Register for the April 25 Chief FOIA Officers Council Meeting

https://giphy.com/gifs/doors-washington-dc-national-archives-3oz8xN5m2zcnRupgv6 Washington DC Doors by US National Archives via GIPHY. From National Archives Identifier 12065. Plan to attend the next Chief FOIA Officers Council meeting at 10 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 25. The meeting is open to Chief FOIA Officers, FOIA professionals and the public. We invite you to either watch the livestream of the … Continue reading Register for the April 25 Chief FOIA Officers Council Meeting

Chief Data Officers Council Meets on Friday, February 10

https://giphy.com/gifs/usnationalarchives-space-nasa-apollo-11-kvl2YhR110qsBrHid2 The Time of Apollo by US National Archives via GIPHY. From National Archives Identifier 649447. The Chief Data Officers (CDO) Council meets publicly on Friday, February 10 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET to provide updates about its activities and the implementation of the Chief Data Officer role across the government. OGIS Director … Continue reading Chief Data Officers Council Meets on Friday, February 10

2020-2022 FOIA Advisory Committee Draft Final Report Available for Public Comment

https://giphy.com/gifs/usnationalarchives-times-square-ve-day-war-ends-in-europe-l0HlRincOBSIi5oxG National Archives Identifier 38905 The draft final report of the fourth term of the FOIA Advisory Committee is now available for public comment. The report includes 21 recommendations from the  four subcommittees — Classification, Legislation, Process, and Technology — all previously approved by the Committee. The Committee will consider and vote on the draft … Continue reading 2020-2022 FOIA Advisory Committee Draft Final Report Available for Public Comment

Please submit your questions for the upcoming Intelligence Community forum!

All government agencies create and obtain records as they carry out their day-to-day duties. The types of records vary by agency. In the Intelligence Community (IC), many of these records are classified due to the sensitive nature of the agencies’ work and the obligation to protect the sources and methods used to collect and process … Continue reading Please submit your questions for the upcoming Intelligence Community forum!

International Day for Universal Access to Information 2018

In November 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted a resolution declaring September 28th of every year as International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). “The universal right to information is essential for societies to function democratically and for the well-being of each individual,” UNESCO wrote in its proclamation. “Freedom of … Continue reading International Day for Universal Access to Information 2018

Return to Sender

As you might be aware if you regularly read our blog (or if you check our mediation program quarterly performance statistics), the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 created a surge in requests for our assistance. We have also received many submissions intended for other federal agencies – including misdirected appeals, certifications of identity, and other … Continue reading Return to Sender

FOIA Improvement: Informing Requesters of OGIS Services

Note: Last week President Obama signed into law the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, locking many of the Administration’s openness policies and initiatives into the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including advancing open government and highlighting the importance of OGIS to the FOIA process. This blog post is the first of an occasional series in … Continue reading FOIA Improvement: Informing Requesters of OGIS Services

Let Us Help You: Seeking an OGIS Assessment

Interested in an assessment of your agency’s FOIA program conducted by a team of FOIA subject-matter experts? Wonder how your agency can be added to the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) assessment calendar? Let us help with some sample language for the Agency officials or Chief FOIA Officer at your agency to use in … Continue reading Let Us Help You: Seeking an OGIS Assessment