Markmedia

excellent list of Open Access Journals

Jan Szczepanski, a librarian at Göteborg University, has collected links and information on Open Access journals for years. His lists contain over 4500 current OA-journals and 757 historic. You will find more information on the OA Librarian blog

Finding "lost" people - no not the TV series

Here is a nice little site that list the US Federal agencies and private organizations who assist individuals in locating persons of unknown whereabouts. Could be useful for journalists trying to locate sources.

Sites include:
Military Locator Service (can help you to locate active, reserve, and retired Department of Defense (DOD) military personnel)
Army | Navy | Air Force | Marine Corps | Coast Guard |
<Locating Private Individuals |
IRS | SSA | Salvation Army  Family Tracing Service since 1885. The service is designed to help people reestablish contact with close relatives they may have lost touch with a few years ago or many years ago. The service is available in many of the 100 countries where the Salvation Army is located.)
Department of State|


[The Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits Federal agencies from providingthe home addresses or telephone numbers of individuals without their written permission. Keep this in mind beforebeginning your search. In most cases, the agency or organizationwill only agree to let the person know you are trying tolocate them. They may also agree to forward a letter written by you to the person that you are trying to locate.]

Compleat works of Charles Darwin

This site contains every Darwin publication as well as many of his handwritten manuscripts. All told there are more than 50,000 searchable text pages and 40,000 images. There is also the most comprehensive Darwin bibliography ever published  and the largest manuscript  catalogue ever assembled. More than 150 ancillary texts are also included, ranging from   reference works to contemporary reviews, obituaries,  descriptions of Darwin's Beagle specimens and important  works for  understanding Darwin's context. Free audio mp3 versions of his works are also available.

Googleblog

I know, most of you allready have this on your bookmark/rss list but it never hurts to repeat and remind.
Google has a number of blogs on (Google owned - see) blogspot. One of the most usefull is the official general blog.

Recent  postings on Google Maps for mobile devices and a new U.S. Election Guide in Google Earth. which could be of use in reporting the comming US elections.

go digital or die (again)

An interesting report [pdf version] from Deutsche Bank Research aimed at investors has the following points to make:

• Innovative technologies are changing the way the media industry operates.
• New electronic offers improve contact between media makers and media consumers.
• Despite personalization of programming, advertising will not be crowded out.
• Brand recognition will attract additional customers and foster further growth.

Nothing new here to close followers of the changing face of media markets, but worth looking at.
It may be that the pressure on media outlets to seriously go digital will come from savvy investors rather than from the journalistic leadership within the industry itself.

Thanks for the tip Eamon

Digital Freedom Network

Under the banner of “Advancing freedom worldwide through information and technology”, the Digital Freedom Network is primarily concerned with providing the general public with information about current events around the world that may impinge on a variety of individual freedoms, particularly
in the realm of journalism and related activities.
One of the highlights of their site is the “Literature of Freedom” area, where visitors can learn about different works that have been banned in countries such as Cuba, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia.
“The Frontline” focuses on those individuals who have been placed in prison for expressing their thoughts and opinions freely.

And more.

Chronic Poverty Research Centre

Established in 2000, with a series of innovative grants and funding schemes from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, the Chronic Poverty Research Center (CPRC) is primarily concerned with researching chronic poverty around the globe and creating analyses that will be useful to different government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other researchers.

Specifically, their approach is designed to focus on “three pillars”, which include thematic research, policy analysis, and policy engagement. The site is divided into several primary sections, including “Resources”, “Partners”, and “News and Events”. The homepage isn’t a bad way to delve into some of their materials, which as of late have included calls for papers and a presentation on a report on the state of the chronically poor in Bangladesh.

Transparency and Silence: A Survey of Access to Information Laws and Practices in 14 Countries

This comparative study on access to information in 14 countries finds that transitional democracies outperformed established ones in providing information about government activities. Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia, Mexico, and Peru did better in answering ctizens’ requests for information than France and Spain.

Published  by the Open Society Justice Initiative, Transparency and Silence documents how various countries did—or did not—honor the right of access to information. In analyzing over 1,900 requests for information filed in 14 countries, the report finds that countries with access to information laws performed better than those with no law or with administrative provisions instead of a law.

The complete study and an overview are  available for download below or on the Open Society Justice Initiative website at www.justiceinitiative.org.

European Union Law: An Integrated Guide to Electronic and Print Research

Marylin Johnson Raisch's comprehensive guide has been completely updated and revised, and now includes a pathfinder of screen shots to assist researchers in effectively searching offical EU websites and portals.

The following topics are covered:

    1. Treaties establishing the European Union
       a) Rome, Maastricht, Amsterdam, and Nice
       b) Intergovernmental Conferences     (IGCs)
   c) Convention on the Future of Europe and the draft     Constitution
     2. Legislation
        a) Legislative process and history
        b) Basic documentation
        c) Documenting the process
            1) Commission
            2) Parliament
            3) Council
    3. Case law
    4. Periodical literature and other sources
    5. Implementing legislation at the     national level
    6. Charter of Fundamental Rights of the     European Union
    7. Citation issues and "a guide to the guides"

IPI death watch: journalists killed so far this year

IPI death watch:
The International Press Institute includes in its "Death Watch" journalists and media staff who were deliberately targeted because of their profession - either because of their investigative reporting or simply because they were journalists. IPI also includes journalists who were caught in the crossfire while covering dangerous assignments.

Total number of journalists killed so far this year:  49