2024 FOIA Technology Showcase: Request for Information Published on SAM.gov

https://giphy.com/gifs/vintage-computer-go-l3vR2SwA3hfH4NtVC Go For It GIF by US National Archives via GIPHY. Planning for the NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase 2.0 is well underway! Capitalizing on the very successful 2022 NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase, the Chief FOIA Officers Council (CFOC) Technology Committee, in conjunction with The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration … Continue reading 2024 FOIA Technology Showcase: Request for Information Published on SAM.gov

Technology Committee Publishes Paper on FOIA Searches

Aerial Search for Icebergs (National Archives ID: 205581609) There is a wide gap in public understanding of agencies’ abilities to search their electronic archives and databases for records responsive to FOIA requests and the reality of agencies’ capabilities, according to a new paper, “FOIA Searches: Key Challenges and Findings,” published by a working group of … Continue reading Technology Committee Publishes Paper on FOIA Searches

OGIS Publishes Results of FOIA Compliance Self-Assessment Survey

When Agency Records Officers and Chief FOIA Officers work in harmony, FOIA works better. National Archives ID: 535858 The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on FOIA processing and the use of e-discovery are among the topics in our latest report, Assessing Freedom of Information Act Compliance through the 2020 National Archives and Records Administration’s Records Management Self-Assessment. … Continue reading OGIS Publishes Results of FOIA Compliance Self-Assessment Survey

Recap: Recent OGIS/CDC Webinar on Enterprise Searching

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4492629 While you may not be familiar with the term “enterprise search,” those who have recently submitted a broad FOIA request for email records are likely to be familiar with the challenges agencies face in conducting records searches across vast electronic repositories. On May 6, 2021, OGIS hosted a webinar with Centers for Disease Control … Continue reading Recap: Recent OGIS/CDC Webinar on Enterprise Searching

Register now for the Nov. 5th Webinar: Artificial Intelligence for FOIA Professionals

New Super Computers at NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS)National Archives ID: 18447042 Are you a government FOIA professional interested in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the world of FOIA?  The Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy (OIP), and OGIS invite agency FOIA professionals to join them for a presentation by the AI Working Group … Continue reading Register now for the Nov. 5th Webinar: Artificial Intelligence for FOIA Professionals

Final Report of the 2018-2020 FOIA Advisory Committee Delivered to the Archivist

Smaller Parcels Quicker Service! (National Archives ID: 44267059) The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) has delivered the Final Report and Recommendations of the 2018-2020 term of the FOIA Advisory Committee to the Archivist of the United States, David S. Ferriero. The report is the result of two years of hard work by the Committee’s … Continue reading Final Report of the 2018-2020 FOIA Advisory Committee Delivered to the Archivist

Assessing FOIA Reading Rooms

The following post is written by Meredith Doviak, our National Archives colleague who is helping us assess methods agencies use to prepare documents for posting on agency FOIA reading rooms. In the decades since Congress amended FOIA in 1996 to expand the role of the agency FOIA reading room, the expectations and use of Federal … Continue reading Assessing FOIA Reading Rooms

Leveraging Technology in FOIA Searches

Searching for responsive records under FOIA works best when processors cross disciplines to collaborate with technology experts at their respective agencies. An OGIS assessment of the 2019 Chief FOIA Officer (CFO) reports shows that while a majority of agencies report using technology to facilitate efficiency in conducting searches, only about one in five agencies report … Continue reading Leveraging Technology in FOIA Searches

Next FOIA Advisory Committee Meeting: November 29, 2018

The intersection of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and records management will be the focus of the next FOIA Advisory Committee meeting on November 29, 2018, in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The meeting, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., is the second of the 2018-2020 term … Continue reading Next FOIA Advisory Committee Meeting: November 29, 2018

Catch Up with the 2016-2018 FOIA Advisory Committee!

On October 19, 2017 the FOIA Advisory Committee worked its way through a jam-packed agenda, including discussion of draft recommendations from each of the three subcommittees – Searches; Efficiency and Resources; and Proactive Disclosure. As the Archivist of the United States noted in his welcoming remarks, a uniting theme for all three subcommittees is the … Continue reading Catch Up with the 2016-2018 FOIA Advisory Committee!