Cornell Law Library's InSITE Website Reviews

Reviews published in the May 19th, 2008 issue of InSITE:

• Copyright Renewal Database
• Freedom of Information Clearinghouse
• Liberty & Justice for All: a Campaign of the Rights Working Group
• UNdata
• World Privacy Forum

[RJ]

Copyright Renewal Database
http://collections.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/

The Copyright Renewal Database is a specialized resource maintained by Stanford University to assist those seeking confirmation of a work's copyright status. The database maintains a list of all Class A works (i.e., books) published in the United States between 1923 and 1963. This period is of particular relevance because works published prior to 1923 are generally in the public domain, whereas works published after 1963 had their copyright automatically renewed en masse by an act of Congress. Works between 1923 and 1963 could be renewed by request of the copyright holder, but until now, renewal requests were only partially accessible, with an online database for requests received after 1977 and a semi-annual publication for requests received between 1950 and 1977. Not even the Copyright Office itself maintains an automated system for searching for the renewal status of these works. Stanford's Copyright Renewal Database is thus a unique and invaluable resource. The database offers both basic and advanced searches with author name, title, and either registration or renewal dates. [JPC]

Freedom of Information Clearinghouse
http://www.citizen.org/litigation/free_info/

The Freedom of Information Clearinghouse is a component of Ralph Nader's Public Citizen organization. The Clearinghouse provides "technical and legal assistance to individuals, public interest groups, and the media who seek access to information held by government agencies." The Clearinghouse both undertakes its own litigation at the federal level and also provides information and education about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the process of obtaining information from the government. To this end, the website of the Clearinghouse offers a number of guides to filing FOIA requests, the history of the law and its implications, and conditions under which FOIA requests may be denied.  Under "Public Citizen's Open Government Litigation" the Clearinghouse also provides an annotated listing of all cases undertaken, their success or failure and a discussion of the ruling. Original documents such as the complaint, original FOIA request and motions are also provided. The site provides a search engine with options for searching all Public Citizen sites or just a specific sub-group, although it does not include the Clearinghouse in this list but only the overall Litigation Group. [JPC]

Liberty & Justice for All: a Campaign of the Rights Working Group
http://www.rightsworkinggroup.org/      

The Rights Working Group (RWG) is a coalition of advocates for civil rights, civil liberties, human rights and immigrant rights who seek to develop a coordinated response to policies and attitudes leading to the deterioration of civil and human rights in the aftermath of 9/11.  In addition to promoting the organization and its affiliates through press releases, events listings, and an advocacy group locator map, the RWG website provides a variety of informational materials on issues such as the “Civil Liberties Restoration Act,” “Secret Hearings,” “Detention Without Charges,” “Inaccurate Criminal Databases,” and “Targets of Surveillance.”  The types of documents and materials offered under these topics include links to articles and reports from member organizations, U.S. governmental reports, and news agencies.  The site also utilizes a news feed page to track reports on the Civil Liberties Restoration Act and related issues, but updates in the "Articles" and "Press Releases" sections are sometimes sparse and poorly updated.  The site is searchable, but since most of the content is pointed to but not on-site, this feature is of limited usefulness. [BWK, JPC]

UNdata
http://data.un.org/

Many researchers are aware that various UN bodies produce statistical information and searchable data sets.  However, each database lived in a separate silo, requiring users to traverse multiple websites and conduct multiple searches before feeling secure that they had found all relevant information.  The UN Statistics Division (UNSD) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) have solved this problem by creating UNdata, a new web portal that unites UN statistical sources in a single interface.  The mission of this project is to "provide free access to global statistics, to educate users about the importance of statistics for evidence-based policy and decision-making and to assist National Statistical Offices of Member Countries to strengthen their data dissemination capabilities."  Users may browse data sets through the fourteen currently available topical databases (Agriculture, Education, Employment, Energy, etc.), or conduct a keyword search.  Six glossaries provide definitions of terms used within the databases.  UNdata should be a solid resource for researchers needing reliable international and comparative data. [JJ]

World Privacy Forum
http://www.worldprivacyforum.org/

As a non-partisan, non-profit public interest group, the World Privacy Forum focuses on "conducting in-depth research, analysis, and consumer education in the area of privacy."  The Forum conducts longitudinal research, nationally and internationally, in health care, technology, and in finance.  Of note, the Forum has done ground-breaking work in "medical identity theft," coining the term in a report.  The website highlights the group’s research projects.  The site provides an index to the Forum’s reports, analysis, testimony, agency comments, and issue briefs, all of which are available in full text.  Subjects in the index include cookies, data breaches, DNA, and resume privacy.  The index also provides access to the various landing pages that address the main topics addressed by the Forum.  These include genetic privacy, medical privacy, and workplace privacy.  There is a separate page for public comments submitted by the Forum, and these are categorized by specific federal agency.  As well, an extensive list of links to related organizations is offered in the Resources section. [MM]