Also, here is the longer video from Frontline on The Washington Post's investigation (embedded for your clickless pleasure -- I found it under resources):
What REALLY made me mad was what was presented in the Jacobs, Jacobs, Yeo article: Government Information in the Digital Age: The Once and Future Federal Depository Library Program.
I was in shock that the authors had to suggest, TO THE GPO, these simple guidelines in their efforts to make their digital documents available to the public:
We envision an FDLP of the future described by the following five criteria:
1. Information is available and fully functional to all without charge.
2. Information is easy to find and use.
3. Information is verifiably authentic.
4. Information is preserved for future access and use in a distributed system of
digital depository libraries.
5. Privacy of information-users is ensured so that citizens can freely use government information without concern that what they read will be subject to disclosure or examination.
For real?!?! This is kind of pathetic -- they need to be told to allow for these common sense provisions? Their business model for providing access to their digital content is entirely vague and not moving forward. They want to allow free access but have users pay for it at the same time? They need to seriously get their act together. It's just embarrassing and sad. And obvious to me they are just playing the "dum-dum" card, because they don't want to make decisions. Ugh.
