Several weeks ago we invited government Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) professionals with an interest in technology and innovation to consider volunteering their knowledge and talents to the Technology Committee of the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council. To date, more than 20 FOIA professionals from a variety of federal agencies have expressed an interest, and … Continue reading The Technology Committee is Now Full
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of life in the United States, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process is no exception. We will be sharing information in the coming weeks about how agencies are responding and providing links to resources that we hope will be useful to you. Here are some … Continue reading COVID-19 and FOIA: Observations and Useful Links
We at the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) hear you loud and clear! The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging FOIA professionals and requesters alike in unprecedented ways. Amid all the uncertainty, one thing is certain: response times are likely to increase. It is more important than ever to keep the lines of communication open. One … Continue reading Setting Expectations in Extraordinary Times
The rapid spread of COVID-19 in the United States is forcing many industries to rethink how they do business, and the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) is no exception. In the interest of social distancing, all OGIS staffers are teleworking. While we are pleased that we are able to continue to function as the … Continue reading OGIS Is Open For Business – How to Reach Us
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
Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the National Archives and Records Administration has canceled all public events in its Washington, DC, and College Park, MD, facilities through May 3. Regrettably, this includes OGIS’s Sunshine Week event, scheduled for Monday, March 16. Stay safe and healthy!
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!
March means more than warmer temperatures for those of us in the transparency community—it also means Sunshine Week, the annual nationwide celebration of access to public information. Since the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) launched the initiative 15 years ago, journalists, librarians, concerned citizens, civil society organizations, elected officials, and government employees alike have … Continue reading Sunshine Week 2020
Please mark your calendars and join us for several upcoming events in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The FOIA Advisory Committee meets from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday March 5th to consider proposed recommendations from the FOIA Advisory Committee’s three subcommittees: Records Management, Time/Volume and Vision. Meeting … Continue reading Mark Your Calendars!
Are you an agency FOIA professional interested in developing an automated processing system? U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites you to a two-hour demonstration of its FOIA processing system at 1:30 p.m. EST Wednesday February 12th. The demonstration will take place at the USCIS Washington, DC office at 111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW as well … Continue reading USCIS demos open-source code system
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