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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 16828
[Environmental]
Date Posted:
12/12/2006
7:41:43 pm EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 8,019
RSS: 18,969
Comments: 11
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EPA Officials Defend Library Closures, Tout Benefits Of Digitization
Author: Jenny Mandel Source: Government Executive Magazine
Title: EPA OFFICIALS DEFEND LIBRARY CLOSURES, TOUT BENEFITS OF DIGITIZATION
Environmental Protection Agency officials on Monday disputed charges of information suppression levied by some advocates and lawmakers, insisting that a hurried shutdown of several regional libraries is part of a larger plan to modernize the agency's library system and broaden access to resources.
"When libraries go digital, everyone benefits," said Marcus Peacock, the EPA's deputy administrator, during a brief teleconference. "By modernizing our libraries, EPA is bringing our cutting-edge science to your fingertips, whether you live across the street or on the other side of the world."
Linda Travers, acting administrator of the EPA's Office of Environmental Information, said the recent closures of several libraries were part of a plan in the works since 2003 and released in August. The agency has closed regional libraries in Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City, as well as the library at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and a specialized library on pesticides and toxic substances.
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Community Thoughts: There are 11 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Lost? Or Thrown Away Deliberately? | Dec 13th. at 1:19:14 pm EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
No, it saves nothing, because in any attempt to change a system one loses information.
And during these changes- one can also edit and manipulate info.
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| Wait...They're Digitzing And *disposing* Of It? | Dec 13th. at 10:24:13 am EST
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Lora (Leominster, Massachusetts) - Email Me
NONONONONONONO! You never dispose of a hard copy after you have a digital image! NEVER! The hard copy gets indexed and archived by a professional document storage facility. If the only copy that exists is a digital copy (such as in the case of emails) , then you back it up on tape and archive the tapes.
This is disgusting. Just disgusting. See, when a company comes up with a novel disinfectant/sterilization method/pesticide, they have to register it for labeling purposes via FIFRA, which is the portion of the EPA that regulates what is allowed to be labeled disinfectant, sterilization, pesticide, etc. And with it, they must file proof that it works, tox data, also a method to prevent it from getting into the environment if it's something like ozone that would be a danger. Now, once a company has filed that information, they may wish to file for similar approval in other countries that have pesticide-regulating legal requirements. The handiest thing to do is to pull an official copy (on paper, with an EPA signature that it is a copy that has not been altered) of the original EPA filing and send that to the other country's officials. Usually that is sufficient, and if you happen to be a small manufacturer who can't afford a huge legal team to help the process along, then your EPA filing is your best hope.
If you are a HUGE manufacturer with lots of lobbyists plus a goon squad, and have a facility in the country or else have bribed the local officials into compliance, then you can also get whatever you want passed along and approved. In that case, you often don't want any official documentation, because it's a burden to you--you can have your goon squad and lobbyists, who also perform other services, perform the same function as documentation.
The American public is getting screwed, without so much as a kiss or a compliment. No doubt. But at least we have MSDSs and *something* to go by. This also screws over any honest manufacturer or any small manufacturer currently in business, though, and ensures that the only global chemical manufacturers will be the largest ones currently in existence--Dow, DuPont, Eastman, etc.
If I were a small US-based manufacturer of pesticides or disinfectants, I would file suit against the EPA via the WTO for trade restriction. Nontoxic pesticides like Baculovirus-based and peroxide-based pesticides are currently trying to get off the ground, and are now mainly used only in the US, although they are applying for approvals elsewhere, and this loss of data hurts their ability to get approvals outside the US. I don't know about you guys, but some nontoxic pesticides would be mighty welcome around my house, which suffers from EEE and West Nile-carrying skeeters every summer.
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| Moveable Type, Presses & Libraries | Dec 13th. at 9:38:52 am EST
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Michael Welch (Audubon, New Jersey) - Email Me
This reminds me of the historical conditions that existed (still exist ?) when moveable type, presses, publications and libraries all came into existence and their *public* operations & distributions occurred. It can be useful to revisit what we learned from those experiences, as I see correlations with today's *new* and improved information organization systems.
It could be worthwhile to consider China's restrictions to information...as well as our own various restrictions (by various *approved* sectors and for various *approved* rationale--including our Pagan/Magickal communities) .
I'm thankful for the efforts of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel's efforts establishing the New Alexandrian Library Project to provide for us and for our futures.
Find More info -- HERE
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| Libraries/spaces Are Community Spaces Too! | Dec 13th. at 7:52:48 am EST
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Oberon Osiris (Metro Detroit, Michigan) - Email Me
My wife and I are both longtime library workers, she the actual Librarian. From our viewpoint this is not a good thing. Libraries are more than the books or the computers; they are a place for communities too. I'm lucky to be working in a major city, where due to various factors; many people do NOT have their own computers or access. So people here rely heavily on that componet. But we also have many many patrons who just love to read books. I know 2 patrons here who always have dozens of books checked out at any one time. And they're never late returning them either!
Why would you want to disenfranchise any of these folks???
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| DIGITIZATION.... | Dec 13th. at 4:32:35 am EST
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Whitewolf (Schenectady, New York) - Email Me
has it's place, but once in a while I still enjoy going to a good, old-fashioned library.... ( don't do it enough - should go more! )
Love to all
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| A Informational Haven | Dec 13th. at 2:31:31 am EST
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Bramble rose (Estacada, Oregon) - Email Me
Libraries are not just about the books. (yes, thats a big part of it!) I am worried. As a library technician, we are involved in helping patrons not only locate the information, but pointing them in the right direction. Offering some sort of (mostly much needed) support! In this cold electronic world... How far is this going, automated tellers, self check out. In this age of information, it seems the well to do get more. Is this one more thing that gets a price tag? What happend to community service?? As far as I am concerned Libraries are an essential part of free information!
Blessed Yule! Good night!
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| (none) | Dec 13th. at 1:24:03 am EST
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Llunmere (Germantown Hills, Illinois) - Email Me
Why would they when they'd rather keep their stupid jobs, the unworthy bastards.
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| What We Don't Know Won't Hurt Us | Dec 12th. at 9:40:13 pm EST
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antares (fort scott, Kansas) - Email Me
I find it very disturbing that one of the first libraries shut down was the one that specialized in pesticides and toxins. What are they hiding from us now???
Have you burned your plastic shopping bags today? Breathe deep while you sleep, breathe deep....
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