EPA Library Closures Hampering Agency Work, Arbitrator Finds
From the article:

A federal arbitrator has found the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guilty of unfair labor practices and acting in bad faith in its national series of library closures, according to a ruling posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). EPA is ordered to bargain with affected public employee unions before making any further changes in its library network.

During the past two years, EPA has closed or reduced access to much of its network of libraries which serve both its own specialists and the public. Altogether, access to EPA libraries in 23 states has been completely lost, and several specialized collections have been shuttered, including its headquarters library.

Source: Common Dreams

Library Expenditures as a Percent of University Expenditures, 2004-05, Increased Slightly from Previous Year [XLS]

Source: ARL

+ OCLC Members Council discusses innovation in libraries

Sites like Facebook are proving the value of the “social graph.”
Very interesting read!!!
From the article:

The push to understand the nature and potential value of links between people online has led to imaginative ways to represent such networks. Here, we look at some of them.

Source: Technology Review

+ Portico announces agreement with the National Library of the Netherlands

+ Big Changes at EveryZing

Online National Register of Archives expands

What do a Stockport hat manufacturer, an East London borough council and the famous poet, Alexander Pope, have in common? Answer: you can find out about all of them by searching in the National Register of Archives.

The National Archives is funding a project to make available online 250,000 pages of the National Register of Archives lists. The focus of the project is on helping smaller archives to put their own catalogues online.

Source: National Archives, United Kingdom

Databases: All About Jazz
All About Jazz has added its 15,000th musician profile to its database, making it a leading resource for jazz musicians on the web.

Direct to Database

Source: News Release

HerbMed® - an interactive, electronic herbal database - provides hyperlinked access to the scientific data underlying the use of herbs for health. It is an impartial, evidence-based information resource provided by the nonprofit Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc. This public site provides free access to 30 herbs.

Direct to Alternative Medicine Foundation
The AMF is HON Compliant (as of 1/2008)

Web Guide: The American Founders Online

The digital resources described in this guide provide online access, in varying degrees, to the personal papers and/or publications of the major founders of the American Republic–that is, those men who served in roles of national political leadership between 1765 and 1815.

Source: The Library of Congress

+ NASDAQ and EDGAR Online Partner to Create 144A Reference Database

+ New Birds Eye and 3D cities in Virtual Earth. Portugal, Italy, and Austria get big updates.

+ blinkx Announces Agreements to Distribute Premium Content from the BBC, CBS and The Weather Channel

From the summary:

The nation’s largest foundations increased funding for all major subject areas in 2006, with a record number of exceptionally large grants helping to drive this growth. According to Foundation Giving Trends (2008 Edition), released today by the Foundation Center, six out of 10 fields posted double-digit rates of growth in the latest year, led by the field of international affairs/development/peace, which grew 72.5 percent.

Other key findings in the report:

* International giving overall increased 48.4 percent, driven by strong gains in funding for international affairs/development/peace and health.
* Foundations awarded a record 386 grants of $5 million or more in 2006.
* The 16.4 percent growth in grant dollars awarded by sampled foundations in 2006 followed a far more modest 6.1 percent gain in the prior year.

See Also: Highlights (Full Text is Fee-Based)
4 pages; PDF.

Source: Foundation Center

Just Released: County and City Data Book: 2007

From the summary:

Three Texas cities had the fastest-growing labor force in the nation from 2000 to 2005, according to a new book released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Of cities with populations of 25,000 or more, Frisco had 73.5 percent labor force growth, followed by Cedar Park (66 percent) and McKinney (52.5 percent). These were followed by Carmel, Ind. (49.9 percent); and Dania Beach, Fla. (45 percent).

These and other details about counties, cities and other areas can be found in the U.S. Census Bureau’s County and City Data Book: 2007.

Cities with populations of 25,000 or more with the lowest rates of unemployment in 2005 were Draper, Utah (1.5 percent); Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. (1.7 percent); Manhattan Beach, Calif. (1.8 percent); Aliso Viejo, Calif. (1.9 percent); and San Ramon, Calif. (1.9 percent).

Compiled since the 1940s, the County and City Data Book incorporates demographic and economic information about the United States from Census Bureau surveys, as well as information from other government and private organizations. The data cover topics such as population, housing, vital statistics, health care, social programs, education, labor force, wholesale and retail trade, and weather.

Geographic areas covered in the County and City Data Book include states, counties, cities with populations of 25,000 or more, and places with 100,000 or more residents.

In Boston, Mayor and Librarian Clash Over Control

…City Hall has informed the president, Bernard Margolis, that it will take control of the library’s nearly 200 trust funds — private contributions and bequests totaling about $54 million — to better monitor how the money is spent. The plan has incensed Mr. Margolis and some of his allies, who say it could have a chilling effect on donors and even lead to the money being spent outside the library system.

Source: NY Times

Briefs:

+ Google and HealthGrades Announce Deal (via Dow Jones)
and more about Google Health from the Financial Times

+ PubEasy Adds Three New Partners to Global Book Inquiry and Ordering Service

+ ICT: EU acts on growing privacy concerns (via EurActiv)

New From Multimap: The Carbon Footprint of Your Driving Journey
From the blog post:

To use the carbon calculator, Multimap users click the “get directions” link on www.multimap.com, enter their journeys’ start and end points, click “find”, and are presented with step-by-step directions and route maps. The directions results now include information on the carbon footprint of the journey. A pull-down menu allows users to choose the correct engine size of their cars, and to compare the carbon footprint of the journey if they were to go by bus or train instead of driving. Users clicking on the “more info” link will find details of how the carbon footprint is calculated, and can visit the Carbon Clear website to take action to offset their journeys.

Source: MultiMap Blog