New Year, New Public Comments Form

Your Ideas Are Welcomed. War Production Board1942 – 1943. National Archives Identifier 534167 As we begin a new year and say “hello” to 2023, we have news to share: OGIS is excited to announce our new public comments form. This new tool allows the public to submit their comments to the FOIA Advisory Committee, the Chief FOIA … Continue reading New Year, New Public Comments Form

OGIS 2022 Holiday Wish List

Merry Christmas is the greeting from President Harry S. Truman as he sets forth from his home in Independence, Missouri, to deliver Christmas gifts to members of his family who live nearby, December 1945. Accession Number 2013-3621. In this season of giving and receiving, we thought we’d share our OGIS holiday wish list. We have only … Continue reading OGIS 2022 Holiday Wish List

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

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

"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)

"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)

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)

Understanding the Office of Government Information Services (part 2/4)

FLASHES OF ACTION [WORLD WAR I], 1921? via GIPHY. National Archives Identifier 35458 In our previous blog post “Understanding the Office of Government Information Services,” we provided a basic overview of  OGIS’s history and structure. In this post we’ll focus on our mediation program.   How are requests for OGIS assistance handled? FOIA requesters and agencies … Continue reading Understanding the Office of Government Information Services (part 2/4)

OIP Director recaps AG Garland FOIA Memo

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

International Conference of Information Commissioners Issues Statement on Access to Information

The International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) met in June via hybrid (online and in-person) for the 13th  International Conference. Alina M. Semo, OGIS Director, serves on the Executive Committee of the ICIC.  As a part of this year’s work at the conference, the Commission issued a public statement around access to information, specifically that … Continue reading International Conference of Information Commissioners Issues Statement on Access to Information

FOIA Improvements at the Department of Homeland Security

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