On March 16, the library celebrates Freedom of Information Day, which is observed on the birthday of James Madison, who is often referred to as the “Father of the Constitution” and one of the most outspoken advocates for open government among the founding fathers.
In 1967, the Freedom of Information Act was passed, which requires the disclosure of U.S. government documents upon request, with nine types of exemptions:
Free and open access to information is a core principle of libraries, and we’ve chosen to highlight several of our books regarding freedom of information, which will be on display through March 17. Also on display will be copies of some of the FBI's declassified documents, including files on Howard Zinn, Bayard Rustin, the Mattachine Society, and UFOs.
In addition, the Ezra Lehman Library is part of the Federal Depository Library Program and is one of over 1,100 designated libraries in the United States which distributes government information and assists users in locating information about the federal government. Most of our government documents are located on the lower level of the library, and are marked with the Federal Depository Library logo:
For more information on how to access government documents in our library, please ask one of our librarians, or see our page on government information: https://library.ship.edu/govdocs
For more information on the Freedom of Information Act, or to learn how to fill out a request for information of your own, visit: https://www.foia.gov/
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