Analyzing Challenges to Library Materials: An Incomplete Picture

This research project used Freedom of Information requests to obtain public records from Alabama institutions about challenges to materials in public schools and public libraries. Challenges occur when a patron objects to certain content. In this analysis, we examine the records of challenges. The research questions were as follows: How many challenges occur in public schools and libraries? What is the nature of these challenges? Are there institutional or demographic factors that are correlated to the occurrence of challenges? In this exploratory study, the number of reported challenges was surprisingly low. We investigated whether reported challenges were related to certain institutional or demographic factors, but did not find any discernible relationships. The data suggest that most challenged material is retained, but that librarians may be self-censoring to reduce controversy in their collections.     

美国《信息自由法》中的"豁免公开信息例外"

本文就美国《信息自由法》中的"豁免公开信息例外"问题进行了分析。     

《信息自由法》对"后保管模式"思想的影响

美国《信息自由法》是规定美国联邦政府各机构公开政府信息的法律，其地位近似于档案法，它不仅奠定了美国公民的档案意识。对其它国家的档案工作及档案理论的发展也产生了影响。“后保管模式”思想是在档案理论发展的过程中，随着电子件数量的增多与使用的普及而出现的，该思想对于电子时代的档案工作有着积极的启发意义。本具体介绍了《信息自由法》对“后保管模式”思想的影响。     

美国信息公开制度的建立与发展动向

信息公开制度是政府信息资源开发利用领域中重要的法律保证。本文以美国《信息自由法》为基础,阐述美国建立信息公开制度的原因、过程和发展动向。     

英国科学数据共享政策法规研究

首先介绍英国科学数据共享的法律基础——英国信息自由法、欧盟数据库指令等,信息自由法的颁布为英国科学数据共享提供了法律保障,并奠定了英国政府在科学数据共享中强有力的作用,欧盟数据库指令为科学数据库产权归属提供了可能;接着分析了英国科学数据共享的指导思想和原则:《布加勒斯特宣言》、《公共资助科学数据开放获取宣言》以及《网络经济的未来:首尔宣言》。最后研究了英国研究理事会、基金会、大学、政府部门等的科学数据共享政策。     

Lessons learned about access to government information after World War II can be applied after September 11

The cost of unrestricted dissemination of government information to Americans' safety and security has been a topic of heated debate since September 11, 2001. The risks of dissemination seem to have skyrocketed in this age of terrorist attacks. However, the United States faced similar risks after World War II, when the secret of the atom bomb required close protection. Congress can learn from the process that the U.S. government went through to pass the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 [Atomic Energy Act of 1946. Pub. L. No. 79-585, 60 Stat. 755] during a similar time of national stress and fear and work to pass laws regulating the dissemination of information to the public. In the absence of legislative guidance, agencies have been left to restrict information as they think is best, with inconsistent and disastrous results.     

Libraries in the Aftermath of 9/11

Abstract

Libraries are a symbol of a free, democratic society. Open access to information and patron privacy allow intellectual inquiry and the creation of new knowledge. Librarians have a long tradition of protecting these liberties. In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, concerns have been raised that the passage of the USA Patriot Act and other anti-terrorism measures threaten these liberties. Librarians need to educate staff, users, and their communities as to the impact these measures have on libraries and access to information. Policies, procedures, and guidelines need to be developed that balance the traditions of intellectual freedom and issues of national security. This article examines access to government information issues and threats to     

论信息自由与信息法律体系——以美国《儿童网络保护法案》事件为例

论文阐述了信息自由这一概念的发展演变,并对部分国家的信息法律体系进行简介;通过梳理美国《儿童互联网络保护法案》事件的案情经过及社会反响,分析案例背后的信息自由与信息法律体系的关系,并揭示案例为我国带来的启示。     

Assessing the performance of freedom of information

How well has the UK FOI Act worked in practice now that it has been in force for 4 years? This article discusses how to measure the performance of FOI regimes. It presents the evidence on the performance of FOI in the UK measured against comparative data from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland, countries with access to information legislation and similar political systems. On a range of measures, the UK Act is found to have performed reasonably well, but it also suffers from problems common to all FOI regimes. The article concludes with some observations on what makes for a successful FOI regime, and how to measure it.     

中国图书馆学情报学期刊的多指标综合评价

为了提高期刊评价的客观公正性,应用h指数等新计量指标和影响因子等传统计量指标对中国图书馆学情报学期刊作出了单项测评。在此基础上按归一化处理法计算了综合指数以反映期刊的综合评价结果和整体影响力,并对学术期刊质量影响因素作了分析。     

美国政府信息公开制度述评

文章系统梳理了美国政府信息公开制度的发展过程,着重介绍了美国《信息自由法》的出台背景、基本原则、公开的范围、豁免公开的信息类型、公开的程序、救济措施、实施过程和修订情况,分析了美国政府信息公开制度的突出特点以及对我国建立和完善政府信息公开制度的借鉴意义。     

政府信息公开的国际经验与我国的现实选择——兼评《中华人民共和国政府信息公开条例》

论文结合《中华人民共和国政府信息公开条例》的内容,从立法体系、立法原则、法律监督和公开载体四个角度对比国际经验,对我国政府信息公开制度的实际问题和实现途径作一些初步的探讨。     

Information governance,records management,and freedom of information: A study of local government authorities in England

In many democratic states political rhetoric gives weight to increasing public participation in and understanding of the political process; (re)-establishing public trust in government decision making; increasing transparency, openness, and accountability of public authorities; and, ultimately, improving government decision-making on behalf of citizens. Access to the public record and freedom of information (FOI) are mechanisms which help to facilitate the accountability of public authorities. Many jurisdictions have introduced legislation related to these mechanisms, and the UK government is no exception with its enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2000. University College London (UCL) ran a research project over 12 months in 2008–2009, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research project examined what the impact of the UK FOIA had been on records management services in public authorities, especially local government. This article reports on some of the findings of the study. It considers how FOI compliance and records management functions are organized in local government and the role of information governance which is emerging as an umbrella for such functions. It draws some conclusions about the contributions that records management services make to the ability of local authorities to comply with the FOIA and identifies some ways in which user experience may be affected by the management of records.     

The Case for e-Book Literacy: Undergraduate Students' Experience with e-Books for Course Work

This paper investigates how electronic books (e-books) are used for scholarly activity. It focuses on the end-users of e-books in a case study which aimed to establish how scholars use and learn from e-books and the limitations of academic e-books.     

日本信息公开制度和电子政务

信息公开制度基于其国情的发展,文章阐明了日本信息公开制度的历史背景和概貌,主要描述了日本信息公开制度的整体框架及信息公开的流程;信息公开制度是政府“e-Japan战略”的重要体现,其施行的主要手段为电子政务（e--Gov）,即日本政务信息公开窗口,将给出现行日本e--Gov的整体架构、可检索和利用的公开信息;当前,日本国家信息战略正从“e-Japan战略”（2001-2005年）向“u-Japan”（2005-2010年。ubiquitous：泛在、无所不在）转型,给出相关问题的展望;最后,对中国应如何借鉴日本的经验,给出简短的分析与讨论。     

National Security Letters,the USA PATRIOT Act,and the Constitution: The tensions between national security and civil rights

In response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the USA PATRIOT Act greatly expanded the ability of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use National Security Letters (NSLs) in investigations and the contexts in which they could be used by relaxing the standards under which NSLs could be employed. NSLs allow investigators to acquire a significant amount of information about the subject of an investigation, and the range and frequency of uses of NSLs has risen dramatically since the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act. An outstanding question with NSLs is whether they are being used in a manner that violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution. This article explores the relationships between NSLs, the USA PATRIOT Act, and the Constitution. The paper reviews the legislative history of NSLs, synthesizes the First and Fourth Amendment issues and key judicial decisions related to NSLs, and analyzes the extent to which the USA PATRIOT Act Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 adequately addresses challenges to the constitutionality of NSLs. The paper concludes with an examination of NSLs within the greater information policy context in the United States, as the expanded usage of NSLs—even if entirely constitutional—raises the possibility of chilling the freedom of expression.     

Bureaucratic Compliance with Mexico's New Access to Information Law

We analyze government document custodians' attitudes and behaviors in order to assess the prospects of a new access to information law establishing a citizen's right-to-know in Mexico. The Mexican law is considered one of the best in the hemisphere in terms of broad access and workable enforcement provisions. However, no extra resources were allotted to government agencies for compliance with the law; the country's traditional bureaucratic incentive structures support closure rather than access; and bureaucrats' views on the uses of government information prior to democratization suggest an instrumental approach guided organizational incentives rather than generalized support for either secrecy or access as a principle. We argue that missing or unclear political will at the top is the strongest challenge to Mexico's emerging right to know.     

信息构建理念下图书馆个性化信息服务探讨

分析了图书馆个性化信息服务的内涵和我国图书馆个性化信息服务的现状。指出其中的不足之处。在对信息构建理念进行简要介绍的基础上，论述了IA理论对图书馆个性化服务的意义和IA理论与个性化信息服务之间的联系。并具体探讨了IA理论对图书馆个性化信息服务的启示和二者相结合的理论模型。最后提出IA理论运用于图书馆个性化信息服务时应注意的若干问题。