Thanks Brass Family, National Archives Identifier 165318036. This week, April 21-27, is National Volunteer Week. Established in 1974, National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to highlight the volunteers who work to transform society and the world. Today we recognize the volunteers who make up two groups that strive to improve the federal FOIA process: the FOIA Advisory Committee and the Chief FOIA Officers Council.  The FOIA Advisory Committee was established in 2014 in accordance with the U.S. Second Open Government National Action Plan to foster dialog between the Administration and th ..read more

Photograph of Howard Hughes, who played a pivotal role in the very first Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND) response. National Archives Identifier 219777077. OGIS has recently published a new resource for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesters whose records requests are met with ‘neither confirm nor deny’ (NCND) responses, historically known in the U.S. as Glomar responses. An agency may use this response for a FOIA request when even the existence (or non-existence) of records is protected from disclosure under a FOIA exemption, for example, classified information or personal privacy. This ..read more

National Archives Outdoors: Flowers blooming outside the National Archives. National Archives Identifier 286212967 Mark your calendars for two upcoming OGIS events! The next meeting of the 2022-2024 term of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is on Thursday, April 4, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. The Committee will discuss and vote on draft subcommittee recommendations, including those presented at the March meeting on FOIA training, careers, and customer service. All meeting materials will be posted on the FOIA Advisory Committee website. This virtual meet ..read more

National Archives Sunshine Week program panelists (left to right) Gulam Shakir, NARA; Bobak Talebian, Dept. of Justice; Eric Stein, Dept. of State; Pam Wright, NARA; and Abby Potter, Library of Congress discussing the intersection of artificial intelligence, FOIA and public access on Thursday, March 14. National Archives Photo by Susana Raab. Another Sunshine Week is on the books, and OGIS participated in a variety of activities across the government. Below is a recap. Monday March 11: The Department of Justice (DOJ) observed Sunshine Week with the presentation of its 2024 Sunshine Week FOIA ..read more

Research Archive GIF by US National Archives via GIPHY. From National Archives Identifier 12065. The 2022-2024 FOIA Advisory Committee held its eighth public meeting last week, passing its first recommendation of the year that provides agencies with a model determination letter. The Committee voted 18-0 to pass the Modernization Subcommittee’s recommendation on a model determination letter as a best practice reference for agencies. In addition to that recommendation, No. 2024-01, the Committee discussed 12 other draft recommendations from its three subcommittees: Modernization, Resources, and ..read more

Go For It GIF by US National Archives via GIPHY. Planning for the NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase 2.0 is well underway! Capitalizing on the very successful 2022 NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase, the Chief FOIA Officers Council (CFOC) Technology Committee, in conjunction with The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Information Policy (OIP), is planning to host the second virtual NexGen FOIA Tech Showcase 2.0 for federal agencies on May 14 and 15, 2024. If you are interested in showcasing ..read more

Make plans to join us as the National Archives and Records Administration hosts a panel discussion on “Artificial Intelligence: The Intersection of Public Access and Open Government” Thursday, March 14, at 1 p.m. ET. This program is being offered during Sunshine Week, an annual nationwide celebration of access to public information. The event will be in person at the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives in Washington, DC, and livestreamed on the National Archives YouTube Channel. No reservation is necessary to attend this event. In person attendees can enter through o ..read more

Vintage Type by US National Archives via GIPHY. From National Archives Identifier 94970. The next meeting of the 2022-2024 term of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET.  The Committee will hear updates from its three subcommittees — Resources, Implementation, and Modernization — and will discuss the recommendations being developed by each group. All meeting materials will be posted on the FOIA Advisory Committee website. This virtual meeting is open to the public and registration is required if you wish t ..read more

Santa Claus Christmas by US National Archives via GIPHY. From National Archives Identifier 93140. Last year we shared our OGIS Holiday Wish List here on The FOIA Ombudsman. The jolly man from the North Pole did not bring us our wishes, so we are revising it to reflect upon what OGIS has encountered over the past year. As we look to 2024 these wishes would go a long way toward improving the FOIA processes for both requesters and agencies.  1 – Estimated Dates of Completion (EDC) are key in the FOIA process – they are also the law! We wish that all federal agencies would use them to better ..read more

Last week staff from OGIS attended and presented two sessions at the annual Council on Government Ethics Laws (COGEL) conference, held in Kansas City, MO. Our presentations included a panel on best practices regarding FOIA compliance – OGIS staff highlighted the value of training FOIA professionals to understand the FOIA itself as well as the importance of clear communications with FOIA requesters. OGIS also participated in a panel discussing significant litigation and legislation by providing an overview of federal court case decisions this past year in relation to the application of FOIA ex ..read more