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STHC-L: The Science, Technology and Health Care Archives Forum
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In my enthusiasm about the August 29th Roundtable meeting I didn't attach the agenda. Here it is. Janice 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. * * * * * ATTACHMENT [originally: STHC Roundtable 2007 Meeting Agenda.doc]: STHC Roundtable 2007 Meeting Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 6:00–8:00 p.m. The Fairmont Chicago Agenda Welcome and Introductions Approval of Minutes Council Representative Program Committee Representative Old Business: Report on 2006/2007 activities, Section and Roundtable Membership: Janice Goldblum. Election of new STHC Co-Chair. Archival Elements Newsletter: Ewa Basinska. STHC listserv: Russell Johnson. STHC website: Rose Roberto. Warnow-Blewett Award: Jean Deken. Program: “Caring for Artifacts in Archival Collections” Many repositories have a variety of artifacts such as a collection of specimens used by a professor’s research and items used, collected, or donated to famous people. The presence of artifacts raises questions: Why are they part of specific collections? How can they be used as a means of documentation? How do they fit into the broader picture of archives? Finally, what are the best institutional policies and practices to put in place so that archivists can care for them and avoid hazardous situations? John Zwicky (American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois), Chair. Carolyn Texley (Consultant, Ann Arbor, Michigan). Mott R. Linn, Jr. (Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts). Jennifer Searcy (Loyola University and Abbott Labs, Chicago, Illinois). Judy Robins (American Society of Anesthesiologists, Park Ridge, Illinois). New Business “Continuing education on HIPAA aware policies, standards, and best practices for archives with individually identifiable health information” Phoebe Evans Letocha, Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Proposed program ideas for SAA 2008—August 23–31—San Francisco Roundtable Round Robin: “Hot Topics” from STHC members. Adjournment ____________________________________________________________ STHC-L - Science, Technology, and Health Care Archives Forum STHC-L@lists.ucla.edu http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sthc-l STHC-L@lists.ucla.edu STHC-L Archives -- Main Index STHC-L Archives -- 2007 Message Index |