Public-records literacy
Public Records And FOIA
Learn how contracts, policies, budgets, audits, retention schedules, denial letters, and correction records can establish what an institution authorized, purchased, retained, shared, or changed.
Publication information
Map The Custodian
Identify the office that likely holds the file: procurement, agency counsel, board clerk, privacy officer, inspector general, court administrator, sheriff, school district, transit authority, contractor liaison, or records officer.
Ask Narrowly, Then Ladder Up
Name the vendor, program, contract number, meeting date, policy title, office, record category, public phrase, or date range. If the answer is too thin, use it to draft the next narrower or better-targeted request.
Request Governance, Not Just Purchase Orders
Surveillance and AI records should include purpose statements, data sources, validation reports, human-review rules, access controls, training, retention, audit logs, complaint files, correction paths, and data-sharing agreements.
Document The Denial
A denial is still evidence. Preserve the date, claimed exemption, search description, fee estimate, extension, redaction basis, requester category, and whether the agency released any segregable material.
Publish A Records Note
When records arrive, summarize what was requested, what was released, what was withheld, what remains unknown, and what the records prove. Link findings to source classes instead of dumping raw material without context.