Office of Government Information Services (OGIS)

Resolving Federal FOIA disputes

The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) was created within the National Archives and Records Administration when the OPEN Government Act of 2007 amended the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) .

OGIS began operations in September 2009 and:

provides services to mediate disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies
reviews policies and procedures of administrative agencies under FOIA
reviews agency compliance with FOIA
recommends policy changes to the Congress and President to improve the administration of FOIA
Learn More About OGIS

OGIS Case Logs

The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) opened its doors in September 2009, and requests for assistance from Freedom of Information Act requesters and agency officials were quick to follow. OGIS staff continues to work with FOIA requesters and agency officials to find solutions to FOIA issues.

If you need more information regarding the logs, please contact us at (301) 837-1996,
toll-free at 1-877-684-6448 or
via e-mail at ogis@nara.gov.

OGIS releases a weekly update of its Case Logs. There are two versions of the case logs available: the Open Case Log which only shows the current cases being handled by OGIS, and the Full Case Log lists all cases that have been received by OGIS. OGIS also releases a monthly snapshot of significant figures from the case logs to get a better understanding of OGIS cases.

OGIS Monthly Snapshots - August 2010
Open Case Log - August 20, 2010 PDF | Excel
Current cases being handled by OGIS
Full Case Log - August 20, 2010 PDF | Excel
All cases that have been received by OGIS
Previous Logs

News

FOIA Public Liaison Training

Dispute Resolution Training for All - Offered through the American Society of Access Professionals (ASAP) in the 2010 ASAP Training Series- Summer School- June 2010
- Proactive Disclosures, Best Practices - an OGIS staff member participated in another session offered through the ASAP Training Series. These are the slides that went along with that session.
Dispute Resolution Training for FOIA Public Liaisons - March 23, 2010
Training Q & A (updated 04/29/10)
Training Slides - PDF format [OGIS Slides] [DOJ/OIP Slides]
- In December 2009, and again in March 2010, the OGIS and DOJ/OIP provided training to FOIA Public Liaisons. These are the slides that went along with that training.

FOIA Posts from the Department of Justice

FOIA Training Opportunities, Fiscal Year 2010
DOJ's OIP Guidelines for Chief FOIA Officer Reports - September 30, 2009
Creating a New Era of Open Government - April 17, 2009

Memoranda for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, and Counsel to the President, Bob Bauer

Freedom of Information Act - March 16, 2010

Director Orszag, Office of Management and Budget

Open Government Directive - December 8, 2009
OGIS Q&A about the Directive- February 1, 2010

Attorney General Holder, Department of Justice

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - March 19, 2009

President Obama's Memoranda and Other Events

Open Government Directive – Data.Gov Frequently Asked Questions for Agencies - December 23, 2009
Town Hall Meeting in China - November 16, 2009, where President Obama discussed access as a universal right
Transparency and Open Government - January 21, 2009
Freedom of Information Act - January 21, 2009

Congressional Hearing: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee
March 18, 2010: “Administration of the Freedom of Information Act: Current Trends”
Watch the Congressional Hearing