Library Stuff

More public data searching, courtesy of Google

Associated Press – “Hidden data embedded in electronic public records must be disclosed under Arizona’s public records law, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case that attracted interest from media and government organizations.”

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News Press – “A unanimous three-judge panel ruled records in Florida State University’s fight with the National Collegiate Athletic Association should be made public. The opinion, written by 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Philip Padovano, upholds a lower court’s decision. The ruling rejects NCAA arguments that the documents are not public records, that student-privacy laws preclude their release and that requiring their release violates the NCAA’s constitutional rights.

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More from beSpacific

Meg Hayden (Electronic Resources Librarian, Mass. Trial Court Law Libraries) writes:

“I thought you’d like to know that the public law librarians here in Mass. have been working to put our own cases online– http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/2007/12/massachusetts-cases-online.html. We’re adding over 100 cases per day, and currently have 10,000 cases available at the site. There is no group more committed to public access than my colleagues, and providing this content just continues our commitment to providing as much service as possible to the public for no charge!”

How cool is that! Bookmarked!

Public Records Wire – “An open system for cataloging, sharing and discovering new public records databases. The system promotes the databases that are most used and voted upon with the goal of enhancing overall quality of public records databases.”

Public records databases and tagging. Who would have thunk it? (via)

“The federal Judiciary is seeking comment on the privacy and security implications related to public Internet access to certain documents in criminal case files. The Court Administration and Case Management Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States is studying these issues so the Conference can develop policy guidance for the federal courts.” (via)

NYT – “The domination of two legal research services over the publication of federal and state court decisions is being challenged by an Internet gadfly who has embarked on an ambitious project to make more than 10 million pages of case law available free online.”

AP – “The American Bar Association has scrapped a proposal that called for closing certain arrest and court records to the public.”

Thank goodness.

Lifehacker has a few tips.