The FOIA blog

FOIA CLE On October 20

The American Bar Association is presenting a continuing legal education seminar via the internet on October 20 entitled "Accessing Government Information in the Midst of Breaking Events - Can FOIA Be Used Effectively For Reporting the News?

The panel includes a virtual who's who of FOIA:

Steven Zansberg (Moderator), Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP, Denver, CO
Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director,Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Arlington, VA
Miriam Nisbet, Director, Office of Government Information Services, National Archives, Washington, DC
 Melanie Ann Pustay, Director, Office of Information Policy, United States/Department of Justice, Washington, DC
David Sobel, Senior Counsel, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Washington, DC

More information on this seminar can be found on the ABA website.

DOJ Releases 2010-2011 FOIA Training Schedule

The Department of Justice has released its 2010-2011 FOIA training schedule.  It can be found here.

Most of the training is in Washington, D.C. with the exception of one in Seattle, Washington.  None of the trainings are being held at the Department of Justice's site in Columbia, South Carolina, which the government spent millions of dollars to create in the late 1990's.

One question I often get, and I don't know the answer to concerns contractors.  Are federal contractors who process FOIA requests eligible for this training?

FOIA Job Postings/Training

The American Society of Access Professionals ("ASAP") has a number of job listings up for FOIA professionals.  ASAP members may also sign up for the FOIA and Privacy Act Workshop it is conducting in Chicago in September 20-22, 2010.

ASAP Registration Now Open

Registration for the American Society of Access Professionals FOIA training set for June 21-23 in Washington, D.C. is now open.  More information can be found here.

FOIA training is one of the biggest things people seem to look for on this blog--if you know of any FOIA training opportunities, please feel free to let me know.  I also conduct training-if your organization is in need of specialized FOIA training, feel free to contact me. 

FOIA Training: Save the Dates

The American Society for Access Professionals has released its upcoming training schedule.  The next training is coming up on June 21, 22 and 23, so save the date.

More information can be found here.

ASAP Food For Thought with DOJ and OGIS

The American Society of Access Professionals ("ASAP") is hosting a Food for Thought Luncheon Seminar on March 10, 2010 in Washington D.C. featuring Melanie Pustay, Director and Carman Mallon, Chief of Staff, of the Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy and Miriam Nisbet, Director of the Office of Government Services.

ASAP's website does not have an announcement up for this luncheon, for more information you can contact the organization at ASAP@Bostrom.com.

Update:  The lunch is now up at ASAP, I'm glad they're reading the FOIA blog!

FOIA Training: Dispute Resolution For FOIA Professionals

The Department of Justice, The Office of Government Services and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is hosting a Dispute Resolution Seminar for FOIA Professionals on March 23, 2010 in Washington, D.C.  More information can be found here.

I'm Conducting a FOIA Training Teleconference in January

I'll be conducting a FOIA Training teleconference on January 22, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. eastern standard time.  It's a ninety minute overview of the FOIA.

Details can be found here.  Please note:  I am only the speaker, I have nothing to do with the registration process.

DOJ Announces Annual Report Training

The Office of Information Policy has announced training for those involved in compiling and reporting information in agency FOIA annual reports.  The training will be held on October 7, 2009. 

ASAP September FOIA/PA Training Registration

The American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) has begun registration for its FOIA/Privacy Act training to be held in Chicago from September 21-23, 2009.