911-411

(Emergency-Information)

For the benefit of visitors from countries who do not use the same convention that we do in the US, the number 911 has a double meaning, some people think not accidentally. The long-standing meaning is as the nation-wide emergency phone number that can be dialed from any telephone to reach "Emergency  Services" (ambulance, fire, police).  To say "Dial 911" means the same as "Get help!"  The number took on another meaning in 2001 when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington (actually Arlington, Virginia) on September 11 (9/11), 2001.  Some people feel that the date was chosen as a way of ridiculing the US and to make the country cry for help.  The number "411" is what we use to call, again from any phone in the country, to reach "Information Services" to obtain the phone number of anyone listed anywhere in the country. (Voice recognition and generation technology is now used so that the front end of this service is automated, based on what the caller says.) The number "411" has also taken on a more general meaning of "information."

Thus, this new "Hot Topics" section is dedicated to "emergency (911)" "information (411)" about  post-911 issues and especially those that have information management/records management implications. We would be pleased to receive suggestions for additional papers for this site from readers. Please send comments and suggestions to 911@mybestdocs.com 


GENERAL

Flight pattern of 911 terrorist flights,  USA Today

"Army Information Warehouse," presentation by Edward Arnold, Deputy Chief, Army Records (Slides 15-21 are particularly relevant to post-911 electronic document and recordkeeping).

"Cyber-Attacks by Al Qaeda Feared : Terrorists at Threshold of Using Internet as Tool of Bloodshed, Experts Say," By Barton Gellman
Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, June 27, 2002

"Lessons from 911 for Community Planning, Safety, Information and Records Management," Keynote presentation at the Municipal Association of Victoria, Australia 19 Sep 2002 conference on "Community Safety & Risk Management Conference". The presentation summarized Post-911 studies of the 911 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, including general emergency response preparedness and special information and records management issues and lessons learned. [This is a  Powerpointä presentation that is rich in graphics so may be slow to load for many viewers.]


INFORMATION & RECORDS MANAGEMENT

Access to Archival Materials in the Context of Concern about Terrorism, a US National Archives and Records Administration Fact Sheet.

MAIL IRRADIATION

“'Hot' Topic:  Effects of Irradiation on Artifacts and Records" by Margaret Ann T. Kelly, Research Chemist, Document Conservation Laboratory, U. S. National Archives and Records Administration

National Archives and Records Administration web page on "Frequently Asked Questions About Irradiated Mail" 

“The effects on research specimens and museum collection items from electron beam irradiation of mail by the U. S. Postal Service.”  Ann N’Gadi, Technical Information Officer, SCMRE, November 5, 2001.

“Recent Examination of Some Irradiated Mail.”  David von Endt, David Erhardt, Abdel-Salam El-Esseily, Walter Hopwood, Marion F. Mecklenberg, and Charles S. Tumosa, SCMRE, February 2002.

Statement on technical issues surrounding treatment of mail contaminated at the Brentwood, D.C., and Trenton, N.J., postal facilities by The Honorable John H. Marburger, III Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy Before the Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies Committee on Appropriations United States Senate, November 28, 2001


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