Electronic Reading Room

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires agencies to make various types of records available for public inspection in both paper and electronic form. These records consist of: (1) "final opinions [and] . . . orders" rendered in the adjudication of administrative cases; (2) specific agency policy statements; (3) certain administrative staff manuals; and, (4) as of March 31, 1997, records disclosed in response to a FOIA request that "the agency determines have become or are likely to become the subject of subsequent requests for substantially the same records."

The policy directives and procedural guidelines of the U.S. Department of State are published in the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) and its supplemental Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH).  Various policy statements, guidelines, and manuals may also be located on the web sites of the offices and bureaus within the Department (see the Organizational List of Bureaus and Offices).  Records that have become or are likely to become the subject of subsequent requests can be found under Declassified/Released Document Collections and in the Department of State Publications page. This information is also available by visiting the Department’s Conventional Reading Room. Click to view the Department of State’s Reading Room Certification.

Department of State’s Reading Room Certification