Government Info Pro

Info Pro Expands Its Focus

Welcome to the LexisNexis® Government Info Pro! The Federal Info Pro has changed its name to reflect its broader audience. Geared to the interests and needs of the government information professional – federal, state, and local in executive, legislative, and judicial branches – the blog will continue to be a dynamic resource for the community.

The Government Info Pro will provide informative posts on:

• Trends and hot topics
• Librarianship in government
• National conference session summaries (AALL, SLA, ALA, CIL)
• LexisNexis library events and program announcements
• LexisNexis solution line updates and search tips

Additionally, expect guest contributions from government librarians and industry experts.

The Government Info Pro sidebars provide valuable links to tools and resources that will help you as a government librarian. Review the sidebars and find links to conferences and associations, podcasts and wikis, blogs and newsletters, and other government-specific resources. I have also recently added the ability to link posts to del.icio.us or email posts to a colleague.

I am Marie Kaddell, Information Professional Consultant at LexisNexis, and fellow librarian. I write and maintain this blog to support you – the government librarian – and I am committed to making this blog a useful and valuable resource. Always feel free to contact me with blog suggestions or submissions. It’s your participation that makes the Government Info Pro a strong resource for the whole professional community!

HHS Blog

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, Mike Leavitt is blogging. The blog, started this summer, has a personal voice and that makes it especially worth a look.

The blog is the result of the Secretary’s continuing desire to engage Americans in the exchange of ideas on health care and the provision of human services. It provides an opportunity for the Secretary to share his observations as well as a means for him to have an open conversation about health and the related challenges that face the nation. [About This Blog, Secretary Mike Leavitt's Blog]

It is my hope that Secretary Leavitt will keep blogging.

Visit Secretary Mike Leavitt's Blog.

New Error Messages on LexisNexis Makes Mistakes a Little Easier to Bear

Did You Know? There are New Error Messages on LexisNexis!

Have you ever spent time putting a search together very carefully, only to have that very same search rejected by lexis.com® due to some unknown error in the search? This can be very frustrating, especially if the reason for the rejection is not apparent. Well, your troubles are over because we have added several new error messages to lexis.com. These messages make it very clear where the error occurred in your search, and you can then figure out how to fix it.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A LIST OF SOME OF THE NEW ERROR MESSAGES.

Department of Interior Open House in Washington, D.C.

George Franchois, Coordinator of Library Services, U.S. Dept. of the Interior Library, shares information about a DOI Library Open House in Washington DC. If you have never been to the DOI Library, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn about their collection and the services they offer, and meet the DOI library staff. I am looking forward to attending this Open House.

Here's all the information:

The Department of the Interior will host a special Open House featuring online vendor representatives and information, special library tours, and a presentation on 19th-century river exploration in the American West on Wednesday, September 26th from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.

All are invited to attend.

The DOI Library offers a full range of reference resources and services to both Department of the Interior employees and the public. The Library's Open House will highlight and explain those resources and services, allowing our patrons to efficiently and effectively utilize them when doing research. The Library's Open House will feature demonstrations from a number of online database vendors who provide the DOI Library and Interior Department employees with access to their databases through the Library's website (http://library.doi.gov) including LexisNexis.

Additionally, tours of the library will be offered by DOI Law Librarian Maureen Booth at 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:45 pm, and 2:45 pm. These tours will look at the many resources and services available at the DOI Library, as well as the history of the Library and the Interior Department. Included will be a description of legal and legislative resources in the Library, such as the Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Code, U.S. Statutes at Large, and case reporters. Also included will be a look at the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, dating back to 1789, and the Library's Rare Book Collection.

The Open House will also feature a lecture by DOI historian Francis Flavin who will present a program entitled "Pens, Paintings, Panoramas and Pixels: Documenting the Waterways of the American West." Dr. Flavin's program will discuss several notable individuals who documented the great rivers of the American West from the time of Lewis & Clark through the end of the 19th century, the different media they used, and the significance of their works. Dr. Flavin's lecture will be presented in the Library's Training Room from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm.

All are welcome to attend, government and general public. The Department of the Interior Library is located in the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street, NW, Room 1151 in Washington D.C. Please call the DOI Library at (202) 208-3796 or contact us via e-mail if you have any questions.

Carnival of Infosciences #79

Chris Zammarelli at Libraryola has hosted another Carnival of the Infosciences: Carnival of the Infosciences #79. The Carnival of the Infosciences "endeavors to showcase the best posts in the blogosphere about topics related to the wide world of Library and Information Science." [Infosciences Wiki]

This most recent Carnival covers a host of topics of interest to information professionals discussed on blogs and websites recently including these:

• Top Librarian Bloggers
• Employment Prospects for Librarians
• Web 2.0 Top Programming Concepts for Librarians
• Social Networking Tools
• Library 2.0

And more, much more...

One of the things that I really like about the Carvinal concept is the accelerated discovery angle - not only do I get to read some interesting posts and articles but I discover some new blog reads too - and all in one post. The next Carnival of the Infosciences will be at Connecting Librarian in October 2007.

Savvy?

Ahoy! Just in case someone arrives in your library today and begins spouting pirate lingo, this is why - September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate day (TLAPD). Want to try out a few pirate terms yourself? Aye! - you say? Well then, here's a short set of pirate-talk rules to get you started - How To Be Speakin' Pirate-Like. Avast, me hearties! Be forwarned - once begun, it's hard to stop talking like a pirate.

Law Library of Congress Unveiled New Website

The Law Library of Congress announces the release of its newly designed website as part of the celebration of the Law Library's 175th Anniversary - http://www.loc.gov/law.

SLA Recognizes Military Librarians

In case you missed it...

During its Annual Conference in Denver, the Special Libraries Association (SLA) honored a group of professionals who work tirelessly to be sure that the men and women serving to protect their countries in the Armed Forces have the information services and resources they need both abroad and at home. The 300-plus members of the SLA Military Librarians Division were awarded the 2007 SLA Professional Award, which recognizes a special event, major achievement, or specific significant contribution to the field of librarianship or information science. [SLA Press Release, August 23, 2007]

Congrats to our military librarians! To learn more at the Military Librarians Division of SLA visit: http://units.sla.org/division/dmil/AboutMLD.htm.

Conference on Economic Development and the Rule of Law in Latin America

LexisNexis recently announced the first ever Latin American conference focused on economic development and the Rule of Law in Latin America. The conference was held in Mexico City on September 13 and 14. This two day meeting brought together experts from government, business and the judiciary to discuss the Rule of Law as a critical component of economic development in the region.

Conference hosts included the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade; the Inter-American Bar Association, Centro de Mediación y Arbitraje; the International Centre for Dispute Resolution; Consorcio Justicia; Ilustre Nacional Colegio de Abogados; the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative; the Hispanic National Bar Association; and the Cuban American Bar Association.

"The rule of law, as a system of governance in which nationals and foreigners are equally protected against arbitrary and illegal actions regardless of who is the perpetrator, is in today's globalized world a pre-requisite for bountiful international trade and investment. To be effective, however, the protection of the rule of law must not only be found in written laws, but also in the fair and effective application of these laws by judicial, administrative and private sector interpreters,” Boris Kozolchyk, executive director and founder of National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE COMPLETE LEXISNEXIS PRESS RELEASE.

October 2007 NARA Programs Highlights National Archives Records

From a NARA Press Release on Archives.gov:

In October, in celebration of National Genealogy Month, Filipino-American Heritage Month, and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the National Archives will feature a series of programs highlighting related records from National Archives holdings. [NARA Press Release, September 12, 2007]

Programs include:

• What’s New in NARA’s Archival Research Catalog (ARC)?
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act
• Governing the Philippines: Records of the Department of the Interior, 1898–1971
• Records Relating to the B & O Railroad in the National Archives: A Photographic Journey