This week, public interest groups, media organizations, government agencies, and citizens celebrate Sunshine Week and the Annual Freedom of Information Day. As part of Sunshine Week the White House has launched a new "Good Government" portal as a resource for citizens. At public events and congressional hearings this week, leadership of the National Archives -- … Continue reading Sunshine Week 2011
I'm a big fan of Wikipedia. It's often the first place I go for information. According to a recent Pew Internet report, I'm also not alone. Forty-two percent of all Americans also turn to Wikipedia for information online. Every month, almost 80 million people visit Wikipedia and more than 91,000 active contributors have worked on … Continue reading Celebrating 10 Years of Wikipedia
In his State of the Union address last week, President Barack Obama said, "We can't win the future with a government of the past." He called for a reorganization of government to give the people "a government that's more competent and more efficient." At the National Archives, we are meeting the President's call to action. … Continue reading A National Archives of the Future
Change is not easy, but NARA staff members are doing it with enthusiam and we are seeing the results. Wireless internet is now available for researchers who use our Washington, DC and College Park, MD facilities. This service is free and available to registered researchers. On Monday, we launched the redesigned Archives.gov. With your help, … Continue reading Change You Can See and Experience
Since my swearing in as the 10th Archivist of the United States less than a year ago, we've taken important steps to become a more open, transparent, participatory, and collaborative agency. I'm proud of our accomplishments: The development of our Open Government Plan A 300 percent increase in the use of social media tools to … Continue reading Open to Change
Recently, I read an article and book by Charlene Li, an expert on social media and former analyst and vice president at Forrester Research. In the book, Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead, she states that greater openness in organizations is inevitable and is a consequence of the increasing use … Continue reading Leading an Open Archives
On July 26, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Federal Register Act by launching Federal Register 2.0. In a special event in the Rotunda of the National Archives, I will be joined by the Public Printer of the United States and distinguished guests from regulatory agencies and the open government community to introduce … Continue reading Coming Soon: Federal Register 2.0
If you're reading this, the following statistic from a recent Pew Internet report applies to you: Fully 82% of internet users (representing 61% of all American adults) looked for information or completed a transaction on a government website in the previous twelve months. It probably doesn't surprise you that increasingly Americans are relying on the … Continue reading Redefining Transparency in a Digital Age
The Pew Research Center recently published a report, “The Impact of the Internet on Institutions in the Future,” in which it found that 72 percent of experts agreed with the statement: By 2020, innovative forms of online cooperation will result in significantly more efficient and responsive governments, business, non-profits, and other mainstream institutions. That optimism … Continue reading No Small Change
