This collection of declassified documents from the 20th and 21st centuries provides access to documents from presidential libraries and executive agencies in a searchable database, 1900-2008.
This remarkable resource contains tens of thousands of declassified documents in dozens of online collections.
Hundreds of documents released by US federal agencies to the University of Washington Center for Human Rights (UWCHR) as a result of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted by UWCHR staff and student researchers, and from a FOIA lawsuit.
This site displays frequently-requested documents released under FOIA. Categories include espionage, famous persons, the gangster era, historical interest, unusual phenonema and violent crime.
This independent non-governmental research institute and library collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through FOIA but is less comprehensive than the Digital National Archive.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was enacted in 1966 and provides any person the right to obtain access to Federal agency records, with the exception of those records protected from public disclosure. Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court acknowledge FOIA to be a vital part of our democracy.
A FOIA request can be sent to a Federal agency for any Federal agency record. Requests should be sent to the appropriate agency, and each agency's website contains information about the type of records it holds, allowing the public to determine to whom to make a FOIA request.
FOIA applies to Federal agencies only, so does not apply to the Judicial Branch and the Courts, the Legislative Branch and Congress, or State Governments and Courts.
A quick tip for finding FOIA information by agency:
For fast access to records available for public inspection in accordance with FOIA, do a Google or Bing search like this: electronic reading room department of [fill-in-the-blank!].
You'll find pages like this from the Department of State, or this from the Department of Labor. Or consult the comprehensive legal treatise, Guide to the Freedom of Information Act from the Department of Justice.
Consult this document for an excellent overview of FOIA, how to use it, and the difference between FOIA and the Privacy Act.
For fast access to records available for public inspection in accordance with FOIA, do an internet search like this: "electronic reading room department of [fill-in-the-blank!]."
This “FOIA accountability engine” includes detailed information on every case that challenges government withholding in federal court and has started expanding coverage to decisions on FOIA administrative requests on an agency-by-agency basis.
Prefer tangible resources? The UW Libraries microfiche collection of Declassified Documents Reference System covers 1942-1991 (materials declassified between 1975-1999) -- only a subset of what is available online. It is accompanied by a CD-ROM index (only available in-house on UW Libraries workstations). Ask for assistance with the CD or print guide at the Government Publications-Maps/ Microforms/Newspapers Help Desk.
Covers materials declassified between 1986-1996.1. What kind of information can I FOIA? -- 2. The FOIA, step-by-step -- 3. Exemptions -- 4. Fee waivers-- 5. Researching before you file -- 6. Writing requests -- 7. Anatomy of FOIA request language -- 8. Sample FOIA requests -- 9. Submitting requests -- 10. Appeal process -- 11. Conclusion
ISBN: 9781440863127 Publication Date: 2019Situating intellectual freedom within freedom of speech theories, this book explains the legal and theoretical foundations for contemporary understandings of intellectual freedom within library science.