​A Look at Cameras in Minnesota Courts

The Minnesota Supreme Court is allowing cameras to record proceedings in civil cases for a test that runs through June 30, 2013. The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is hosting a panel discussion to examine this experiment at its halfway point. 

Minnesota news organizations hope that the test will demonstrate that recording equipment does not disrupt court proceedings, and can enhance the public’s understanding of what goes on inside its courts.  They also hope that the experiment will open the door to expanded coverage of criminal court proceedings in Minnesota.

Panel discussion:
Wednesday, Oct. 24,  11am-12:30pm in Room 10 of the State Office Building. 

Panelists include:
Seventh District Assistant Chief Judge John H. Scherer of Stearns County
Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan
Emily Gurnon, courts reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press
Joan Gilbertson, producer for WCCO-TV
David Unze, reporter for the St. Cloud Times

Moderator:  John P. Borger, MNCOGI board member and partner at Faegre Baker Daniels

Minnesota CLE credits are pending approval

Questions?  Contact Helen Burke, MNCOGI Board Chair at mncogi@gmail.com

Transparency and academic freedom in Texas

An article in the September/October issue of ACADEME, "Three Clicks and Academic Freedom is Out," describes a new law in Texas.  As a result of legislation passed in 2009, all public universities are required to post detailed syllabi for all undergraduate courses, a curriculum vitae for each regular instructor, a department budget report for each course offered, and reports of student course evaluations.  The author notes this law as an example of how "activists, notable in Texas but with ties to other states and to national groups, have adopted the rhetoric of transparency to further their own conservative agendas."

College Records are Public Documents Too

David Cuillier will be speaking at the upcoming COGI-tations lecture, "Digging Digital Docs: The Law and Practical Strategies for Acquiring Government Electronic Records," on September 27, 2010.  Cuillier wrote The Art of Access with Charles Davis of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.  Since there will always be more stories about public records being concealed or revealed, they maintain an blog with the same name. An  interesting recent post described a lawsuit filed by an open government group in California, asking California State University to disclose their speakers contract for a recent appearance by Sarah Palin.  The contract was a public record, Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne ruled.  See the story: "Bendable Straws.. Really?"

Upcoming COGI-tations Lecture (in which you will learn there is nothing dry about government records)

If you can get up early on a Monday morning, there's a great lecture coming up on September 27, part of the COGI-tations series from the   Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI). The guest speaker is David Cuillier, Professor of Journalism at the University of Arizona and co-author of the newly-published book, The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records.

Cuillier's talk is "Digging Digital Docs: The Law and Practical Strategies for Acquiring Government Electronic Records."

His book is filled with government record research tips - questions to ask, examples of request letters, and interesting real-life stories.   Fascinating pull-out "Pro Tips" by journalists and attorneys throughout the book are inspiring.

This MNCOGI session will be energizing for journalists, librarians, researchers, and citizen activists.  You'll learn about where to look for government records and how to work with government agencies to get them (and never take no for an answer!). 

The details:

Digging Digital Docs: The Law and Practical Strategies for Acquiring Government Electronic Records

8 - 9:30 a.m.  (Doors open for coffee and rolls at 7:45)
Monday, September 27, 2010

WomenVenture  (map)
2324 University Avenue
St. Paul, MN  55114
(free parking!)

Quote from THE ART OF ACCESS:  "Just as Trump is in charge of his private company, we the citizens are quite literally in charge of our public companies - federal, state and local agencies.  Government employees work for us.  We pay their salaries.  As their bosses, we have not just the authority but the duty to make sure out employees are doing what we pay them to do.  If they aren't we point them to the door.  That's democracy.  Thomas Jefferson said our country is based on government "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.""  (p. 21)

MNCOGI's COGI-tations series returns! Monday, September 27 & Wednesday, November 17

Monday morning, September 27 (breakfast, time tbd)
Women Ventures Meeting Room, 2324 Univ. Ave. W., St. Paul, MN 55114

• David Cuillier speaks on his latest book, The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records. He is the Society of Professional Journalists' Freedom Of Information Committee Chair and teaches journalism at the University of Arizona.  

Wednesday, November 17. Two sessions on the MN Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA).
Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls, MN 55401

• Morning session from 10:30-12. The fundamentals of the MGDPA led by Don Gemberling
• Afternoon session from 1-2. Panel discussion on the impact of new technology on the MGDPA, moderated by Eric Magnuson, recently retired Chief Justice, MN Supreme Court.

Both events are free.
Breakfast provided on 9/27; box lunch provided on 11/17.
Hope you can join us!

MNCOGI received funding for both events from the NFOIC through a generous grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Attend a free Eonomic Census seminar, Tuesday, August 31

This just in from Kirsten Clark, MNCOGI Board member & Regional Librarian at U of MN:

Free Seminar on the Economic Census

Date: August 31, 2010
Location: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (West Bank), Andersen Library, Room 120
Session Times: 9am - noon (Session 1) and 1pm - 4pm (Session 2)
Both sessions cover the same information.

Trainers from the Census Bureau will introduce new information about the American economy available through the 2007 Economic Census. Attendees will gain skills in accessing Economic Census data in American FactFinder, learn practical applications of the data, and see what others have done with the data. Trainers will demonstrate a series of exercises structured to reinforce key concepts, working with industry and local area data.

* Are you new to the Economic Census? You will learn about the range of business data available from the Census Bureau, including the Economic Census conducted every 5 years, and more frequent reports.
* Are you an experienced data user? You will learn about new features of the data, shortcuts for more efficient data access, comparability issues, and qualifications of the data.

Registration information as well as additional information about the seminars is available at: http://govpubs.lib.umn.edu/regional/outreach/meetings/EconomicCensus.phtml.
----------------------------
Kirsten Clark
Government Information and Regional Depository Librarian
10 Wilson Library
University of Minnesota
309 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0414

email: clark881@umn.edu
phone: 612-626-7520
fax: 612-626-9353
web: http://govpubs.lib.umn.edu
Gtalk: clark881@umn.edu

Don Gemberling is Co-chair of a New Work Group on Gang Databases

2010 marks the first year that the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information has been mentioned in a law passed by the Minnesota Legislature.  In Chapter 383, Section 6, MNCOGI was listed as one of the groups to be represented in a new work group convened by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to “discuss issues and laws pertaining to criminal intelligence databases.” Not only was Don Gemberling from MNCOGI appointed to the group, he is one of the two co-chairs. Additional information on appointments is found in this article from Politics in Minnesota. Here's the text of the law requiring the work group.

 "Sec. 6. WORK GROUP. (a) The superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal
Apprehension shall convene a work group of stakeholders and
interested parties to: (1) discuss issues and laws pertaining to
criminal intelligence databases; and (2) make recommendations on
proposed legislative changes for the classification, storage,
dissemination, and use of criminal investigative data, including data
from other states, and for guidelines governing usage and collection
of criminal investigative data held by law enforcement agencies. The
work group shall be chaired by a representative from the Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension and a representative from the Minnesota
Coalition on Government Information. The work group must include one
representative from each of the following organizations: the
Minnesota Sheriffs' Association; the Minnesota Chiefs of Police
Association; the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association; the
American Civil Liberties Union - Minnesota; the Minnesota Newspaper
Association; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People; the councils created in Minnesota Statutes, sections 3.922,
3.9223, 3.9225, and 3.9226; the Board of Public Defense; the
Minnesota County Attorneys Association; and the Minnesota City
Attorneys Association; and a citizen member who is knowledgeable in
data privacy issues. The work group must be balanced between law
enforcement and nonlaw enforcement representatives. The work group
shall not exceed 20 members, including chairs. In its discussions,
the work group shall balance public safety and privacy interests,
state policy according to Minnesota Statutes, section 260B.002,
oversight, minimization of discretion, and regulation of the
collection of these data, including the individualized criteria for
inclusion in a computerized gang database. (b) By February 1, 2011,
the work group shall submit an executive summary document to the
chairs and ranking minority members of the committees of the senate
and house of representatives with jurisdiction over criminal justice
and data practices issues. The document must summarize the work group
meetings and outline proposed legislative changes to implement
recommendations on which there is agreement. The Department of Public
Safety shall provide administrative support to the work group."