The FOIA blog

FOIA Training Opportunity: 1 Week Left to Register

The American Society of Access Professionals has its 2012 Training Series on August 1-3, 2012 at the convention center in Washington, D.C.  Registration closes on July 27th and I have been informed that space is still available.  (FYI, I am speaking on August 1).

For more information go to the registration page on ASAP's Website.

Will Travel Ban Bills Doom FOIA Operations?

In the wake of the GSA Travel Scandal, bills have made it through both the Senate and the House that drastically limit government travel to conferences.  While oversight of government travel to conferences is definitely a needed thing, a drastic limitation of travel to conferences is something that will have a drastic effect on agency FOIA Operations.

Most agency FOIA Operations are already having difficulty training employees in the complexities of government access rules.  Anyone who has dealt with the issues concerning the FOIA, Privacy Act and other disclosure and records laws knows just how difficult applying these laws to the real world can be.  Having training opportunities, be it through the Department of Justice, the American Society of Access Professionals, individual agency training at offsites, or other third party educators allow agencies to train their employees, work through these issues and provide better customer service.  Agencies who do not provide FOIA training to employees often find themselves in conflict with not only requesters but other agencies involved in either FOIA processing or litigation.  The cost of not having FOIA training cannot be measured in dollars and is a necessary requirement of any successful FOIA Operation.

I urge all of my readers to contact their Senators and Representatives in Congress and ask them that they reconsider their support of the bills as currently written banning and/or severely limiting travel.   

Update:  The budget crunch has already affected training outside of Washington, D.C. as the Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy has cancelled its Aug. 14-15 training that was scheduled to be held in Seattle, Washington.

DOJ Announces New FOIA Training

The Department of Justice has announced a new training series, the Director's Lecture Series of Training Seminars.  The first one kicks off on June 20th.  It is open to all agency FOIA personnel -- I'm not sure if this includes contractors (who make up more and more of the FOIA workforce).

More information can be found here on the Office of Information Policy/Department of Justice website. 

ASAP Symposium Wrap Up

As many of you know, I was the Chair of the American Society of Access Professionals Symposium and Training session held this week.  It was a fantastic event -- the panels were fantastic, the keynote was great and the people attending had a real interest in making the FOIA work for all involved, agencies, requesters and the general public.

I want to thank everyone who made it a success and there are way too many to mention by name -- the speakers, the committee and ASAP staff.  You all know who you are.

For those of you wondering what the next ASAP event is -- it is the National Training Conference in New Orleans in March of 2012.  Registration (with early bird pricing) is open at ASAP.

ASAP Symposium and Workshop Speakers Announced

I am happy to announce that as the American Society for Access Professionals ("ASAP"), Symposium and Worshop Planning Committee Chair that the Honorable David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States will open the Symposium on December 7.  Following Mr. Ferriero, the Honorable Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth will deliver the keynote address.

The Symposium takes place on December 7 and 8 at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  More information on registration can be found here.  You should register now so that you can take advantage of the early bird pricing until October 28.

ASAP Fall Symposium Registration Open

I've just returned from the American Society for Access Professional's (ASAP) Workshop in Chicago -- everything about it was excellent, the hotel, the training, and especially the attendees.  Next up for ASAP is the Fall Symposium in D.C.  It is two days, December 7-8, 2011 and should be excellent (I say that because I am the chair of the committee planning it, so we better deliver!).  Registration is open and online right here. 

ASAP FOIA/PA Training Workshop -- Sept. 19-21

The American Society for Access Professionals is holding a FOIA/PA workshop from September 19-21 in Chicago.  Registration information can be found here.  I'll be there and I am scheduled to run a few of the sessions.

DOJ To Hold FOIA Fee Summit

The Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy (OIP) has announced that it will host a training session for government employes on the FOIA’s fee and fee waiver provisions.  This FOIA Fee Summit will be held on May 17, 2011. 

More information can be found on OIP's website.

IRS FOIA Webinar

The IRS has a webinar for tax professionals scheduled April 27, 2011 entitled "Accessing IRS Records."  Making FOIA requests to the IRS and the IRS FOIA processes will be covered.  For more information see the attached document: Download FOIA Flyer.

OGIS Seminar Tuesday for Researchers

The Washington Post reports that the Office of Government Services ("OGIS") will hold a session on improving the FOIA Process, Tuesday at 11.  According to the Post, "Staff members from the OGIS offer practical tips to help researchers make better use of FOIA to access Government records". Its to be held at the National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-357-5000.  The cost is free.

OGIS doesn't have any information on this on its website, so be sure to call first to make sure its happening!