Criminal Law Library BlogThe January 25, 2008 issue of the AALL Washington E-bulletin is now available at http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/eBulletin12508.pdf. Reading issues of this E-bulletin is a great way to keep abreast of issues of interest and concern to law librarians that are being discussed and debated in Washington, DC. Enjoy
Articles Posted in Commentary and Opinion
Documents Regarding Economic Stimulus and the General Economic Outlook
Since issues related to stimulating the U.S. economy and the more general economic outlook are being so widely discussed in the news media, we thought it would be helpful to add context to the general discussion by posting a few federal documents which provide an added dimension to the topic.
The list of materials below is not meant to be comprehensive; most have been generated in the past few days by those involved directly in developing the proposed stimulus package. In addition, we have added two documents which discuss the general outlook of the economy.
Here is the list with brief descriptions. To gain access to these materials click on the links provided:
New on LLRX.com for January 2008
New on LLRX.com for January 2008, www.llrx.com
From Sabrina I. Pacifaci, Founder, Editor, Publisher LLRX.com
**Many thanks to all the authors whose work appears in this month’s issue.
Indexing Files for Your Paperless Office
QUESTION
“I am so ready to get into a full (or as close as possible) paperless office. I would like to create a hard copy index in the client file detailing what is in the client file on my hard drive. This way, when I have a senior moment and can’t remember if I wrote the client or opposing counsel about a certain topic, I can locate it readily without having to guess what all my, or my staff’s, abbreviations and shorthand mean. I use MS Word. Can anyone who has gone paperless share how they solved this issue or describe a better technique?”
ANSWER:
Beige Book: Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District
Introduction.
Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggest that economic activity increased modestly during the survey period of mid-November through December, but at a slower pace compared with the previous survey period. Among Districts, seven reported a slight increase in activity, two reported ixed conditions, and activity in three Districts was described as slowing.
Most reports on retail activity indicated subdued holiday spending and further weakness in auto sales. However, most reports on tourism spending were positive. Residential real estate conditions continued to be quite weak in all Districts. Reports on commercial real estate activity varied, with some reports noting signs of softening demand. Manufacturing reports varied across industries, with pronounced weakness noted in housing-related industries as well as the automobile industry. Strong export orders and increased demand in industries whose products compete against imports was reported by some Districts. Demand for nonfinancial services remained generally positive, although some Districts commented on continuing weak demand for transportation services.
Implementing Knowledge Management: Key Planning Considerations
BY Brett Haywrd, Vice President of Professional Services for the Americas, InQuira
Summary:
Today’s consumers expect fast and convenient online self-service, and they demand knowledgeable, responsive support from contact center agents-anything less and today’s consumers are perfectly willing to take their business elsewhere.
Lessons from the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill: The Gold Mouse Report
The information below is from the Press Release announcing the Report, followed by a link to the complete Report:
Washington, D.C. – A new report from the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) on congressional Web sites says the overall quality “continues to be disappointing,” with more than 40% of congressional Web sites earning a substandard or failing grade. The report also contains recognition and praise for the best Web sites on Capitol Hill with the announcement of the winners of the 2007 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Mouse Awards.
“The good news is that 19 more offices won awards in 2007 than did in 2006, including 16 freshmen Members. The bad news is that there were 20 more D’s and F’s,” said Beverly Bell, Executive Director of CMF, a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded 30 years ago to promote a more effective Congress. “We were glad to see good sites getting better, but discouraged to see the bad getting worse.”
Final Report: Library of Congress Working Group on Bibliographic Control
This posting includes the Executive Summary followed by a link to the full text of the Final Report:
“The Working Group hopes that this Report is viewed as a ‘call to action’ that informs and broadens participation in discussion and debate, conveys a sense of urgency, stimulates collaboration, and catalyzes thoughtful and deliberate action. We anticipate broad discussion of the Report’s recommendations and their implications, and look forward to the development of specific implementation plans, research agendas, and educational programs.”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In November 2006, Deanna Marcum, Associate Librarian for Library Services at the Library of Congress, convened a Working Group to examine the future of bibliographic control in the 21st century. The formal charge to the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control was to:
Q&A: Blog Policy
QUESTION:
If anyone has a blog policy they wish to share, we would appreciate it.
Thanks.