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
Join us on May 6 , 2021 for a webinar on FOIA Searches at CDC! Registration Closes Soon
Date Waiting GIF from How to Succeed with Brunettes (NARA ID: 4523330) There is still time to register for the upcoming Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council meeting, which takes place virtually from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 29, 2021. The meeting is open to Chief FOIA Officers, FOIA professionals and members … Continue reading Join us for the CFO Council Meeting on April 29 – Registration Closes Soon
Spring is here and several events of interest to the FOIA community are just around the corner. Please mark your calendars for several virtual OGIS-sponsored FOIA events coming up this spring and subscribe to our blog, and follow us on Twitter and Eventbrite to stay tuned to the latest OGIS news!Chief FOIA Officers Council MeetingThursday, … Continue reading April Showers Bring May Flowers … and OGIS Events!
Spring is here and as we open windows to let in fresh air and sunshine, tidy up around the house, and tackle projects we put off during the winter, why not bring that same mindset to your FOIA program?Since OGIS opened its doors in 2009, we’ve worked with agencies and requesters on thousands of requests … Continue reading Spring Cleaning: Take a fresh look at your FOIA program
Those of us in the FOIA and Privacy fields have long desired to “professionalize” the Government information access field. Traditionally, FOIA and Privacy professionals in the Federal government have had no consistent job titles or descriptions and no clear career path; instead, agencies have taken a patchwork approach, squeezing FOIA and Privacy professionals into sometimes … Continue reading Professionalizing the FOIA Profession: The 0306 Government Information Specialist Job Series
This post is from OGIS Deputy Director Karen Finnegan. “The only thing that stays the same is change.” Melissa Etheridge At OGIS, we specialize in change. The very existence of OGIS represents an innovative change to the FOIA administrative process. Our daily work involves changing the way people approach conflict and how they communicate with … Continue reading Changes
We at OGIS are always looking for ways to streamline our procedures and we’ve encouraged your input. This time is no different as we seek your support in ginning up some mojo for an OGIS routine use! Yes, an OGIS routine use, as in a Privacy Act system of records routine use. Without getting too technical (or … Continue reading Who has the mojo, baby?
The administrative appeal process is an integral part of FOIA. Federal agencies received almost 10,000 FOIA appeals in the year ending September 30, 2010. FOIA sets forth two requirements pertaining to the appeal process: (1) agencies must notify requesters of the right to appeal any adverse determination; and (2) agencies must make a determination with … Continue reading Got Appeals?
In the course of our work as the FOIA Ombudsman, we regularly hear from agencies and requesters about FOIA practices that work well. We also hear about practices that don’t work as well. Too often, such problems result in legal action by requesters. We have observed that the following agency practices can be “litigation invitations”: … Continue reading How to Invite a FOIA Lawsuit
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