Digital Records

The Library of Congress, through its National Digital Information and Infrastructure Preservation Program (NDIIPP) and in cooperation with partners in Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, has issued a joint report on digital preservation and copyright.

The report, "International Study on the Impact of Copyright Law on Digital Preservation," states that digital works are ephemeral, and unless preservation efforts are begun soon after they are created, they will be lost to future generations. The report finds that although copyright and related laws are not the only obstacle to digital preservation, there is no question that those laws present significant challenges.

Recommendations are provided for legislative reform and other solutions to ensure that libraries, archives and other preservation institutions can manage copyrighted digital information in a manner consistent with national and international laws. Specific recommendations include structuring national copyright laws to provide exceptions for preservation institutions to proactively preserve at-risk copyrighted material in digital form, subject to measures appropriate to protect the legitimate interests of rights holders.

The recommendations in the US jurisdiction section of the report follow those outlined in by an independent Section 108 Study Group report issued in March 2008. Recommendations from the other jurisdictions reflect each country’s specific copyright laws. The four organizations also worked very closely together to develop joint recommendations for how copyright and intellectual property law might better accommodate the preservation of digital information.

According to the report, copyright laws should permit preservation institutions to preserve copyrighted works in accordance with international best practices for digital preservation, including making copies for administrative and technical purposes; migrating works into different formats in response to technological developments and changing standards; and maintaining redundant copies among preservation institutions and legally authorized third-party preservation repositories to protect against catastrophic loss.

The report further recommends that copyright exceptions for digital preservation should not be conditioned on the category (such as literature or music) or format (such as compact disc or Web site) of information.

In addition to the Library of Congress, the partners issuing the report include the Open Access to Knowledge Law Project–Queensland University of Technology Law Faculty, Australia; the SURFfoundation, Netherlands; and the Joint Information Systems Committee, United Kingdom.

An electronic version of the report is available through the NDIIPP Web site at www.digitalpreservation.gov. The earlier report of the Section 108 Study Group may be found at www.section108.gov.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Founded in 1800, the Library seeks to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, which bring to bear the world’s knowledge in almost all of the world’s languages and America’s private-sector intellectual and cultural creativity in almost all formats. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s award-winning Web site www.loc.gov and at its latest new site that offers personalized interactive exhibition experience, myLOC.gov.

Grant Funding

The Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant (PCASG) program has announced its third round of grant funding totaling $16,639,000 to 25 public and private non-profit healthcare provider organizations which operate 70 clinic locations in the New Orleans area.

Funding from the PCASG program helps improve access to primary healthcare, mental health counseling and treatment and other critically needed services for everyone in the greater New Orleans area, regardless of ability to pay. To date, including grant awards made in September

2007 and December 2007, PCASG has released more than $43 million to bridge gaps in services.

 “Between September of last year and March of this year, the 70 PCASG-funded clinics provided medical and/or behavioral healthcare to over 80,000 people.  Furthermore, many of the grant recipients have opened new clinic locations and expanded hours to accommodate the great needs in the region that persist since Hurricane Katrina ” reports Clayton Williams, Director of Health Systems Development for the Louisiana Public Health Institute.

For example, PCASG grant funds have allowed Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans (CCANO) to add clinicians and expand clinic service hours to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday and add weekend

(Saturday) hours from 9am until 1pm at the Metairie Road clinic, 413 Metairie Road in Metairie. 

Additionally, a new Westbank clinic was opened recently at 3520 General DeGaulle Drive in New Orleans. Continued funding will even allow CCANO social workers to get advanced training in behavioral health intervention.

“Prior to receiving this grant funding, Catholic Charities was operating with grants from United Way and other small foundations that enabled us to provide only limited services, despite the great need for access to care in New Orleans,” says Dr. Elmore Rigamer, Medical Director for Catholic Charities. “The funding stream has allowed us, not only to increase access to care, but also increase the quality of care we provide to the under and uninsured populations.”

Meanwhile, PCASG funding has enabled Children's Hospital Medical Practice Corporation (CHMPC) to provide primary care services for the next three years for the organization's new Kids First clinics in eastern New Orleans and Mid-City. PCASG has also provided supplemental funding for a new Rapid Treatment Program, a behavioral health outpatient clinic located at the hospital's Calhoun Campus, the hospital's Tooth Bus initiative which provides outreach dental services, and CHMPC's Kids First TigerCARE (on Canal Street) and Kids First Prytania (on Prytania Street).

"Our mission is to provide pediatric primary care to children in and around New Orleans including medically underserved areas,” says Birgit Haylock, Director of CHMPC. “The funding through PCASG is helping us expand our services into two medically underserved areas as well as helping support other programs and helps us achieve our goal of increasing services to the New Orleans pediatric population.”

The three-year, $100 million Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant is designed to meet the increasing demand for healthcare services in the four-parish greater New Orleans area while decreasing the reliance on emergency room usage for primary care services. PCASG was awarded to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals by the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services last year. The Louisiana Public Health Institute is administering the grant as the state’s local partner.

Funds have been awarded to healthcare provider organizations in order to assist with stabilization, restoration and expansion of outpatient primary and behavioral healthcare services. Public and private non-profit organizations serving Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard or Plaquemines parishes were eligible for funding through the grant, including primary medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment providers.

To find out where primary care clinics are located throughout the region, visit www.pcasg.org. For more information on the PCASG program and the latest round of grant funding, contact Clayton Williams at 504-301-9804.

Health Fair

On Saturday, July 19, Pierre A. Capdau-University of New Orleans Early College High School, 4621 Canal Blvd. (Thurgood Marshall Middle School campus), will be the site of a free health fair presented by the New Orleans Medical Association and International Society of Hypertension in Blacks. The health fair will held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

National and local experts will be on site providing education, screening, and information on resources for assistance in focus areas: mental health, substance abuse, wellness, cardiovascular health and blood pressure control. There will be free food and giveaways available. The health fair is sponsored by Daiichi-Sankyo, Forest Laboratories, Inc., King Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Pfizer, and Softsheen-Carson.

Ogden Museum

Relief is here! The Ogden Museum of Southern Art will make the sultry New Orleans summer seem like a cool breeze with activities for the whole family, exhibitions and music starting June 14 and going until August 31. The high point is the museum’s fifth anniversary—August 23--when it will host a variety of special events and activities, Aug. 21 to 24.

            Need an excuse to visit?

Top Five Reasons to Visit the Ogden this Summer

1)     Adults pay only $5 admission!

That’s right, half off general admission. (And, $5 more gets you into the Southern Museum of Food and Beverage in the Riverwalk. $10 = 2 museums!)

2)     Take home a piece of art

Shop at the Museum Store and Center for Southern Craft and Design for a unique creation—all

purchases are 5 percent off. (Don’t forget that the store also stocks CDs, books and Ogden

hats and T-shirts.)

3)     Tune in at Ogden After Hours

Enjoy the good vibes on Thursday nights, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is only $5, too!

4)     Kid Appreciation = Art Appreciation

Activities for children all summer long. (And Ogden After Hours has a children’s art activity

table.)

5)     Air conditioning.

Never underestimate the pleasure of viewing art in a climate-controlled building!

Be sure to check the Web site (www.ogdenmuseum.org) and the Ogden-gram for more updates about all the exciting activities at the Ogden this summer.

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Museum hours are 11am-4pm Wednesday through Sunday and 6-8pm Thursday evenings for Ogden After Hours. Free to members, $5 general admission (June 14 to Aug. 31, 2008).

ICF International

ICF International a provider of carbon mitigation and climate change adaptation services to companies and governments around the world, was singled out as the leader in climate change consulting services by Verdantix, an independent business research firm focused on climate change, carbon markets, and corporate responsibility.

In its report, “Verdantix Green Quadrant: Climate Change Business Consulting,” the research firm evaluated the climate change offerings of 16 consulting firms. ICF was the only firm to be recognized by Verdantix as a leader in climate change consulting. Verdantix reported that “ICF International stands out from the pack…combin[ing] a long track record in climate change advisory, deep environmental expertise, business analysis skills and the capability to deliver engagements in energy intensive sectors and service sectors. These elements put ICF International at the forefront of climate change business consulting….”

Verdantix named ICF a strong choice for companies needing expertise in carbon management strategy and implementation, multi-regional carbon trading and offsetting advice, and climate change opportunity analysis. ICF was also recognized for its decision to implement its own consulting advice and become carbon neutral.

“ICF International has been advising the public and private sectors on climate change issues for more than 20 years, long before it was fashionable,” said Sudhakar Kesavan, ICF’s chairman and chief executive officer. “As a major provider of carbon mitigation and adaptation services to companies and governments around the world, we are proud to be singled out in this report as maintaining our lead over the many other firms who have entered the field more recently.”

ICF, headquartered in Fairfax, Va., provides climate change advisory services worldwide, including its offices throughout the Washington metropolitan area, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other U.S. cities, as well as international locations in London, Moscow, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, and Toronto.

Verdantix is an independent provider of business research and strategic analysis dedicated to helping firms understand climate change to preserve profitability and deliver shareholder value. The report, “Verdantix Green Quadrant: Climate Change Business Consulting,” is available on-line at www.verdantix.com.