Access To Information

Thinking Globally and Reading Diversely: Issues of Gay and Lesbian International Literature for Young Adults

by Amy Elliott

-Presented at the 28th Annual College of Communication and Information Research Symposium, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN. Feb. 2006.
-Written at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
-Won Best Master's Research Award, 28th Annual University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information Research Symposium.
-Won School of Information Sciences Best Paper Award, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2006.

Young adults need information on issues of sexuality in a way that relates to them. This becomes particularly... more Young adults need information on issues of sexuality in a way that relates to them. This becomes particularly important to young adults who identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or queer, as well as those who may be questioning their sexualities. This paper examines one form of information: the young adult novel. It looks at the presence, lack, and need for international GLBTQ young adult literature. It surveys the genre’s past and present and speculates on its future. It discovers that although publishers have significantly increased GLBTQ and international GLBTQ young adult literature in the last few years, there is still quite a gap to be filled.

Calidad de la Información: un desafío pendiente

by Laureano Checa

Reference

CHECA, Laureano (2011). “Calidad de la Información: un desafío pendiente”. En LAGOS, Claudia y URANGA, Victoria (eds.) El Derecho a Saber en el Chile del Bicentenario. Santiago: UNESCO. Pp. 58-67

Democracia y Ciudadanía: El acceso a información pública en el Estado chileno

by Laureano Checa

CHECA, Laureano; LAGOS, Claudia; y CABALIN, Cristian. 2010 “Democracia y Ciudadanía: El acceso a información pública en el Estado chileno”. Revista Tercer Milenio nº19, Universidad Católica del Norte.

Resumen
En este artículo se exponen los principales resultados de una investigación que se propuso como objetivo... more Resumen
En este artículo se exponen los principales resultados de una investigación que se propuso como objetivo monitorear la capacidad de respuesta de ministerios y subsecretarías a las solicitudes de acceso a la información pública. El tema indagado se relacionó con los mecanismos de participación ciudadana que ofrece el Estado chileno. Dentro de los hallazgos, destaca la demora en la entrega de la información en la mayoría de los casos y la deficiente calidad de las respuestas.

Abstract
This article presents the main results of a research aimed to monitor the response capacity of ministries and sub secretariats to requests for public information access. The topic investigated was related to citizen participation mechanisms offered by the Chilean State. Among the most important finding is the late delivery of information in most cases and poor responses.

Using Farmer's Markets to Access Democracy

by Nic Jay

New e-sources, new models: re-inventing library approaches to providing access

by Aline Soules

Proceedings of the International Federation of Library Associations

The lines may be blurring among e-books, article databases, and other information sources; however, approaches to... more The lines may be blurring among e-books, article databases, and other information sources; however, approaches to managing these sources are still filtered through traditional methods that treat these materials separately, and reflect traditional organizational library structures that divide technical and public services. As a professor who teaching Introduction to Information Literacy to first year university students, the presenter sees the results of student efforts to understand and master access to these various types of information sources. The presenter will offer examples of student understandings and misunderstandings of these sources and their access challenges. From these user perspectives, the presenter will suggest ways to improve the handling of these information sources, ways that challenge the organizational models and traditional division in libraries with the goal of improving users access and addressing the issues users face in identifying, accessing, and using these sources effectively.

Estrategias de las bibliotecas públicas costarricenses para promover el acceso a la información. El caso del referéndum del 7 de octubre 2007

by Saray Córdoba

Less is more? The Commission Proposal on Access to EU Documents and the Proper Limits of Transparency (2010)

by Francesco Maiani

Co-authored with Jean-Patrick Villeneuve and Martial Pasquier
Published as IDHEAP Working Paper

Transparency is now seen as a key tool of democratic governance. The European Union‘s commitment to transparency is... more Transparency is now seen as a key tool of democratic governance. The European Union‘s commitment to transparency is now at the centre of a crucial debate between the Commission and the Parliament on the future of citizen‘s right of access to information. This article presents the main characteristics of the current regime and questions the pertinence of the proposed changes in light of the international drive at modernising access to information laws and the attempt at identifying the ‗proper limits of transparency‘. The questions raised range from the identification of what can be accessed to the definition of exemption and the protection of competing interests

Freedom of information legislation, state compliance and the discourse of knowledge: the South African experience.

by Colin Darch

International Information and Library Review vol.37, 2005, pages 77-86.

With Peter G. Underwood. In this paper, we use the example of post-apartheid South Africa since 1994 as a case study,... more With Peter G. Underwood. In this paper, we use the example of post-apartheid South Africa since 1994 as a case study, with US experience as a point of reference, to begin a modest deconstruction of some of the nomothetic assumptions implicit in general freedom of information (FoI) discourse. Using the Roberts–Snell model to analyze South African levels of administrative compliance with FoI legislation, we conclude that a lack of capacity and some deliberate evasion have combined to produce poor performance levels in the first years. Turning to low public demand, we examine language and discourse problems arising from the extreme diversity of South African society and the status domination of English, a minority language. In conclusion, we argue that although FoI may or may not be a genuine human rights issue in the strict sense, there is little doubt that unless FoI practices are articulated with other civil and human rights, societal change may be a long time coming.

Exceptional State, Pragmatic Bureaucracy, and Indefinite Detention: The Case of the Kingston Immigration Holding Centre

by Mike Larsen

authored with Justin Piché (second author), published in the Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 2009

The Kingston Immigration Holding Centre (KIHC) is a purpose-built prison for individuals subject to security... more The Kingston Immigration Holding Centre (KIHC) is a purpose-built prison for individuals subject to security certificates, located on the grounds of Millhaven Institution in Bath, Ontario. KIHC was created in 2006 in response to controversy over the use of provincial detention facilities for long-term security-certificate detention. While the security-certificate mechanism and its related processes have been the subject of a growing body of critical socio-legal scholarship, the juridico-political space of KIHC has yet to be described or problematized in depth. The present study addresses this gap by providing a detailed account of the history of the facility and an exploration of the interactions within the Canadian insecurity field that shaped its emergence, governing arrangement, and everyday operations. Given the paucity of publicly available official information about KIHC, our study draws extensively on material obtained through requests filed under the federal Access to Information Act. Building on the existing literature, we frame security-certificate detention as a form of normalized exceptionality made possible by counter-law and argue that it conforms to the juridico-political concept of the camp. We then proceed to describe how this particular camp came into being, with an emphasis on the role played by interactions between professionals and institutions within the Canadian security field. The inter-agency contractual arrangement between the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that governs KIHC is outlined. We describe this arrangement as the product of the authority to detain indefinitely meeting the capacity to confine pragmatically, under the banner of national security, and consider its implications for CSC's correctional mandate. The KIHC facility emerges as an "ancillary exception," the institutional reflection of attempts to reform and normalize the security-certificate mechanism. We conclude by making a case for the abolition of KIHC.

Canadian Prisoner Access to Information Guide V. 1.0

by Mike Larsen

Published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License. Free for download, circulation, and re-mixing.

UPDATE (Jan 14 2011): Version 1.1 now includes a blank federal ATIP request form.

The purpose of the Guide is to provide a resource for Canadian prisoners, prisoners' advocates, and fellow travelers... more The purpose of the Guide is to provide a resource for Canadian prisoners, prisoners' advocates, and fellow travelers interested in making use of Access to Information and Privacy law for research, advocacy, appeals, education, or personal interest. The Guide is organized into the following sections:

1. Introduction
2. The Canadian access regime
3. Exemptions and extensions
4. Before filing: A checklist
5. The process
6. Request wording and types of records
7. Federal and Provincial addresses and information
8. Contact Information
9. Blank federal ATIP form

The Guide includes information of a 'how-to' / 'best practices' nature, as well as information about the Canadian access regime, the pitfalls and barriers to access that are often encountered by requesters, and contact information and commentary related to filing ATIP requests with federal and provincial government bodies involved in carceral practices.

Feedback is most welcome, and can be sent to me at mlarsen@yorku.ca. The Guide will be updated regularly.