http://vrresearch.com/blog Public Records Research, Retrieval and Analysis Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:07:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Before choosing a doctor, accountant, contractor, or other licensed professional, a good resource is the California Department of Consumer Affairs' list of links for license verification.  Most licensing boards have made licensure information available through the web.  The information contained in each database will vary, but you can usually learn ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=851 California's Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS) public search tool provides access to a searchable database of active workers' compensation cases filed with the Worker's Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB).  The EAMS database includes active cases that are in dispute and filed as appeals with the WCAB.  Active cases are defined as ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=849 In response to the recent salary scandal in Bell, California, Controller John Chiang issued an order last week requiring that all California cities and counties report taxpayer-funded salaries in more detail.  Local governments currently submit summary information about their finances.  As a result of Chiang's order, cities must now itemize ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=846 A recent New York Times article discussed what local restaurant owners think are the shortcomings of the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's updated database of restaurant inspection scores.  Amidst the back and forth between Department of Health and Mental Hygiene staff and the restaurant owners over what ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=843 A contract dispute covered recently in The National Law Journal provides another example of how otherwise non-public records can back into the public space through court proceedings.  In this instance, the documents that found their way into the public record involved revelations that a law firm client was under investigation ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=839 Interesting interview with David Walls, now of the GPO and formerly of Yale University, in today's Washington Post.  Walls has joined the GPO as its first preservation librarian.  He will oversee, according to The Post, "the transition to digital archiving."  According to Walls, the GPO is updating the www.fdsys.gov system ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=826 GPO Access is an online collection of federal documents that is administered by the Government Printing Office and funded by the Federal Depository Library Program.  The website publishes full-text documents that are produced by the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the federal government.  For a full listing of the ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=824 After passing in the Senate yesterday, a new financial reform bill will soon be signed into law.  It outlines various provisions designed to prevent another financial downturn in the United States, including the establishment of a new federal agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).  Under the existing system, ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=821 The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization working toward establishing permanent online access to digitized historical collections for future generations.  It was founded in 1996 in San Francisco and collaborates with institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian to build content.  Many of the materials found on ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=815 Enacted in 1988, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining (WARN) Act mandates that employers meeting certain criteria give advance notice of layoffs and plant closures.  Since the WARN Act was first passed, many states have passed their own, state-specific  versions of the WARN Act. Recently, many newspapers have taken topline WARN Act ... http://vrresearch.com/blog/?p=813