Artificial intelligence, body image, and loneliness: New Official Publications 12.04.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

European Union

© European Union, 2021

Humans and societies in the age of artificial intelligence. “While most of the ongoing discussions on AI limit themselves to the short and medium-term effects, this short and comprehensive report tries to go beyond the most immediate challenges and to explore also some of the longer-term impacts that AI may have on humans and societies. It summarizes the key issues in 10 takeaways and suggests a list of possible actions to be taken by policymakers.”

Addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online. “Dissemination of terrorist content is one of the most widespread and most dangerous forms of misuse of online services in the field of internal security.” This briefing looks at the current situation, details of the proposals the European Union is looking at to tackle the issue, expert views, and the legislative process.

Mapping of innovative practices in the EU to…

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The Turing Scheme, Blue Carbon, and a Digital Green Certificate – New Official Publications 29.03.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

Westminster and the UK Government

Image copyright: UK Parliament

UK-EU TCA: professional qualifications – “This briefing explains what has changed for UK qualified professionals who seek to practice in the EU market and vice versa. It summarises the provisions in the Agreement under which the UK and EU can come to sector-by-sector mutual recognition arrangements in the future.”

The Turing Scheme – “This briefing gives an overview of the Turing Scheme. The scheme replaces the Erasmus+ programme in providing funding for participants in universities, colleges, and schools to go on study and work placements across the world from September 2021.”

Oxbridge ‘elitism’ – “For the last two decades both Oxford and Cambridge have taken more than half of their entrants from state schools. The latest rates are 61% for Oxford and 65% for Cambridge, or somewhat higher if overseas students at UK schools…

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THE GIG AWARDS 2021 – NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN, BY FIONA LAING

Fiona Laing, Official Publications Curator at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh was the recipient of the GIG Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

As a past winner of the GIG Lifetime Achievement Award I am delighted to announce that nominations for the 2021 GIG AWARDS are now open.

You can nominate yourself, your team or a colleague by completing the nominations form on the GIG website and emailing info.GIG@cilip.org.uk.

Each year CILIP’s Government Information Group presents two awards in recognition of significant contributions to government knowledge and information management. They are the GIG Annual Award and the Life-time Achievement Award.

More details on the Awards and how to make a nomination.

Concussion in Sport, Shopping Baskets, and Tourism: New Official Publications 15.03.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

The European Union

CC-BY-4.0: © European Union 2020 – Source: EP

When and how to unwind COVID-support measures to the banking system. “This in-depth analysis proposes ways to retract from supervisory COVID-19 support measures without perils for financial stability. It simulates the likely impact of the corona crisis on euro area banks’ capital and predicts a significant capital shortfall. We recommend to end accounting practices that conceal loan losses and sustain capital relief measures. Our in-depth analysis also proposes how to address the impending capital shortfall in resolution/liquidation and a supranational recapitalisation.”

Clustering and unsupervised classification in forensics: From theory to practice.“Nowadays, crime investigators collect an ever increasing amount of potential digital evidence from suspects, continuously increasing the need for techniques of digital forensics. Often, digital evidence will be in the form of mostly unstructured and unlabeled data and seemingly uncorrelated…

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The cost of inaction, rough sleeping, and rural Scotland: New Official Publications 01.03.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

The European Union

General view of the Plenary chamber in Brussels – PHS Hemicycle – Plenary session week 46 2014. © European Union 2014 – Source EP

What if … not? The cost of inaction. “Foresight is an action-oriented endeavour: only rarely does it look at events not taking place, actions not taken, or the consequences of doing nothing. But inaction can have far-reaching repercussions. The 12 scenarios presented in this Chaillot Paper draw attention to the cost of inaction in a variety of areas, ranging from Russia to Africa, from cyberspace to environmental matters.”

Women in politics in the EU: State of play. This briefing includes data on the gender gap in political representation, obstacles to gender balance, and strategies towards closing the gender gap, with a spotlight on conronavirus pandemic.

Sexuality education across the European Union: An overview. “

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The Future of Work, Loneliness, and Semi-natural Habitats – New Official Publications 16.02.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

Westminster and the UK Government

Image copyright: UK Parliament

International and EU students in higher education in the UK FAQs – “This House of Commons briefing paper answers some frequently asked questions about international and EU students in the UK. It sets out statistics in this area and outlines policy issues including the potential impact of Brexit and the net migration target on international and EU student recruitment.“

Brexit and financial services – “Financial services made up 6.9% of the UK’s total output in 2018 and contributed £29 billion in tax in 2017/18. London (and the UK more generally) has benefited from close commercial and regulatory integration with the EU.

Single Market rules allow financial businesses authorised in any Member State to operate freely across the European Economic Area (EEA). This system is known as passporting.

Once the UK had confirmed its intention…

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WEB ARCHIVING SERVICES AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

NOTES FROM A WEBINAR – BY CLARE BROWN

Webinar: “Web archiving services at the National Archives” (Wednesday 3 February 2021)

Speaker: Tom Storrar – Web Archiving Service Owner at The National Archives

Chair: Fiona Laing (currently Chair of SCOOP – Standing Committee on Official Publication)

Do you remember when we used to pay educational visits to physical archives? These events were always a privilege; to go behind the scenes and breathe in the organisational magic of rolling stacks and special storage units. When I read that Tom Storrar, Web Archiving Service Owner at The National Archives (TNA), was presenting a webinar, I immediately signed up and was excited to join CILIP GIG colleagues online.

We weren’t disappointed. Tom and his colleagues (7 full-time and one part-time) have the important role of officially preserving the UK government’s online material. Technology has often run ahead of government, which has left researchers stranded. The issue of missing or inaccessible online government information has caused problems in the past, and was raised in parliament, for instance in 2006 and 2009:

👉 Digital Documents Volume 449: debated on Tuesday 25 July 2006

Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure the long-term preservation of documents held in digital form.

Ms Harman: The National Archives is working with the Government’s Chief Technical Officers (CTO) Council to address the problem of the survival of electronic records with a mid and long-term value across Government. The National Archives has implemented a Digital Preservation Programme to ensure the long-term preservation of documents held in digital form. It has established a Digital Archive facility, in which it preserves a wide range of electronic records transferred by Government departments;

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Care work, Digital automation, and Free Trade Agreements: New Official Publications 02.02.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

The European Union

General view of the Plenary chamber in Brussels – PHS Hemicycle – Plenary session week 46 2014. © European Union 2014 – Source EP

Gender inequalities in care and consequences for the labour market: “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of both paid and unpaid care work for a well-functioning society and economy. … This report is part of the European Institute for Gender Equality’s work on monitoring the EU’s progress towards its gender equality commitments under the Beijing Platform for Action.“

Social situation monitor : Energy prices, energy policies and energy poverty : exploring the connection. “In this research note we examine the impact of energy prices and policies on energy poverty in European countries from 2007-2017.”

Digital automation and the future of work: “This report addresses the nature, scope and possible effects…

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New content in the UN Digital Library: Press Releases

As of November 2020, more than 23,000 press releases going back to 1946 have been catalogued in the UN Digital Library, with more than 9,600 records linking to the online version.  Selected newly issued press releases are added on a daily basis.

The UN Digital Library contains descriptions of all biographical notes starting in 1946, more than 5,500 to date, which capture high-level appointments, as well as permanent representatives presenting their credentials to the Secretary-General. This makes it easy to find all the press releases issued for the representative of a particular country.

Over 2,000 press releases record appointments by the Secretary-General of senior officials and allow for easy access to biographical information, for example for Jan Kubis or Jane Holl Lute, who have held several senior appointments.

The UN Digital Library also contains descriptions of and links to the press releases focusing on the Secretary-General’s travels.

Other collections include almost 1,500 Security Council press statements issued since 2001, as well as all the statements issued by the Deputy Secretary-General since 1998.
The Dag Hammarskjöld Library maintains a vast collection of print press releases issued before 1995, which are not yet available online.  Please contact us should you need research assistance or require a copy of specific press releases.

Unexplained Wealth Orders, New Forms of Employment, and 10 Issues to Watch in 2021 – New Official Publications 18.01.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

Westminster and the UK Government

House of Commons Library (c) Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

Coronavirus: Financial impact on higher education – “Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic there have been concerns about the financial impact on universities. Much of this has focussed on the potential loss of international students, but there could also be losses in income from lower home student numbers, a drop in research work and less revenue from accommodation, catering and conferencing. What are the size of these impacts and what has the Government done to support the sector?“

Unexplained Wealth Orders – “Unexplained Wealth Orders allow for the confiscation of property without proving criminality, by reversing the burden of proof. This briefing discusses their introduction, how they work, and their use so far.”

Coronavirus: Long Covid – “This briefing provide an overview…

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Bridges, Erasmus, and wildlife crime: New Official Publications 05.01.21

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

The European Union

General view of the Plenary chamber in Brussels – PHS Hemicycle – Plenary session week 46 2014. © European Union 2014 – Source EP

The link between biodiversity loss and the increasing spread of zoonotic diseases. This analysis covers; the risks associated with zoonotic diseases, the main interactions between biodiversity and zoonotic diseases, and policy options and conclusions.

New psychoactive substances: Global markets, global threats and the COVID-19 pandemic : an update from the EU early warning system. “In this update from the EU Early Warning System, the EMCDDA aims to provide insights into what is happening with new psychoactive substances in Europe, based on data from the agency’s early warning and risk-assessment activities. This report covers the period until October 2020.”

Prolonging life time of old steel and steel-concrete bridges (PROLIFE). “With thousands of old…

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Into the Vault: 75 Years of UN Audiovisual Heritage

As the UN celebrates its 75th anniversary, a team of archivists in the Department of Global Communications races to preserve its audiovisual heritage. For years, the UN’s historic film, video and audio recordings have been at risk due to natural decay, technological obsolescence and challenging environmental storage conditions. In 2016, seeing the importance of preserving this rich collection, the Government of the Sultanate of Oman stepped in with a generous contribution which enabled a 5-year effort to digitize approximately 70 per cent of the archives and make them available through the AV Library website. To maximize discovery and publicize these treasures, the AV Library, with the support of the Video Section and Social Media team, is launching a quarterly video series called “Into the Vault: 75 Years of UN Audiovisual Heritage”. The series explores important aspects of the Organization’s history through its use of selected footage, audio and photographs from the audiovisual archive. Episode One will showcase the General Assembly’s picturesque moments, questioning myths and highlighting important resolutions of the Organization’s most representative body.

Obesity, Global Mega-Trends, and Business Demography – New Official Publications 17.11.20

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

Westminster and the UK Government

House of Commons Library (c) Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

Short Money – “This House of Commons Library briefing paper provides details of the current levels of ‘Short money’ allocated to opposition parties for parliamentary duties and a brief history of the scheme. Figures for the corresponding scheme in the House of Lords (Cranborne money) are provided. The note also provides details of allocations made under the Representative Money scheme.“

Statistics on UK-EU trade – “This note provides basic figures on UK trade with the EU. The attached Excel spreadsheet (see under Supporting documents) allows for easy access and presentation of detailed 2019 data on UK trade with indiviual EU member states, as well as trade trends between 1999 and 2019.”

Obesity – “This paper covers the work of the UK Government in…

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Counterfeit Goods, Coronavirus, and UK National Accounts: New Official Publications 02.11.20

University of Glasgow Library Blog

Newly published official publications from :

The European Union

General view of the Plenary chamber in Brussels – PHS Hemicycle – Plenary session week 46 2014. © European Union 2014 – Source EP

The relaxation of bank capital and liquidity requirements in the wake of the coronavirus crisis: “EU banks entered the coronavirus crisis with high capital and liquidity buffers resulting from the reforms undertaken after the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. This allowed a bold and swift response by supervisors oriented towards supporting banks’ ability to provide credit to the real economy. This paper provides an overview and an assessment of the regulatory response to the crisis, and suggests some recommendations for the future design of countercyclical regulation.”

Third report on the progress made in the fight against trafficking in human beings (2020) Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, as required under Article…

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Festival of Politics 2020

Booking is now open for the Scottish Parliament’s Festival of Politics which runs online from the 19th-21st November and is free to all.

More information and booking here