The Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy, in conjunction with the Department's
National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina, offers five different training programs on the
Freedom of Information Act. The schedule for Fiscal Year 2006 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 in Washington, D.C., the FOIA and Privacy Act sessions may be attended separately.
October 26-28, 2005, Columbia, S.C.
January 24-26, 2006, Washington, D.C.
February 14-16, 2006, Columbia, S.C.
July 18-20, 2006, Washington, D.C.
September 26-28, 2006, Phoenix, Ariz.
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, 2005, Washington, D.C.
July 12, 2006, 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, 2005, Washington, D.C.
July 13, 2006, 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 1, 2005, Washington, D.C.
April 4, 2006, Washington, D.C.
August 22, 2006, Washington, D.C.
FOIA Guide Seminar
This program is designed to provide attorneys and access
professionals with an update on recent FOIA decisions and current FOIA policy.
It is specifically intended for the access professional who has attended the
Department of Justice's basic two-day FOIA course, or has worked extensively
with the Act, and seeks a periodic update on FOIA matters. The program is conducted
by the co-directors of the Office of Information and Privacy immediately after
completion of each new edition of the "Justice Department Guide to the Freedom
of Information Act," a special pre-publication copy of which is provided to
all attendees. The "FOIA Guide" is revised and published on a biennial cycle
during the month of May in even-numbered years, and the next seminar is currently
anticipated to be held in June 2006. As soon as a firm date is scheduled, it
will be made available through FOIA Post, together with enrollment
information, so that registration for the program may begin as soon as possible.
The Office of Information and Privacy intends to hold this FOIA program at the
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, which has a capacity
that should accommodate all interested attendees.
To find further information about these seminars, including application requirements and
enrollment 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 7/21/05)
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