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Freedom of Information Day tipsheet
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At Your Library
Freedom of Information Day
March 16
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
--The Constitution of the United States, Amendment 1
A time to celebrate, be vigilant
A time to exercise your right to know
Free and open access to information created at taxpayer expense is a
basic principle that has enabled the United States to endure and
prosper for more than 200 years.
In the new information age, our very survival, as a nation and as
individuals, will be determined by how successfully we use
information. That is why the American Library Association and other
groups are concerned about steady erosion of the public's ability to
obtain government information.
Critical issues are at stake: preservation of official information,
public access, government accountability and an informed electorate.
On Freedom of Information Day, March 16, the American Library
Association urges libraries and librarians across America to join in
celebrating the public's "right to know" by sponsoring activities to
educate their communities about the importance of promoting and
protecting freedom of information.
The Issue
The public's right of access to government information is a
cornerstone of our democratic society.
Our system of representative democracy depends on the free flow of
information produced, collected and published by the government and
available to the American people so they can participate as an
informed electorate and be aware of actions the government takes in
their name.
Since the early 19th century, libraries have served as depositories
for the written record of our nation's development and as gateways to
the decisions of its leaders, thus assuring public access to
government information.
Throughout its history, ALA has taken an active interest in the
library and information activities of the federal government. ALA
believes all Americans should have equal and ready access to
unclassified information of public interest or educational value so
that they can educate and inform themselves.
As information professionals who serve the public on a daily basis,
librarians constantly seek and use government information that serves
the diverse interests, information needs and expectations of their
communities. Many Americans depend on information collected, organized
and disseminated by the federal government. They include
businesspeople, journalists, college students, community interest
groups, farmers, economists, health care professionals, local and
state government officials, researchers, veterans, voters and others.
Americans come to libraries to find census and other statistics to
help them plan new businesses and marketing strategies, to research
environmental issues and hazards, to study major social and
governmental policy issues, and to research the laws and regulations
applicable to an issue or problem.
Some in Congress have joined librarians in a growing concern about the
public's access to government information, particularly the loss of
information to federal depository library collections where it is
available for free use by the public.
The ongoing transition to more electronic dissemination of federal
government information has brought both promise and problems for the
public, and for libraries, both inside and outside the Federal
Depository Library Program.
As access providers, organizers and navigators of government
information for the public, librarians are especially concerned that
government information appears and disappears from agency Web sites,
and that no one is charged with capturing, preserving and making
electronic publications available for future generations.
Disclosure that federal agencies are failing to make public
information available on their World Wide Web sites or withdrawing it
for security reasons raises concerns about public access to government
information in the present and future.
Based on experience promoting public access to government information
and helping to overcome barriers, the library community endorses the
following principles:
* The public has a right of access to government information.
* The government has an obligation to disseminate and provide broad
public access to its information.
* The government has an obligation to guarantee the authenticity and
integrity of its information.
* The government has an obligation to preserve its information.
* Government information created or compiled by government employees
or at government expense should remain in the public domain.
Action
ALA and library advocates work actively to secure public access to
government information.
These actions include publication of "Less Access to Less Information
By and About the U.S. Government," a chronology updated biannually by
the ALA Washington Office since 1981. The latest update can be found
on the ALA Washington Office Web site at http://www.ala.org/washoff/.
ALA's concerns led to establishment of the Coalition on Government
Information in 1986. The coalition now has 50 members, including the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Physical
Society, the National Security Archive and the Society of Journalists
and Authors.
In 1997, ALA established the Inter-Association Working Group on
Government Information Policy with membership from several national
library organizations to work on the revision of the law governing the
distribution of government information to the public.
ALA representatives have testified frequently in Congress in support
of public access to government information. ALA has also passed
numerous resolutions and sent letters to Congress and officials in the
Executive Branch supporting the public's right to know or protesting
restrictions on government information.
Legislative successes include helping to secure passage of the GPO
Access Act (P.L. 103-40) that provided no-fee access to electronic
government information and the Electronic Freedom of Information Act.
Current activities focus on strengthening distribution of government
information to ensure the public's right to know is protected in the
electronic age.
Letter from U.S. Superintendent of Documents
We at the Government Printing Office (GPO) think that on Freedom of
Information Day it is important to focus public attention on the right
to access government information required for a democratic society. It
is appropriate that the day chosen to celebrate the freedom of
information is the anniversary of the birth of James Madison, a lover
of books, who believed that citizens should have access to information
about their government.
In the Superintendent of Documents programs, we are committed to
providing access to as complete a collection as possible of public
government information products. We distribute information in tangible
and electronic formats via the Federal Depository Library Program, the
GPO Sales Program, and GPO Access, our Web site
(http://www.access.gpo.gov). We are proud of the fact that in 1995 GPO
Access was the recipient of the James Madison Award presented on
Freedom of Information Day by the Coalition on Government Information.
The goal of the Congressionally mandated and funded depository library
program is to assure current and permanent public access to U.S.
Government information products. There are more than 1,350 depository
libraries located in almost every congressional district in the United
States and its territories. At GPO we like to think of the depository
program as America's oldest "freedom of information" program.
The Federal Government is a pervasive force in every aspect of our
lives from setting standards for the food we eat or the clothes we
wear to regulating the safety of the cars we drive or the airplanes in
which we fly. We all should be able to obtain Federal Government
information for educational purposes, business use and our everyday
lives. Without ready access to the information produced, collected or
compiled by the government as a reflection of its activities how can
any of us, as citizens, be informed participants in our democratic
society?
I encourage you and your library to join the Freedom of Information
Day celebration and to collaborate with local depository libraries to
demonstrate citizen access to government information products in
person or online via GPO Access.
Francis J. Buckley, Jr.
Superintendent of Documents
Government Printing Office
Freedom of Information Act
"This legislation springs from one of our most essential principles: a
democracy works best when the people have all the information that the
security of the Nation permits. I signed this measure with a deep
sense of pride that the United States is an open society in which the
people's right to know is cherished and guarded." --President Lyndon
Baines Johnson
Enacted in 1966, the Freedom of Information Act (P.L. 90-23) mandates
that federal agencies make all but specifically exempt files
accessible to the public. Prior to the act, the public had no legally
enforceable right to gain access to government-held records.
According to the Freedom Forum, based in Washington, D.C., journalists
have used the Freedom of Information Act to generate thousands of news
stories, including important exposés. Librarians and others used the
act to obtain copies of FBI records related to the FBI Library
Awareness Programs. Historians frequently use the act to research
actions related to U.S. foreign policies.
In 1974 and 1996, the Freedom of Information Act was strengthened with
the passage of key amendments. The 1996 amendments, the Electronic
Freedom of Information Act (P.L. 104-231), streamlined several
procedures to reduce backlogs and required federal agencies to
increase the ability of the public to obtain government information in
electronic formats and databases.
Filing Freedom of Information Act requests requires considerable
patience and familiarity with government paperwork. Many people
require guidance in filing such requests and may seek assistance from
the library.
Sometimes the federal information that these individuals seek may be
in the collection of a library. Time and money can be saved by
checking the local depository library first or one of the numerous
gateways to federal information provided by many depository libraries.
James Madison Award
The James Madison Award honors those who have championed, protected
and promoted public access to government information and the public's
right to know. The award is presented annually by the Coalition on
Government Information and is named for our fourth President, the
father of the Constitution and architect of the Bill of Rights. The
coalition and the National Security Archive established the award in
1989. It is presented on Freedom of Information Day, March 16, the
anniversary of Madison's birth.
Recipients of the James Madison Award:
1999
The board members and congressional sponsors of the President John F.
Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board
1998
Ben Bagdikian, journalist; Wayne P. Kelley, former Superintendent of
Documents of the Government Printing Office; Eliot Christian and the
U.S. Geological Survey; National Library of Medicine
1997*
Philanthropist and financier George Soros
1996*
The National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council
1995
The Government Printing Office, the State of Maryland's Sailor
Project, the Seattle (WA) Public Library, and the Internet
Multicasting Service's Town Hall Project
1994
Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary and former ALA Washington Office
Director Eileen D. Cooke
1993
The legislators who led the passage of P.L. 103-40, the GPO Access
Act: Vice President Al Gore, original sponsor of the GPO Gateway to
Government Act when he was in the Senate; Senators Wendell Ford (D-KY)
and Ted Stevens (R-AK); Representatives Charlie Rose (D-NC) and Bill
Thomas (R-CA)
1992
Journalist Nina Totenberg, author Scott Armstrong, and C-SPAN founder
Brian Lamb
1991
Representative Don Edwards (D-CA)
1990
Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA),
journalist Philip Shabecoff, and the Office of Toxic Substances of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1989
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
* Honorary citations also were presented to several individuals and
organizations in 1996 and 1997.
How You Can Join In
Librarians around the country are encouraged to organize Freedom of
Information Day celebrations on or near March 16.
Suggestions:
* Make a colorful "Freedom of Information Day" banner to hang inside
or outside the library.
* Hold a community forum on the topic. Recruit speakers/sponsors
from organizations such as the League of Women Voters and from
local media.
* Sponsor a "Freedom of Information Day" resolution for adoption by
campus, local or state government (see sample resolution).
* Issue a press release to express your library's commitment to
public access to information. Prepare a press kit with background
materials.
* Write a letter to the editor or opinion column for your campus or
community newspaper about the "public's right to know."
* Offer interviews to community or campus radio and TV stations
about the importance of government information to our lives and
the role of libraries in keeping it accessible.
* Suggest your state library association adopt the "Freedom of
Information" theme.
* Develop a special collection of material, including ALA's "Less
Access to Less Information" chronology.
* Exhibit books and other material about the issue of public access
to information.
* Write articles for publications and speak to groups outside the
library.
* Document how the public uses government information-the benefits
to users and any barriers encountered such as high prices or
discontinued documents.
* Organize a group of colleagues on campus or in the community for
discussion and action.
For more information, contact:
Daniel O'Mahony
Government Documents Coordinator
Brown University Library - Box A
Providence, RI 02912
401-863-2522
ap201159@brownvm.brown.edu
Lynne Bradley
American Library Association
Washington Office
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 403
Washington, DC 20004
202-628-8410
800-941-8478
alawash@alawash.org
Sample Letter to the Editor
Dear (editor):
The right to know about the actions of government is an important part
of America's democratic heritage. Librarians across the United States
urge citizens, the media, government agencies, publishers and book
dealers to join us in commemorating Freedom of Information Day on
March 16.
March 16 is the birth date of James Madison, our fourth President,
commonly known as "the father of the Constitution," who once said: "A
popular government, without popular information or the means of
acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or tragedy or perhaps
both."
In the United States, freedom of the press and of speech are
cornerstones of democracy. Information is central to our way of life.
Reading, newspapers, bookselling, public education and libraries, as
well as the availability of government records and publications, are
widespread. Their ubiquity is a measure of society at its best.
Although Madison wrote in response to abuses by King George, his
warning rings true today. Challenges to an informed citizenry exist in
the complexities and inequities of information technology, illiteracy,
limited information seeking skills and habits and unequal access to
education and information resources.
On Freedom of Information Day, members of the American Library
Association and other concerned organizations across the country urge
that we take time to reflect on the most precious of our freedoms -
the right to know and the importance of protecting it.
Sincerely,
(contact name)
Sample Resolution
(Adapted from Minnesota Libraries Newsletter)
WHEREAS, March 16 is the anniversary of the birth of James Madison,
the fourth President and father of the Constitution, who recognized
and supported the need to guarantee individual rights through the Bill
of Rights; and
WHEREAS, Madison said, "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a
people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the
power which knowledge gives;" and
WHEREAS, The power which knowledge gives is fostered by free access to
information; and
WHEREAS, A cornerstone of the American people's right to know is
public access to information by and about the government; and
WHEREAS, Our nation's public, academic, school and other libraries are
key resources for the American people in obtaining government
documents necessary for their education, employment and
self-governance; and
WHEREAS, Librarians are access providers, organizers and navigators of
government information that serve the public interest; and
WHEREAS, Since 1858, Congressionally designated Federal Depository
Libraries have provided no-fee access for Americans to all forms of
federal government information through local libraries in each
Congressional district; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, By the [name of entity passing the resolution] that March 16
be proclaimed as "Freedom of Information Day" in [place] and that all
residents of [place] be urged to exercise their right to free access
to information and to use the resources available to them through the
[place] Library System.
Resources
Books and Reports
American Library Association. Less Access to Less Information By and
About the U.S. Government. (Washington, D.C.: American Library
Association, 1981-1987; 1988-1991; 1992-).
Assassination Records Review Board. Final Report of the Assassination
Records Review Board. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing
Office, 1998).
Center for National Security Studies. Litigation under the Federal
Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act. (Washington, D.C.: Center
for National Security Studies, annual).
Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy. Report of
the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy.
(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1997).
Demac, Donna A. State of the First Amendment. (Arlington, VA: The
Freedom Forum, 1997).
Hernon, Peter, Charles R. McClure, and Harold Relyea. Federal
Information Policies in the 1990s: Views and Perspectives. (Norwood,
NJ: Ablex, 1996).
Mackenzie, Angus. Secrets: The CIA's War at Home. (Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press, 1997).
Moen, William E. An Evaluation of the Federal Government's
Implementation of the Government Information Locator Service (GILS):
Final Report. (Washington, D.C.: General Services Administration,
1997).
Moynihan, Daniel P. Secrecy: The American Experience. (New Haven,
Conn.: Yale University Press, 1998).
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. How to Use the FOI Act.
(Washington: FOI Service Center, annual).
U.S. Government Printing Office. Study to Identify Measures Necessary
for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository
Library Program. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1996).
Journals
ALA Washington News. A print newsletter that provides monthly updates
on national legislative issues of concern to libraries. Cost: $35/yr.
(U.S., Canada, and Mexico), international $40/yr. To subscribe, send a
check to Newsletter Subscriptions Manager, ALA Washington Office, 1301
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 403, Washington, DC 20004-1700
ALAWON. A free electronic publication that provides frequent updates
on legislative issues of concern to libraries. To subscribe visit
http://www.ala.org/washoff/subscribe.html, or send a message to:
listproc@ala.org. Leave the subject blank. In the body, type:
subscribe ala-wo your first and last name.
American Library Association. Government Documents Round Table.
Documents to the People. Irregular. Contact the ALA Washington Office
for order information. Telephone: 800-941-8478/202-628-8410. E-mail:
alawash@alawash.org
Web sites
American Library Association, Washington Office.
http://www.ala.org/washoff/
Assassination Records Review Board. Final Report of the Assassination
Records Review Board.
http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/libs/arrb_pdf.htm
Coalition for Networked Information. Access to and Services for
Federal Information in the Networked Environment.
http://www.cni.org/projects/fedinfo/
Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy. Report of
the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy.
http://www.cni.org/projects/fedinfo
Electronic Data Dissemination of Census Publications. (S.1. : L.
Schankman, 1996).
http://www.clark.net/pub/lschank/web/cendoc.html
Federation of American Scientists. Project on government secrecy.
(Washington, D.C.: Federation of American Scientists, 1997).
http://www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
The Freedom Forum Online.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
Library of Congress. THOMAS Legislative Information on the Internet.
http://thomas.loc.gov/
U.S. Government Printing Office. Keeping America Informed.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/
Prepared by Nancy Kranich, New York University Libraries
Freedom of Information Activity Report
Please report examples of how residents in your community are using
government information and any related benefits/problems experienced.
We would also appreciate receiving copies of any publicity materials
or activities that your library has undertaken to make the public
aware of the importance of government information.
Please be sure to include the following information: Your name,
position, name of library, mailing address, telephone number and
e-mail address along with a brief description and copies of relevant
materials.
Send to:
FOI Day
Public Information Office
American Library Association
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
For More Information
For additional copies of this tip sheet, please fax or e-mail requests
to:
ALA Public Information Office
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
Telephone: 312-280-5041/5044
800-545-2433, ext. 5041/5044
Fax: 312-944-8520
E-mail: pio@ala.org
For more information about public access to government and related
legislative issues, contact:
ALA Washington Office
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 403
Washington, DC 20004-1700
Telephone: 202-628-8419/800-941-8478
Fax: 202-628-8419
E-mail: alawash@alawash.org
http://www.ala.org/washoff/issues.html
Copyright © 2000, American Library Association.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 19-Apr-2000 13:12:34 CDT
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