Yesterday, The New York Times ran a piece discussing the decision by Henry Holt & Company to stop printing and selling The Last Train from Hiroshima. Publishers have consistently claimed that fact checking book-length works is too cumbersome and that ultimately authors are responsible for the content of their work. Regardless of how the book publishing industry opts to come to terms with fact checking challenges, the Times piece contained a good rule of thumb for public records researchers.
Read MoreWhen Private Records Become Public Records
While the majority of public records begin as government documents, there are instances when private records are backed into the public record via court filings.
Read MoreGoogle Constantly Refining Search Algorithms to Provide Best Generalized Search Results
Last week we discussed some of the specialized and niche search engines that have emerged to compete with Google. This week an article in Wired explains how Google is continually refining its search algorithms to provide the best results of a generalized search engine.
Read MoreExpanding Search Engine Technology and Efficiency
As the amount of information available online increases and people become more reliant upon the Internet for information, technology companies are developing new features for search engines that can process an incomprehensible amount of data into organized, user-friendly results. New search features are constantly developed to deliver targeted results and ultimately make Internet research as efficient as possible.
Read MoreFOIA Appeals In a World of Diminishing Newsroom Budgets
he New York Times reported yesterday that despite reduced budgets, big media companies such as Hearst and the Associated Press continue to fund FOIA appeals and lawsuits.
Read MoreHyperlocal Web Sites Use Public Records to Provide Targeted Information
With the ever-increasing availability of freely accessible government datasets, developers are seizing opportunities to reprogram these public records into Internet applications that are more relevant for the general public. One such trend is hyperlocal news web sites, such as EveryBlock. EveryBlock aggregates (and makes searchable) civic information from multiple public records dataset.
Read MoreLegislative Data Becoming More Widely Available Online
In the past week, Maryland Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller Jr. and House Speaker Michael E. Busch have announced that Maryland legislative committee level votes will be posted online within a few days after they are cast. Maryland is following several other states in making committee level votes readily available to the public.
Read MoreInventor of World Wide Web Launches Web Site for British Government Offering Unprecedented Public Access to Government Data
After being hired by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last June, World Wide Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee last week launched a free web site that offers access to a wide range of data from the British government. The web site, Data.gov.uk, has been heralded for offering the public unprecedented access to government information ranging from house prices to traffic statistics and access to local hospitals. The British web site has been compared to the United States' own web portal to provide government data sets to the public, Data.gov (read more about the US version here). Data.gov.uk currently offers 2,500 sets of data from across government and there are plans to expand the data available. The site is already being used by internet developers to create applications that aim to convert the data into a more easily useable format for the public (read about the similar trend in the United States here).
Sir Tim said the ultimate goal is to make British government data more accessible to the public:
"Making public data available for re-use is about increasing accountability and transparency and letting people create new, innovative ways of using it."
Professor Nigel Shadbolt of Southampton University, who helped develop the web site with Sir Tim, addressed privacy concerns related to releasing the data and made the point that the data was already available under Freedom of Information laws. Shadbolt said:
"A lot of this is about changing assumptions. If [the data] can be published under an FOI (Freedom of Information) request why not publish it online?"
To learn more about the new web site, see this BBC article.
See our previous blog entry to learn more about Sir Tim's appointment to develop the site after an expenses scandal in the British Parliament.
Lack of Paper Trail Creates Controversy Over Use of Blackberry PIN Numbers
States are taking notice of newer forms of "record-less" electronic communications that may circumvent public records laws. Blackberry PIN messaging is drawing scrutiny when used by officials whose correspondence is otherwise subject to open records release and retention.
Read MoreUniversities, Hospitals and Other Publicly Funded Institutions are Often Subject to FOIA Laws
An institution that receives a majority of its funding from the state is typically then subject to state freedom of information laws. Following is an overview of each state's law regarding requesting public records from publicly funded institutions.
Read MoreOnline Open Source Document Databases Are Public Records Resources
When a public record is not easily accessible from its government location, a secondary search strategy is to look for the document in an online, open source database. These document warehouses often have comprehensive categories to which anyone can upload relevant documents and resources, so you may even be able to find things that are not traditionally available as public records.
Read MoreHouse Expenditure Reports Now Available Online
The US House of Representatives recently uploaded the latest quarterly Statement of Disbursements to its website, marking the first time these public records have been made available online. These reports detail how Members spent their Member's Representational Allowance over the past quarter.
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