Ensuring Effective Portal Communication with Requesters: Even When They’re on Vacation!

Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter fishing on August 26, 1978. National Archives Identifier 180949. OGIS has observed recently that agencies are increasingly using portals to send response letters and records to requesters. OGIS applauds this approach as portals are faster than U.S. postal mail and more secure than email. However, OGIS encourages agencies to consider … Continue reading Ensuring Effective Portal Communication with Requesters: Even When They’re on Vacation!

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Adam Marshall

Today we present an interview with Adam Marshall, senior staff attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and a member of the FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government who are appointed by the Archivist … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Adam Marshall

Chief FOIA Officers Council Meeting Recap

A new webpage cataloging Office of Government information Services (OGIS) recommendations and best practices, a model for analyzing FOIA programs and technology, and an update on an interactive search tool on FOIA.gov were among the matters discussed at the April 25, 2023, meeting of the Chief FOIA Officers Council.  Missed the meeting? Catch up by … Continue reading Chief FOIA Officers Council Meeting Recap

OGIS Launches New Quarterly Reporting

Beginning in fiscal year 2023, OGIS has launched a new reporting graphic that tracks quarterly data and activities. In the past we shared mediation statistics with regard to the number of cases we managed. And while that work continues — we respond to more than 4,000 inquiries a year — it is just as important … Continue reading OGIS Launches New Quarterly Reporting

Register for the April 25 Chief FOIA Officers Council Meeting

https://giphy.com/gifs/doors-washington-dc-national-archives-3oz8xN5m2zcnRupgv6 Washington DC Doors by US National Archives via GIPHY. From National Archives Identifier 12065. Plan to attend the next Chief FOIA Officers Council meeting at 10 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 25. The meeting is open to Chief FOIA Officers, FOIA professionals and the public. We invite you to either watch the livestream of the … Continue reading Register for the April 25 Chief FOIA Officers Council Meeting

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Bobak Talebian

Bobak Talebian, Director of the Office of Information Policy at the Department of Justice, providing remarks at the March 13, 2023, OIP Sunshine Week program. Photo courtesy of Alina M. Semo. Today we present an interview with Bobak Talebian, Director of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Bobak Talebian

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Gbemende Johnson

Today we present an interview with Gbemende Johnson, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia and a member of the FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government who are appointed by the Archivist of the … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Gbemende Johnson

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Michael Heise

Today we present an interview with Michael Heise, Assistant Legal Counsel and FOIA Public Liaison for the FOIA Division in the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a member of the FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Michael Heise

Mark Your Calendar For Sunshine Week 2023

Make plans to join us as we kick off Sunshine Week, an annual nationwide celebration of access to public information, with a panel discussion on “Making Access Happen: FOIA at the National Archives” on Monday, March 13, at 1 p.m. ET.  The event will be live-streamed on the National Archives YouTube Channel.    National Archives … Continue reading Mark Your Calendar For Sunshine Week 2023

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Carmen Collins

Today we present an interview with Carmen Collins, FOIA/Privacy Act (PA) Program Manager at the U.S. Cyber Command (USCC) at the Department of Defense and a member of the FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government who are … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Carmen Collins