OGIS Director Miriam Nisbet joined other advocates of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on March 11, testifying before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary about OGIS’s work and two new suggestions the Office has for improving FOIA. OGIS proposes that FOIA be embedded into Federal Information Technology (IT) management across the government. “We suggest … Continue reading OGIS Director testifies, suggests improvements to FOIA
While some of us on the East Coast may feel like this is the winter that will never end, it’s nice to know that there’s sunshine on the horizon – Sunshine Week 2014! During the week of March 16 to March 22, groups across the country will promote openness in state and local governments and … Continue reading A Sunny Forecast
We’ve written before about the importance of providing estimated completion dates to requesters -- not only is it good customer service, but since 2007, it’s the law. Unfortunately, OGIS still hears from many requesters with delayed requests who have not heard when they might expect a response. In those cases, OGIS contacts the agency, talks … Continue reading Upcoming FOIA Requester Roundtable: Estimated Completion Dates
Do you find yourself flummoxed when faced with an angry FOIA requester? Do you regularly take "no" for an answer from your agency’s program people? We can help! OGIS will present a training session designed to help FOIA professionals develop dispute resolution skills on Monday, December 9, 2013 at the Archives building on Constitution Ave … Continue reading Upcoming OGIS Training Session: Developing Dispute Resolution Skills
We at OGIS talk quite a bit about the importance of the FOIA administrative process, which includes the all-important appeal. But what is an appeal, exactly, and what should it include? What are some best practices for an agency’s appeal process? How can the FOIA and the appeals offices better work together? We will discuss … Continue reading Upcoming Requester Roundtable Discussion: Appeals
On May 13, 2013 the American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) presented OGIS Director Miriam Nisbet with the President’s Award for Distinguished Public Service, ASAP’s highest honor. ASAP also gave the Director’s Award for Superior Public Service to the National Archives’ own Public Interest Declassification Board. Congratulations, Miriam and PIDB -- we are so proud … Continue reading Celebrating our Successes
FOIA fees can quickly snarl into knots for agency FOIA professionals and requesters alike. Untangling those knots takes work, but one of the best tools for the task is communication. That’s the central theme that emerged from a recent FOIA Requester Roundtable, sponsored by OGIS and the Office of Information Policy (OIP), Department of Justice … Continue reading Untangling Fees
Are you a FOIA professional who is interested in learning more about how to resolve disputes that may arise in the FOIA process? If so, please join OGIS for Dispute Resolution Training for FOIA Professionals on Wednesday, May 1. This free all-day session (9:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.) will be held at the main Archives … Continue reading Upcoming Training Opportunity for FOIA Professionals
The issue of fees can trip up even the most experienced requester and FOIA professional. We all know that it is a tricky issue, but might there be a better way? In our 2013 recommendations, we laid out our plan to discuss the issue of fees and fee waivers with the requester and agency communities; … Continue reading Upcoming Requester Roundtable: Fees and Fee Waivers
Whew! We at OGIS have caught our breath after a hectic Sunshine Week during which we joined folks from both the agency and requester communities in promoting the importance of open government and freedom of information. (Of course, these values are just as important during the other 51 weeks of the year.) If you weren’t … Continue reading OGIS’s Sunshine Week Wrap-Up
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