Ombudsman – Page 25 – The FOIA Ombuds

Announcing Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals

August 11, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in OGIS events, Ombudsman, Training

Conventional wisdom holds that August is quiet in Washington, D.C. While we at OGIS cannot attest to that -- it seems we are busier than ever this month -- we suggest that August is a great time to learn something new, namely, FOIA dispute resolution skills! We will present our Dispute Resolution Skills for FOIA … Continue reading Announcing Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals

OGIS Case Study #1 – “I am pretty sure the Government has a file on me”

August 5, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in Mediation services, OGIS Case Study, Ombudsman, Privacy, Records Management

Many people believe that federal law enforcement agencies have some kind of investigatory file on them. The truth is that very few people have been investigated by an agency such as the FBI, but that doesn’t stop many people from requesting their own records from federal law enforcement agencies. (When an individual requests access to … Continue reading OGIS Case Study #1 – “I am pretty sure the Government has a file on me”

Freedom of Information: Big in Japan (and Brazil and Spain…)

July 22, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in FOIA around the world, Ombudsman

Those of us who live and breathe FOIA tend to stay pretty focused on the federal access law or, for those outside the Federal government, on a patchwork of U.S. state access laws. We may tend to overlook that there are now more than 90 countries with similar laws of their own, and we at … Continue reading Freedom of Information: Big in Japan (and Brazil and Spain…)

Setting Expectations

July 15, 2011 by kmitchell, posted in definitions and concepts, Mediation services, Ombudsman

If you’ve called OGIS, had a case with us or read this blog, you’ve probably heard the mantra: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!” We’ve heard from hundreds of people seeking assistance -- on everything from the expected -- FOIA delays, denials, fees and exemption use -- to the unexpected -- employee … Continue reading Setting Expectations

Hold the alphabet soup, please.

July 7, 2011 by US National Archives, posted in definitions and concepts, Ombudsman, Open Government, Plain Language

Government-speak -- with its acronyms, abbreviations and general jargon -- can make anyone’s head spin. Can the DoD IDA get trained on FOIA with CBT? Will the EPA FPL share an MOU with OGIS? OMG, it’s ridiculous enough to make you LOL (or SMH)! Some of us in the Federal world get a little entrenched … Continue reading Hold the alphabet soup, please.

OGIStance: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!”

June 17, 2011 by clemelin, posted in definitions and concepts, Mediation services, OGIStance, Ombudsman, Open Government

How often have you heard that statement? When you heard it, did you believe it? In the OPEN Government Act of 2007 Congress baked customer service into FOIA by creating OGIS to help the FOIA community resolve disputes and to recommend improvements to the administration of FOIA. Congress also codified the role of FOIA Public … Continue reading OGIStance: “We’re from the government and we’re here to help!”

Talking Back to FOIA

May 27, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in definitions and concepts, Mediation services, Ombudsman, Open Government

Though an ombudsman has many roles, one of the most important is to serve as a listening ear for a larger organization. As the FOIA ombuds office, OGIS listens to complaints regarding the federal FOIA process; however, as a new entity, we are still figuring out how to best gather feedback from the requester community … Continue reading Talking Back to FOIA

Introducing: The FOIA Dispute Resolution Process

April 28, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in definitions and concepts, Mediation services, OGIS events, Ombudsman

On April 26, the OGIS staff (along with our friend Jean Whyte from NARA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program) presented a daylong training session entitled “Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals” to representatives from agencies across the Government. As with previous offerings of this training over the past year, the Justice Department’s Office of Information … Continue reading Introducing: The FOIA Dispute Resolution Process

Open Government: OGIS’s Take

April 22, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in Ombudsman, Open Government

The term “Open Government” is thrown around a lot these days. President Obama made Open Government a keystone of his administration, beginning with the memorandum on Open Government on January 21, 2009. But what does Open Government actually mean? Is Open Government about using technology to make government work better and to disclose vast amounts … Continue reading Open Government: OGIS’s Take

Announcement: Upcoming Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals

April 7, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in OGIS events, Ombudsman, Training

FOIA professionals – particularly FOIA Public Liaisons – deal frequently with disputes. In fact, the amended Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) directs FOIA Public Liaisons to help resolve FOIA disputes. In order to equip these key FOIA staff members with useful tools to productively manage conflict, we are offering a free dispute … Continue reading Announcement: Upcoming Dispute Resolution Skills Training for FOIA Professionals