I know I’ve posted quite a few websites lately, but the Federal Government came out with another site that I’ll be using quite a bit today. From the Data.gov “About” page:

As a priority Open Government Initiative for President Obama’s administration, Data.gov increases the ability of the public to easily find, download, and use datasets that are generated and held by the Federal Government. A primary goal is to improve access to Federal data and expand creative use of those data beyond the walls of government by encouraging innovative ideas (e.g., web applications). Data.gov strives to make government more transparent and is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. The openness derived from Data.gov will strengthen our Nation’s democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

While I’m not sure about how open datasets will increase government transparency – the general public don’t know jack about analytics – it certainly seems to be a useful tool for researchers, web-developers, and anyone who needs raw data. What is going to be really interesting is how the internet community takes advantage of this it. The Federal Government is the largest statistics keeper in the country, and this certainly creates plenty of opportunities for the library world.

So get out there folks!

When my parents moved to rural Fordland, Missouri two years ago they expected to give up a few luxuries. First, they have to commute to town for work, food, and most of their basic needs. Sometimes this includes a thirty minute drive to Springfield. Second, they gave up local utilities, and at least in part thanks to my dad, are living on a home-brewed utility network (i.e. a well and several solar panels). But, they never realized how much of a pain it was to get access to external information.

The Webster County Library is twenty miles away and their only options for Internet access are dial-up and an expensive satellite Internet contract. A few months ago the local phone company provided DSL service to the rest of the people on their road, but because they live in a valley the company decided not to hook them up. Interestingly enough this presents a very unique situation. With the Internet out of reach and broadband necessary to access all but the most basic sites my parents are effectively being denied a link to the outside world. Given a recent NPR piece on rural Internet networks this is the case for about 10% of the United States.

Twenty years ago nobody would have considered the Internet and information access to be a utility. I’m not so sure this is the case anymore. With important Government information, forms, and other private sector data only accessible online those without access are left, well, disenfranchised. The children who group up in rural environments are notably at a disadvantage as well. Though I haven’t taken the time to lay out a strong argument for it my intuitions certainly seem to hint that the Internet is a utility that all Americans should have access to. After all, isn’t the cornerstone of Democracy an informed general populace?