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We heard from Mahrokh the other day about Snowden's email provider Lavabit shutting down -- turns out they've come back with a program called "Dark Mail." By the way, did you know that the email state employees (such as faculty like me who work at state-funded universities like GMU) are all technically public records? As long as the email isn't covered by student privacy acts like FERPA, anyone can request to see my GMU email because it's a public record. Technically.

wow, this is a great a article! I was actually thinking about what they were going to do after Lavabit and Silent Circle both closed their e-mail systems, especially since Zimmerman was not one of those people who seemed to stop coming up with new ideas. Its interesting to see how this new technology plays out.

I'm pretty sure GMU subscribes to Office 365, which means that you can get Microsoft Office products for free while you're enrolled here. Quite a deal. Or you could use OpenOffice, the open source alternative.

I just checked up on this. The FAQ for GMU's Office 365 says the subscription only includes free access to the new Outlook and Calendar. I use OpenOffice on my computer, and apart from some formatting inconsistencies when working with people using Microsoft Office, it works great.

"Interlibrary Loan helps you obtain research materials you need that are not available from George Mason University Libraries or Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) libraries." I believe this is a definitely helpful webpage for all of us.

Absolutely. Essential.

This book, Digital History, exists in print form as well, but it is entirely available for free on the open web. It is written for historians who want to "go digital," so you as undergrads (and not necessarily History majors!) aren't exactly its audience, but the book is nevertheless excellent as an introduction to the underpinnings of the internet and the web.

I attended one of the events during Open Access Week about the future of libraries and Wikipedia. Jake Orlowitz, recipient of a Wikimedia Foundation Individual Engagement Grant, spoke about "The Wikipedia Library." The Wikipedia Library was a new project he founded in 2012 for the goal of connecting Wikipedia editors with the reliable information sources they need. In the first part of his presentation, he discussed much of what wikipedia is and how it is run. He basically summed up much of what most people don't know about wikipedia and a lot of assumptions that people make about how unreliable information on wikipedia is. Then he went on to discuss more about the wikipedia library and how it would benefit wikipedia editors with vital current reliable sources that they need to do their work. I thought the presentation given by the presenter was very informative and interesting. I learned more about wikipedia and how its more useful than I thought. The most interesting point he raised during his presentation were the benefits of the Wikipedia Library. The thought of connecting university libraries with the wikipedia library will present students and many others information that is reliable and easy to access. Many scholarly articles and information from databases we usually have to pay for will be available for universities to provide students at a much lower cost.

Thanks, Rebecca. I'll add 5 points to your Exam 2 grade.

During Open Access week, I stopped by the Fenwick Info desk. I was able to get some informational packets and forms on open access week. There were many packets and brochures describing the history of open access and how students and professors could become more involved in the open access movement. I found one packet to be very informative on how I could learn to use open access to my advantage when conducting research.

Thanks, Lauren -- I'll give you 5 extra points on your Exam 2 grade when I grade them.