As the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Ombudsman, one of OGIS’s important functions is to help FOIA requesters better understand how the FOIA process works. We do this by working directly with those who contact our office and by making a variety of resources available on our website While many of the requests for assistance … Continue reading Have a FOIA Question? We are Here to Help
“Change” was 2015’s word of the year for the FOIA Ombudsman. In a year of great change for OGIS, I may have been the most obvious one: I took over as the office’s second Director in August 2015. When I accepted the job, I knew that as the FOIA Ombudsman I could have a much … Continue reading New Year’s Message from the FOIA Ombudsman
If you keep an eye on OGIS, you know that we are celebrating some exciting changes and welcoming new staff. Beyond those changes, we are also saying goodbye to Miriam Nisbet, OGIS’s first Director, who retired at the end of November. Miriam herself has written about her career in fostering access to information, and we … Continue reading Change is in the Air
OGIS Director Miriam Nisbet opened our doors for the first time on September 9, 2009. Though it feels like those five years flashed by, we’ve accomplished quite a bit as one of the newest offices at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Here are just a few of the achievements we’re celebrating this month: … Continue reading Happy Fifth Anniversary OGIS!
U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) processed a mind-numbing 138,523 FOIA requests in the year ending September 30, 2013. (That’s more than 11,000 requests a month and nearly 600 a day!) Wonder how the agency does it? Searching for best practices on submitting FOIA requests to USCIS for immigration records? Have feedback on how the … Continue reading USCIS Invites Requesters to Stakeholder Meeting
We welcome guest bloggers! The following post is from Government Information Specialist Mark H. Graff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: At the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s FOIA, Privacy, and Information Collections branch, we’ve been looking for ways to streamline our internal processes and increase the use of technology to better respond to FOIA requests. … Continue reading Guest Post: Catching Up with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
OGIS recently set up a pop-up shop, of sorts, on the West Coast offering one-on-one mini ombuds sessions with journalists and gathering ideas for improving the FOIA process. I’m pleased to have represented OGIS at the annual conference of the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving investigative reporting. The conference, … Continue reading OGIS Sets Up Shop at IRE
Do you find yourself locked in disputes with FOIA requesters (or agency colleagues)? Would you like to learn constructive ways to resolve or avoid disputes in the future? OGIS will present a training session designed to help FOIA professionals develop dispute resolution skills on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 at the Archives building on Constitution Avenue … Continue reading Upcoming OGIS Training Session: Dispute Resolution Skills for FOIA Professionals
The first meeting of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is scheduled for June 24, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. The meeting will be open to the public and we will provide registration information in the coming weeks. The FOIA Advisory Committee was … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee to Meet June 24
The OGIS team is expanding, adding an additional three positions to the staff at its Washington, D.C. office. Two of the new positions will be part of OGIS’s review team, which works to review agencies’ FOIA policies, procedures and compliance. One position will carry out OGIS’s mediation services, working with agencies and requesters to prevent … Continue reading OGIS is Hiring!
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