How to Use the Federal Freedom of Information Act

This booklet is designed as a general "do-it-yourself" guide to using the federal Freedom of Information Act. This is the ninth edition of the guide, which was originally published in 1976 and has been updated and expanded to include recent court opinions that affect the FOI Act. This booklet was researched and edited by The FOI Service Center, a project of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. It describes how to use the Act as an effective investigative tool, and provides sample letters, forms and directories to assist you in dealing with the government promptly and effectively.