Services Trade Data

BEA Blog: “The most detailed data on U.S. international trade in services published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis are now accessible through our application programming interface, or API. This includes detailed annual statistics on U.S. trade in services by type of service for 90 countries and areas, including new estimates of trade related to …

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

New Uber site provides anonymized data from over 2 billion trips

News release: “Every hour of every day, people use Uber to get around the more than 450 cities we serve. From Sydney to Summit, we’ve been working hard to get to know these cities, with the goal of making them cleaner, more efficient and less crowded. Along the way, we’ve found that local leaders, urban …

Subjects: Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Privacy, Transportation

GAO Report – Retirement Security and Risky Investments

Retirement Security: Improved Guidance Could Help Account Owners Understand the Risks of Investing in Unconventional Assets, GAO-17-102: Published: Dec 8, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 9, 2017. “People who invest their retirement accounts in unconventional assets—such as real estate or virtual currency—may be placing their savings at risk. Retirement accounts allowing such unconventional investments increase owners’ …

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

Researchers confirm ocean warming underestimated

Via The New Reddit Journal of Science – “…researchers [Zeke Hausfather, Kevin Cowtan, Dave Clarke, Peter Jacobs, Mark Richardson, Robert Rohde] who just published a new open access paper in Science Advances showing that ocean warming was indeed being underestimated, confirming the conclusion of a paper last year that triggered a series of political attacks. …

Subjects: Climate Change, Education, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

NYT – Falcons, Drones, Data: A Winery Battles Climate Change

Jackson Family Wines is among California winemakers employing both high-tech and old-school techniques to adapt to hotter, drier conditions: “On a misty autumn morning in Sonoma County, Calif., Katie Jackson headed into the vineyards to assess the harvest. It was late in the season, and an army of field workers was rushing to pick the …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Knowledge Management

News Reporters Drive Growth in Media FOIA Litigation

“The number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cases brought by reporters and news organization has substantially increased during the last four years. Media-filed lawsuits which represented 3.5 percent of total federal filings during earlier years jumped to comprise more than one out of every ten FOIA suits (10.8%) at their peak in FY 2015. …

Subjects: Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

International Trade and Finance: Overview and Issues for the 115th Congress

CRS report via FAS – International Trade and Finance: Overview and Issues for the 115th Congress. Mary A. Irace, Coordinator. Section Research Manager; Rebecca M. Nelson, Coordinator. Specialist in International Trade and Finance. December 21, 2016. “The U.S. Constitution grants authority to Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations. Congress exercises this authority in numerous …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

MA Office of Consumer Affairs Business Reg Introduces Web-Based Data Breach Notification Archive

Mass.gov: “The Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation today announced the online public availability of its Data Breach Notification Archive.  The Massachusetts Data Security Law (M.G.L. c.93H) requires any entity that keeps a Massachusetts resident’s personal information to notify affected residents, the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, and the Attorney General’s Office …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research