STHC and SAA Announcments

• Date:   Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:30:35 -0400
• To:  sthc-l@lists.ucla.edu
• From:   Janice Goldblum   < JGoldblu AT nas.edu >
• Subject:   STHC and SAA Announcments
• Message-ID:   E62AD3935B6E114EA16E348BBE10C8E7052FFD3E@ENA100.nrc.na.int

Hello, STHC,
 
SAA Headquarters has issued a statement on FOIA requests that 
will interest all of us. 
 
Reminder: The STHC Roundtable meeting is a mere two weeks away.  
Please join us Wednesday, August 29, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at 
the Fairmont, Chicago.  A program, “Caring for Artifacts in 
Archival Collections”  will complement the business meeting.  
The meeting is a wonderful venue to discuss issues relevant to 
STHC archivists, share new program initiatives, and develop session 
proposals for the 2008 SAA meeting in San Francisco.  The agenda 
is attached.
 
We hope to see you at the Roundtable Meeting.  For many of us the 
Roundtable meetings are a highlight of the SAA conference, and 
this year's STHC program promises a varied and enthusiastic 
session. 
 
The SAA statement follows. 
  
Janice and Paul 
STHC Co-Chairs 	 
 
From: saaleaderlist-owner@lists.archivists.org 
On Behalf Of Nancy Beaumont
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 5:52 PM
To: saaleaderlist@lists.archivists.org
Cc: saacouncil@lists.archivists.org
Subject: [saaleaderlist] SAA Statement on FOIA
SAA Leaders:

Today we posted to the SAA website the following home page 
“blurb” and statement about recent legislation related to the 
Freedom of Information Act.  This statement was developed and 
approved by the SAA Executive Committee on behalf of the Council.  

Please let Elizabeth Adkins (at eadkins@archivists.org) 
or me know if you have questions or concerns.  
Best regards --  Nancy 

**

OPEN Government Act Passes Congress; SAA Calls for Cleanup

Congress took a significant step toward cleaning up the backlog of 
U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests when the Senate 
passed the OPEN Government Act on August 3. The House already had 
approved similar legislation. Read SAA’s statement about current 
years-long delays in government responses to journalists’ 
requests for information.



SAA Statement on Delays by Federal Government Agencies in 
Responding to FOIA Requests 

Congress has taken a significant step toward cleaning up the 
backlog of U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, 
passing a bill that seeks to prevent the current months- and 
even years-long delays in government responses to journalists' 
requests for information. The Openness Promotes Effectiveness 
in our National Government Act, or OPEN Government Act 
(S. 849), passed the Senate on August 3, 2007.  The House 
already had approved similar legislation (H.R. 1309) by an 
overwhelming vote of 308-117.  

The Society of American Archivists, a national organization with 
4,900 members employed in the private and public sectors, 
applauds the action by Congress and calls on all U.S. government 
agencies to meet their obligations under FOIA to release 
requested records.

Government agencies are required to respond to FOIA requests 
within 20 days. But a recent report by the National Security 
Archive (NSA) on federal agencies’ compliance with the 40-year-old 
Act found a pattern of long delays in responding to some requests 
from NSA and other parties.  The delays were so long, in fact, 
that no normal circumstances could explain these decades-long 
lapses. 

Archivists and the institutions they represent hold records with 
historical value in trust for current users and for future 
generations.  Government archivists and archives keep a public 
trust for providing access to records created by elected and 
appointed officials and the agencies they operate.  All citizens 
depend on public records to guarantee their rights and entitlements, 
hold their government accountable, and understand the history of 
our country. The Society of American Archivists advocates for equal 
and open access to records in a manner that is consistent with 
maintaining confidentiality and protecting individual privacy.

By requiring government offices to respond to requests for records 
within 20 days, FOIA plays a critical role in maintaining access 
to federal records that are still in agencies’ custody.  NSA’s 
report shows clearly that some agencies’ handling of requests filed 
under FOIA fails the letter as well as the spirit of the law.  Of 
57 agencies and offices surveyed by NSA, 53 have backlogs of unmet 
requests and 12 still have requests that are more than 10 years old. 
The report reveals a “dishonor roll” of five agencies that are still 
sitting on FOIA requests that are 15 or more years old.

To paraphrase a crucial truth, access delayed can be access denied.  
Because denial of access to public records damages the trust of 
citizens in their government and ultimately undermines democratic 
governance itself, SAA has serious concerns about the pattern of 
delays that NSA reports. Rather than viewing FOIA requests as a 
burden, federal agencies must understand that FOIA is an essential 
element of their responsibilities. 

SAA calls on all U.S. government offices to clear their backlogs of 
requests under FOIA and to comply with the Act’s requirements.

____________________________________________________________
STHC-L - Science, Technology, and Health Care Archives Forum
STHC-L@lists.ucla.edu
http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sthc-l