Category: Uncategorized

OGIS Publishes Assessments on Agency FOIA Websites and FOIA in Agency Performance Plans

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in Customer service, FOIA Advisory Committee, Government information, National Archives and Records Administration, OGIS's Reports, Open Government, Uncategorized

Building Survey, Photographs ca. 1930 – ca. 1949. National Archives Identifier 32200323 The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) recently published two assessment reports examining Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) websites and FOIA’s inclusion in agency performance plans. The assessments fulfill recommendations from the 2018-2020 term of the FOIA Advisory Committee. Recommendation 2020-01 was for OGIS to "undertake … Continue reading OGIS Publishes Assessments on Agency FOIA Websites and FOIA in Agency Performance Plans

FOIA Advisory Committee Meets on December 1

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in FOIA Advisory Committee, Government information, National Archives and Records Administration, OGIS events, Ombudsman, Open Government, Uncategorized

"Keep'em Flying is Our Battle Cry. Do Your Part for Duty - Honor - Country." National Archives Identifier 513525 The next meeting of the 2022-2024 term of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is on Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.  This virtual meeting is open to the … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Meets on December 1

Understanding the Office of Government Information Services (part 4/4)

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in Customer service, definitions and concepts, FOIA Advisory Committee, Government information, National Archives and Records Administration, Ombudsman, Open Government, Uncategorized

"Information" World War II Posters, 1942 - 1945. National Archives Identifier 514625 In our previous blog posts “Understanding the Office of Government Information Services,” parts 1, 2 and 3,  we provided a basic overview of OGIS and highlighted our dispute resolution and compliance work. In this wrap-up post we’ll further explain the important work of … Continue reading Understanding the Office of Government Information Services (part 4/4)

Understanding the Office of Government Information Services (part 3/4)

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in Customer service, definitions and concepts, Government information, Ombudsman, Open Government, Plain Language, Uncategorized

https://giphy.com/gifs/usnationalarchives-archives-archivesgif-naid12065-1alh12SmIXpUoZEQar Your National Archives by US National Archives via GIPHY. National Archives Identifier 12065 In our previous two blog posts “Understanding the Office of Government Information Services” parts 1 and 2, we provided a basic overview of how OGIS is structured and highlighted aspects of our dispute resolution program. In this post we’ll touch on … Continue reading Understanding the Office of Government Information Services (part 3/4)

FOIA Advisory Committee Organizes into Three Subcommittees

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in FOIA Advisory Committee, Government information, Open Government, Uncategorized

Front-runners take off from the starting line at the beginning of the US Air Force (USAF) Marathon, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Ohio (OH). National Archives Identifier 6684302 The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee shared information and heard ideas from previous Committee terms to organize itself into three subcommittees for the 2022-2024 term.  … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Organizes into Three Subcommittees

2022-2024 FOIA Advisory Committee Members Appointed

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in FOIA Advisory Committee, Government information, National Archives and Records Administration, Ombudsman, Open Government, Uncategorized

A woman Marine sergeant, who is a member of the band blows her trumpet, during a Marine Corps Birthday Pageant held in the stadium, 11/9/1979. National Archives Identifier 6367479 Acting Archivist of the United States Debra Steidel Wall appointed 20 individuals to the National Archives and Records Administration’s 2022–2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory … Continue reading 2022-2024 FOIA Advisory Committee Members Appointed

OGIS Is Yet Again Interested in “Still Interested” Letters

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in "Still Interested" Letters, Customer service, Government information, Ombudsman, Plain Language, Uncategorized

Address Your Letters Plainly. National Archives Identifier 44266146 As federal agencies approach the end of fiscal year 2022 in September, we know many are aiming to close old FOIA requests and reduce their FOIA backlogs. Some have begun to send requesters “still interested” letters to ensure that the information in a FOIA request is still … Continue reading OGIS Is Yet Again Interested in “Still Interested” Letters

OIP Director recaps AG Garland FOIA Memo

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in Customer service, definitions and concepts, FOIA in the news, Government information, Ombudsman, Open Government, Uncategorized

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information Policy Director Bobby Talebian. U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information Policy (OIP) Director Bobby Talebian provided an update on the Attorney General guidelines at this year’s American Society of Access Professionals National Training Conference in Arlington, Va. With regard to FOIA’s  foreseeable harm standard, which Congress added … Continue reading OIP Director recaps AG Garland FOIA Memo

Deadline Extended for Nominations to 2022-2024 FOIA Advisory Committee

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in FOIA Advisory Committee, Government information, National Archives and Records Administration, Ombudsman, Open Government, Uncategorized

Employee Suggestion Plan – Office of War Information. National Archives Identifier 515139 The deadline for nominating yourself or someone else to the 2022-2024 term of the FOIA Advisory Committee has been extended until Friday, July 15, 2022. We are looking for a wide range of FOIA experts from both inside and outside the government who … Continue reading Deadline Extended for Nominations to 2022-2024 FOIA Advisory Committee

FOIA Improvements at the Department of Homeland Security

by Kimberlee N Ried, posted in Customer service, Government information, Open Government, Uncategorized

https://giphy.com/gifs/usnationalarchives-space-nasa-apollo-11-kvl2YhR110qsBrHid2 From National Archives Identifier 649447 Later this month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin migrating to a new FOIA system and anticipates temporary delays in responding to requesters while launching the new system. According to the DHS FOIA website, the migration to a new system will be staggered across DHS processing centers … Continue reading FOIA Improvements at the Department of Homeland Security