Research Guides @ Fordham: Journalism: Archival Research & Freedom of Information Requests

Archival Research Tips

Accessing in-person, physical archives is a specific type of research that requires background research, planning, and navigating various types of permissions. The following resources explain how to use and find in-person archives:

Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research
This resource by Laura Schmidt and the Society of American Archivists explains how archives work, how to identify archives for your research, and how to access historical materials and research at an archives
Dictionary of Archives Terminology
The foremost reference on the archival terms from the Society of American Archivists drawn from professional literature in the United States and Canada.
ArchiveGrid
This platform helps researchers locate archives. Offers over 5 million records describing archival materials consisting of historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives the public the right to request access to records from federal agencies. These agencies are required to share the information requested unless it falls under one of nine exemptions.

Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552)
Text of the law via the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives.
FOIA.gov
Government website offering FOIA research tips, federal agency data, and an online platform to submit a request.
FOIA Machine
An open-source platform helping citizens and journalists to write, file and track public records requests to federal agencies in the U.S.
MuckRock
A nonprofit, collaborative news site for researchers to request, analyze, and share government documents. Provides tips on how to file requests, tools to make the process easier, and a repository of hundreds of thousands of pages of original government materials.

Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Requests

The Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”), Article 6 (Sections 84-90) of the NYS Public Officers Law, provides the public right to access to records maintained by state or local government agencies with certain exceptions.

Freedom of Information Law
A page from Open Government NY offering an overview of FOIL, text of the law, Advisory Opinions, Case Law Summary, regulations, rules, publications, and FAQs.
Open FOIL NY Resource Center
Offers an Open FOIL NY online form and contact information for multiple agencies.
Open Records NYC
NYC Government’s home for filing Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests offering government reports & data, a database of submitted requests, and an online form to submit a request.

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