OGIS events – Page 13 – The FOIA Ombuds

The Skinny on Third Parties

January 13, 2012 by US National Archives, posted in OGIS events

Records requests pertaining to third-party individuals are the next order of business for the FOIA Requester Roundtable series co-hosted by OGIS and the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy. The roundtable will be from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday January 24 at the National Archives, 7th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington DC, near … Continue reading The Skinny on Third Parties

Tips on Getting Down to Business

October 21, 2011 by kmitchell, posted in definitions and concepts, OGIS events

FOIA’s Exemption 4 protects from disclosure commercial and financial information provided to the government by individuals and a wide range of entities – from corporations and banks to Native American tribes. The idea is to safeguard certain private business records in government files. About two dozen representatives of the agency and requester communities participated in … Continue reading Tips on Getting Down to Business

Gather ’Round

October 12, 2011 by US National Archives, posted in OGIS events

Interested in contractor and other business-related records in the FOIA context? OGIS and the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy are gearing up to host the next FOIA Requester Roundtable from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday Oct. 19, 2011. The roundtable will be at OIP, 1425 New York Ave. NW, Suite 11050, Washington DC, … Continue reading Gather ’Round

Avoiding Common FOIA Pitfalls

September 9, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in definitions and concepts, OGIS events, Ombudsman

OGIS’s outreach is on a roll! This week OGIS staff presented twice to audiences of FOIA requesters as part of the National Archives’ “Know Your Records” series. This was a great opportunity to hear from those in the field – most of whom are not sophisticated FOIA requesters -- about their FOIA concerns. While this … Continue reading Avoiding Common FOIA Pitfalls

OGIS Reaches Out – Way Out

August 25, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in OGIS events, Ombudsman, Training

For over a year now, we at OGIS have regularly presented dispute resolution skills training sessions to FOIA professionals at various agencies. It’s been a fun, exciting effort that has given us an opportunity to meet FOIA professionals from all across the government. Unfortunately -- with the exception of the few sessions we presented at … Continue reading OGIS Reaches Out – Way Out

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

Happy Birthday, FOIA!

June 30, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in definitions and concepts, FOIA in the news, OGIS events

As we head into the July 4th weekend, it is a great time to think about the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. But July 4 th is more than a day that we celebrate our country’s birth – this year, it is also FOIA’s 45th birthday! On July 4, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson … Continue reading Happy Birthday, FOIA!

FOIA Public Liaisons: Managing the Process

June 23, 2011 by cmcguire, posted in OGIS events

On Tuesday June 21, OGIS presented another round of dispute resolution skills training to FOIA professionals and requesters, this time at the American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) Training Series conference. While no two training sessions are exactly alike, Tuesday’s session was particularly notable for the interesting discussion about what FOIA professionals actually do. The … Continue reading FOIA Public Liaisons: Managing the Process

Freedom of Information Contributes to a Free Press

May 6, 2011 by US National Archives, posted in OGIS events, Open Government, World Press Freedom Day

As difficult as it sometimes can be to navigate our Freedom of Information Act in the U.S., the Act contributes to press freedom– a freedom that only one in six of the world’s inhabitants has, according to statistics released this week during World Press Freedom Day. Free expression advocates from around the world gathered in … Continue reading Freedom of Information Contributes to a Free Press

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