[Libs-Or] Information and Action: Fwd: [alacoun] Fwd: Statistical Abstract - ALA action?

Thu Mar 17 11:09:45 PDT 2011

I am not sure what is going to happen with these statistical publications
that we all use but I just wanted you to know that some action is probably
coming from ALA and that you can also take some action.  I think that at
some point there may be something on capwiz, http://capwiz.com/ala/home/,
though there isn't anything there yet.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pam Klipsch <pklipsch at jeffcolib.org>
Date: Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 7:55 AM
Subject: [alacoun] Fwd: Statistical Abstract - ALA action?

This question came to me from one of my librarians in Missouri. Can anyone
provide additional details and tell us what action ALA is proposing?

Thanks,

Pam Klipsch

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brekhus, Rachel L. <BrekhusR at missouri.edu>
Date: Thu, Mar 17, 2011 at 8:59 AM
Subject: Statistical Abstract - ALA action?
To: "pklipsch at jeffcolib.org" <pklipsch at jeffcolib.org>
Cc: "Concannon, Marie" <ConcannonM at missouri.edu>

 Pam,

I am hearing from Marie Concannon, our Documents librarian and Missouri’s
FDLP Regional director, that the office that creates the *Statistical
Abstract of the United States* is being cut entirely from the budget,
meaning that we will be losing the print and online versions of the
*Statistical
Abstract of the United States* as well as several other key statistical
compendia.

As our ALA Councilor, do you know if the ALA is aware of this, and whether
it plans to take any coordinated action (asking members to write their
members of Congress, etc.) against the loss of a resource that for many of
us, and our users, is an absolutely central reference source?

I’ll forward the email portions that Marie has forwarded to me below, in
chronological order.

Thank you for looking into this.

Rachel Brekhus

Humanities Librarian, MU Libraries

……

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of Government Document Issues [mailto:
GOVDOC-L at lists.psu.edu] On Behalf Of Lori Smith
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 1:23 PM
To: GOVDOC-L at LISTS.PSU.EDU
Subject: Re: update on Census Bureau program cuts

Dear Folks,

I couldn't take the uncertainty anymore so I called the Census Bureau and
spoke to Ian O'Brien who's the Chief of the Statistical Compendia Branch.
He said that the 2012 budget doesn't include funding for his branch, which
would mean the elimination of not only the Statistical Abstract, but all
titles produced by that branch (State and Metropolitan Area Data Book,
County and City Data Book, etc.).  No new editions would be produced in
print or online.

I asked if there was any hope of changing this and he said that there's
always a chance that Congress could be convinced to continue funding for the
program.  He said those who would like to save the Statistical Compendia
Branch could write to their Senators and Representatives.  I'm guessing this
would go for the Federal Financial Statistics Program as well.

So, start writing your letters and encourage others to do the same.

*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

*Lori Smith

*Government Documents Department Head

*Sims Memorial Library

*Southeastern Louisiana University

*SLU 10896

*Hammond, LA  70402

*(985) 549-3966            LSMITH at SELU.EDU

*http://www.selu.edu/library/directory/govdoc/index.html

From: Discussion of Government Document Issues [GOVDOC-L at lists.psu.edu] On
Behalf Of Deborah Mongeau [djmongeau at GMAIL.COM]

Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 1:10 PM

To: GOVDOC-L at LISTS.PSU.EDU

Subject: Re: update on Census Bureau program cuts

I've read this section of the justification document and it looks like it's
a pretty ambitious program and maybe it's more appropriate for collecting
and disseminating data going forward but what I'm getting out of this report
is that Statistical Abstract, etc. will be abolished and THEN the Census
Bureau will initiate a pilot project to see how this new method will work
for the data.  It would be nice to have the pilot project completed first
and IF the data favors it, THEN pull the plug on Statistical Abstract.  And
of course, if a new program is being established, it will take some time to
organize, hire and train new staff, etc.  So we'll most likely have 1-2
years of no data being distributed.  Plus, the Statistical Abstract was user
friendly.  Anybody and everybody could and did use it.  From what I'm
reading here, the data will be posted online in a more timely manner and
probably be more accurate (if the data on this method bear this out)  but it
will probably be more difficult for the casual user to ferret it out.  I
could be wildly misinterpreting the report but I'm a little concerned that
cart is being put before the horse.

Debbie Mongeau

Deborah Mongeau

Government Publications Librarian

University of Rhode Island Libraries

15 Lippitt Road

Kingston, RI 02881-2011

tel:(401)874-4610

e-mail: dmongeau at uri.edu  OR  djmongeau at gmail.com

On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 10:28 AM, Jeremy D. Darrington <
jdarring at princeton.edu> wrote:

> The Department of Commerce's 2012 Congressional Budget Justification

> document confirms that:

>
http://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/budget/12CJ/Census_Bureau_FY_2012_Congressional_Submission.pdf.

> See pp. 82-92 of the PDF. This doesn't appear to be a cut purely for

> lack of money, though; it appears that this is a strategic decision to

> shift focus and funds to a new program to enhance the federal

> statistical system's use of administrative records instead of direct
collection from the population.

>

> Jeremy Darrington

> Social Science Librarian for Politics

> jdarring at princeton.edu

> Princeton University

From: Discussion of Government Document Issues [mailto:
GOVDOC-L at lists.psu.edu] On Behalf Of Cismowski, David

Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 12:48 PM

To: GOVDOC-L at LISTS.PSU.EDU

Subject: Re: update on Census Bureau program cuts

I have a visceral sense of loss upon learning that the Dept. of Commerce is
evidently planning to stop publication of the Statistical Abstract in any
format whatsoever--print or PDF.

The value of the Statistical Abstract is not in the data contained in the
publication.  Most of those data can be discovered by laboriously combing
through other publications and online resources.

The value lies in the intellectual work expended to pre-coordinate those
data so users don't have to laboriously search for disparate data elements,
then manually work to cumulate them or write programs to cumulate them.
For, as we all know, government agencies are great at publishing data;
however, government agencies are not so good at organizing statistical data
into useable chunks, thereby enabling easy longitudinal comparisons.

I once assisted a Census researcher who had a massive number of census
schedules spread out over an entire reading room table.  All he wanted to do
was find the decennial population change for a few major U.S.

cities, over 50 years time.  He thought he had to consult individual
schedules for five separate decennial censuses to get the figures he needed,
take handwritten notes, then compile those notes into a table.

As I showed him, all he needed was two pages from the Statistical Abstract,
pages that had already cumulated those figures into a handy table for him.

In addition to making a great number of time-bound data comparisons easy,
the Abstract serves as a basic starting point for a statistical research
project because of its tables' cited references and the marvelous
introductions to statistical topical areas that inform a beginning
researcher of the scope and history of statistical data pertaining to those
topical areas.

A staple of newsrooms, TV and radio stations, business and corporate
offices, independent researchers' libraries, and the libraries of
information geeks across the country, the Statistical Abstract saves the
United States economy millions of dollars of wasted time and productivity
each year.  But, of course, nobody can prove that, because nobody measures
such things.  It's admittedly just a belief that I feel is true.

According to page 87 of Commerce's 2012 Congressional Budget Justification
(thanks to Jeremy Darrington for providing the link), suspending publication
of the Statistical Abstract will save the government a little bit less than
$3 million.  The assumption, I suppose, is that this will help reduce the
deficit, thereby helping commerce and the economy.  That also is a belief.
One that I feel is false.

David

This message expresses my own opinions only and should not be construed as
an official policy statement of the California State Library.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David Cismowski

Bureau Chief, State Library Services

California State Library

900 N Street

PO Box 942837

Sacramento CA 94237-0001

dcismowski at library.ca.gov

916-651-6814

916-214-3878 (cell)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- 
*Pam Klipsch MLS
*Director
Jefferson County Library
5678 Highway PP
High Ridge MO 63049
636-677-8689

Missouri Chapter Councilor 2011-2013

-- 

*Diedre Conkling**
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR 97365
Phone & Fax: 541-265-3066
Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*
Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>
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