The Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy, in conjunction
with the Department's National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina,
offers four different training programs on the Freedom of Information Act. The
schedule for Fiscal Year 2005 is as follows:
The first two days of this basic training program are
designed for attorneys, paralegals, and information officers with limited previous
experience under the FOIA who are now or soon will be working extensively with
the Act. Workshops on FOIA exemptions emphasize the criteria for making information-disclosure
determinations, and procedural issues are addressed as well. The third day of
the program deals with the Privacy Act of 1974, addressing such matters as definitions,
restrictions on disclosure, requests for record access and amendment, and fair
information practices. Attendance on all three days is required for programs
conducted in Columbia, South Carolina. For programs conducted elsewhere, the
FOIA and Privacy Act sessions may be attended separately.
November 16-18, 2004, Albuquerque, N.M.
November 30-December 2, 2004, Washington, D.C.
February 15-17, 2005, Washington, D.C.
April 13-15, 2005, Columbia, S.C.
June 15-17, 2005, Columbia, S.C.
Advanced Freedom of Information Act Seminar
This seminar is designed for the principal legal and administrative
FOIA officers of all federal agencies and major agency components, or their
designees. It provides advanced instruction on selected substantive and procedural
topics under the FOIA, including up-to-date policy guidance. It also serves
as a forum for the exchange of ideas useful in dealing with problems that commonly
arise in administering the Act. The seminar includes sessions on such topics
as recent FOIA decisions, selected procedural issues, FOIA from the nongovernment
perspective, administrative and litigation considerations, and current policy
issues. Registration is limited to no more than 45 attendees, all of whom should
have attended the Department of Justice's basic two-day FOIA course.
December 7, 2004, Washington, D.C.
June 1, 2005, Washington, D.C.
Freedom of Information Act Administrative Forum
This program is designed for agency FOIA personnel who
have several years of experience with the FOIA and are involved in the processing
of FOIA requests on a daily basis. It is devoted almost entirely to administrative
matters arising under the Act -- such matters as record-retrieval practices,
multitrack queue usage, backlog management, affirmative disclosure, and automated
record processing. Designed to serve also as a regular forum for the governmentwide
exchange of ideas and information on matters of FOIA administration, this program
brings veteran FOIA processors from throughout the government together and encourages
them to share their experience in administering the Act. The program also includes
an overview of recent case law pertaining to the processing of FOIA requests.
December 8, 2004, Washington, D.C.
June 2, 2005, Washington, D.C.
Introduction to the Freedom of Information Act
This half-day program provides a basic overview of the
FOIA for agency personnel who do not specialize in access law. It is designed
for those who either work with the FOIA only occasionally or need only a working
familiarity with the FOIA in order to recognize and handle FOIA-related problems
that may arise in other areas of agency activity. Topics include resource materials,
background and legislative history, disclosure mandates, exemptions to mandatory
disclosure, administrative considerations, and the relationship of the FOIA
to the Privacy Act of 1974.
November 3, 2004, Washington, D.C.
May 11, 2005, Washington, D.C.
August 3, 2005, Washington, D.C.
To find further information about these seminars, including application
requirements and registration information, go to National
Advocacy Center, click on "Courses sorted by topic," and click on "FOIA"
or scroll down to "FOIA Programs." For enrollment information, return to the
National Advocacy Center's home page and click on "Procedures to attend a course."
OTHER TRAINING SOURCES
Freedom of Information Act training programs are also sponsored by the
USDA Graduate School
and the American Society
of Access Professionals. These links can be used for these programs.
For programs offered by the USDA Graduate School:
1. Click on "Course Catalog/Registration."
2. Enter "Freedom" as the keyword. Click on "Search," or choose to limit your
search geographically and then click on "Search."
For programs offered by the American Society of Access Professionals,
check for any course offering on ASAP's home page by using the above link.
(posted 8/27/04; supplemented 9/20/04)
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