Category «Education»

Trump Administration Continues Scrubbing Statistics and Disappearing Data

What is the status of the official data published by U.S. federal statistical agencies? As the current administration continues its disassembling of huge swaths of the federal government, not only are the workers and services gone, so of course is much of the data generated by those employees. And federal statistical data and datasets, whether census data or statistics on the economy, health, education, or other critical public matters, are what librarians and information professionals rely upon to answer patron questions and perform research and analysis for internal, data-driven projects. This article by Robert Berkman is a roundup of where these cuts and significant changes are happening and offers alternatives to locate datasets and statistical data that are no longer available.

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Economy, Education, Energy, Government Resources, Health, Healthcare, Legal Research, Medical Research

AI in Finance and Banking, May 15, 2025

This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to the primary sources, and as available, indicate links to alternate free versions. Five highlights from this post: Artificial intelligence and human capital: challenges for central banks; Artificial Intelligence and the Labor Market: A Scenario-Based Approach; How Good is AI at Twisting Arms? Experiments in Debt Collection; The rapidly increasing power of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) models is more than a passing fad, even if the full extent of its impact in financial services is yet unclear; and Generative AI may shoulder up to 40% of workload, some bank execs predict

Subjects: AI in Banking and Finance, Economy, Education, Financial System

AI in Finance and Banking, April 30, 2025

Subjects: AI in Banking and Finance, Economy, Education, Financial System, Leadership, Management, Technology Trends

Trumpism echoes Timothy McVeigh’s right-wing extremism, 30 years after the Oklahoma bombing

On the morning of April 19 1995, anti-government right-wing extremist Timothy McVeigh parked a Ryder truck loaded with 5,000 pounds of agricultural fertiliser and diesel fuel at the front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. At 9am, McVeigh lit two separate fuses – in case one failed. Two minutes later, the bomb exploded, killing 168 people (including 19 children) and injuring close to 700. Today, the bombing remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in United States history. But in the cultural memory, Oklahoma was eclipsed by 9/11, when America – and the world – shifted their attention to the threat posed by radical Islamic extremism. Kate Cantrell contends that three decades on, the bombing is back on the cultural agenda, as the right-wing extremism that drove McVeigh is on the rise.

Subjects: Education, Legal Research, United States Law

Censor, purge, defund: how Trump is following the authoritarian playbook on science and universities

Professor of Operational Research Christian Pagel has mapped 35 of the Trump administration’s attacks on science and universities to the authoritarian playbook – and considers what it means for attacks still to come. Pagel states that the attacks on science and universities are neither random nor new, and identifies key factors at work – controlling research to serve those in power; undermining independence and suppressing dissent; and attacking work that the Trump roadmap characterizes as having a foundation in neoliberal agendas that undermine national sovereignty and prioritize global elites over local needs.

Subjects: Education, Health, Healthcare, Leadership, Management, Medical Research

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

AI tools can do amazing things, such as make 3D models of digitized versions of the items in museum collections, but only if there’s enough well-organized data about that item available. To see how AI can help museum collections, Bradley Wade Bishop’s team of researchers started by conducting focus groups with the people who managed museum collections. We asked what they are doing to get their collections used by both humans and AI.

Subjects: AI, Education, Information Management, Search Engines

Your law firm needs a Situation Room

Jordan Furlong advises law firms that in this chaotic new world order, organizations cannot sit back waiting for the next bombshell to drop. Firms need to anticipate, analyze, and address critical new developments — before they affect the organization and its clients. Furlong highlights the components of well grounded strategic action plans to reduce risk and respond in a firm wide manner.

Subjects: AI, Communication Skills, Economy, Education, Law Firm Marketing, Leadership, Legal Marketing, Legal Profession

Interview: Jerry Lawson

Attorney, legal tech expert, author, writer and educator Jerry Lawson shares an interview about his background, his career as a civil service lawyer, and his extensive contributions to continuing legal education programs from the nascent World Wide Web to present day innovations in AI technology.

Subjects: AI, Continuing Legal Education, Education, Legal Profession, Legal Research, Legal Technology

Climate and DEI Deleted From Government Websites, Federal Workers Fired, Colleges Erase Programs, Law Firms Blackballed, Holocaust Erased, Science Research Curtailed

Since January 20, 2025 America has been catapulted into an unimaginable inflection point. Sabrina I. Pacifici chronicles ongoing seismic events that have upended America’s democracy, jeopardized our economy, financial system, national security, science and medical communities, and fractured our national identity, at home and around the world. This is a commentary, and a guide written by a law librarian and former federal employee who was the target of a similar purge by Trump in 2018, to what and who has been targeted and purged, an overview of the process used to do so, and a perspective on the impact of these sweeping, deeply damaging and likely illegal actions.

Subjects: Climate Change, Constitutional Law, CRS Reports, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Digital Archives, Economy, Education, Ethics, Financial System, Government Resources, Healthcare, Legal Research, Privacy, United States Law

Empowering Education: The Transformative Role of AI in Inclusive Learning

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing every field it touches, and education is no exception. AI offers extraordinary opportunities to tailor learning by providing critical support through engaging educational tools, adaptive technologies, and personalized learning aids. While some schools are utilizing these tools, others are determined to maintain AI-free classrooms. By banning AI, schools would not only hinder these advancements but also exacerbate educational inequalities. As schools navigate AI adoption, Kyra Strick advocates the position that it is imperative to recognize the transformative potential of AI in fostering an inclusive and effective learning environment

Subjects: AI, Education