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Free Government Information (FGI) is a place for initiating dialogue and building consensus among the various players (libraries, government agencies, non-profit organizations, researchers, journalists, etc.) who have a stake in the preservation of and perpetual free access to government information. FGI promotes free government information through collaboration, education, advocacy and research.

Digital Preservation of Federal Information Summit

I’m excited and honored to be attending the Digital Preservation of Federal Information Summit this weekend in San Antonio. Dr Martin Halbert of the University of North Texas has invited government information librarians, archivists, technologists, and administrators — including my FGI colleague Jim jacobs! — to mobilize efforts at preserving digital federal government information. If […]

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Congressional Data Coalition: open Congressional information and make Congress work better

Yesterday, FGI, along with a group of citizens, public interest groups, libraries and trade associations comprising the Congressional Data Coalition, submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Committee regarding legislative branch funding priorities for fiscal year 2017. The group made recommendations on where the House should focus next or what kinds of data should be released: […]

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MuckRock’s FOIA redaction hall of shame

In honor of Sunshine week, MuckRock has put together their FOIA Hall of Shame. These would be incredibly funny if they weren’t so egregious and if I didn’t know just how the FOIA submitter felt when she received her completely inadequate response to a FOIA request. Unfortunately, the FOIA law deals only with release of […]

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FOIA’d docs reveal how Obama Administration killed FOIA reform

This is extremely disappointing, especially given Obama’s presidential memorandum, signed on his first day in office in 2009, that instructed all government agencies to “adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government.” The Obama […]

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John Oliver explains special districts

John Oliver explains special districts on “Last Week Tonight.” These units of government are local government bodies designed to collect taxes dealing with one specific service, like water, parks or sewage. But they are “ghost” entities with little or no oversight and are largely unknown to the public. Hilariously informative!

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