Home
Up
Resume
Outcome 1
Outcome 2
Outcome 3
Outcome 4
Outcome 6
Outcome 7
Outcome 8

LI838 Information Transfer and Government Resources
Emporia State University
 A Research Guide

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

 This brief research guide is intended for high school seniors or 1^st or 2^nd year community college students.  It is my experience working with high school students and Johnson County Community College students that the preferred method of research is through the Internet.  If it can’t be found on-line quickly, students often give up.  This guide gives students a place to start in researching the Freedom of Information Act on appropriate U.S. government Internet sites. 

As librarians, we are in the information business so freedom of information and the right to access information about the U.S. government and its agencies are fundamental rights that are sometimes taken for granted in the United States.  This is a broad topic that could form the basis for more specialized research.  Students that are researching the Freedom of Information Act through the ever-popular Google search engine on the Internet will be led to many sites that are not U.S. government resources, including other countries freedom of information policies.  This guide serves as a starting point for general research on the topic using mainly U.S. government sites. 

I began this project by searching various government websites for the Freedom of Information Act.  The current amendments were readily available through Thomas and GPO access, but I was also interested in the history of the Freedom of Information Act and related legislation.  A good website, although not government sponsored, that provides lists of citations for legislative history of the Freedom of Information Act, starting with the first Freedom of Information Act Amendment of 1966 is by Harry Hemmitt.  Students researching legislative origins of the Freedom of Information Act may need to use print sources as the 1946 and 1958 legislation leading to the 1966 Amendment are not available online.  I have included a FOIA timeline showing major FOIA amendments leading up to 1996 Electronic Freedom of Information act.  This guide pertains more to current legislation than to historical documents. 

The first section of the guide includes government and one non-government site that contain current information on the Freedom of Information Act.

The second section of the guide directs students to information on agency Freedom of Information contacts and policies.  To file a Freedom of Information Act request, you need to know the agencies and the contact person.  For example, the Department of Justice Internet site lists all Federal departments and agencies and their FOIA contacts.

The last section of the guide gives examples of FOIA reading rooms at different agencies.  This information is helpful to know how each agency implements the FOIA.

Freedom Of Information

A Brief Research Guide

This brief guide for high school or first or second year community college students provides information on electronic resources to research information on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Electronic Freedom of Information Act (E-FOIA).

 The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (P.L. 85-619) (5 U.S.C. 552) and the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996 (E-FOIA) (PL-104-231) (5 U.S.C. 552) have a long history in the United States.  The original law has been amended and changed every few years since 1966 when it was signed into law.  All public laws and amendments from the 93rd Congress to the present are available electronically.  Current legislation in progress is also available. 

Where to begin to look up laws and amendments:

o       includes a link to the full text of the Freedom of Information Act as amended in 2002 located under the sites reading room http://www.archives.gov/research_room/foia_reading_room/foia_reading_room.html

 ·        Library of Congress