Screenshot of “Welcome to the Long Shadows of Seattle,” a podcast project exploring Seattle’s history of racial justice and political activism, supported by Libraries staff. OSC staff can help users find the right tools and support to effectively share stories waiting to be told within Libraries collections.
Research in the 21st century is based on interdisciplinary connections and relies on technology to create and share for the public good. We know that it can be challenging for students and faculty to connect across disciplines, access technology, learn relevant skills, and share research openly. We are excited to bring together a suite of services to more equitably support this work in the Open Scholarship Commons (OSC). The OSC, operating virtually for now, provides a hub for cross-disciplinary knowledge creation and dissemination– supporting you in using digital tools to openly share your research and safely integrating new digital pedagogy techniques into your classroom.
use geospatial tools to create maps relating to your research;
integrate digital tools or methods into a classroom setting;
navigate rights for your own publications, your thesis and dissertation, or your born-digital work.
Screenshot of The Mill on the Floss, a digital edition created by students in English 440/529, hosted on Manifold. OSC staff can provide workshops and consultations to help develop projects like this.
The OSC will continue to grow and evolve as more partners join us. We will modify services based on your feedback from OSC consultations, workshops, and events. Through participation, you will help shape the future of this virtual space that will eventually evolve into a new physical space within the Libraries when it is safe to be together again on campus.
Through participation, you will help shape the future of this virtual space that will eventually evolve into a new physical space within the Libraries when it is safe to be together again on campus.
We encourage you to explore OSC services and upcoming events on our website, including our OSC project page with many examples of how the OSC team is supporting open digital scholarship projects across UW. You’re helping create the OSC by using it!
Hannah Wilson, Access Services Manager, pushing a book cart on the fourth floor of the Tioga Library Building.
We are packing up our library. Yes, we are. In the hands of library workers, the books are journeying from their shelves, first to book carts, then to sometimes temporary and other times permanent locations for the duration of the Learning Commons construction.
One of the books that we’ve already moved is Illuminations by Walter Benjamin, whose essay “Unpacking My Library” inspired the opening sentences of this post. Along with more than 15,000 titles, this book has travelled from the second floor of Tioga Library Building up to the new location on the fourth floor of this building.
In early January, the UW Tacoma Library received 50 book carts. The arrival of these book carts signaled the start of the many things to be done to get our spaces ready for the Learning Commons construction work, slated to begin on February 16, 2021.
One of the biggest jobs is shifting our book collection for the new shelf organization. The UW Tacoma Library holds approximately 121,000 volumes contained in 14,000 linear feet of shelving, a distance only 411 feet shy of the great mountain that overshadows and lends its name to Tacoma. Our task is to keep this mountain of books in order while moving it, so that we are ready to find and pull and find particular titles in time for curbside pick up appointments. Keeping our collection organized is essential for uninterrupted services for students, faculty, and staff.
Risty, a Library student employee, pulling books from the shelves on the second floor of the Tioga Library Building.
Library staff began the process of shifting the book collection off the shelves in the Tioga Library Building to carts in late January. We are lucky that Access Services Manager, Hannah Wilson, has experience managing a library move at a previous institution. She is working with the staff and student workers in Access Services to move the collection in stages.
Shifting books and removing the shelving on the first and second floor of the Tioga Library Building clears the way for the new, active spaces that will be created as part of the Learning Commons Project. In the new first and second floor spaces in TLB, students will find a variety of soft seating options, technology, and integrated service points. Our existing shelving is being repurposed for use on the fourth floor, where it will be adjacent to a new silent study area and reading room with one of the best views on campus.
This is but one of the many activities that Library staff are engaged in right now for construction. In addition, we’re packing up offices, clearing out services desks, taking down artwork, consolidating technology, and setting up temporary service locations, all while maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols and continuing to support remote services.
This project is taking a lot of work — and it will bring significant changes to the Library and its space — but we are inspired by the many ways that this project will benefit students when we are able to all return to campus. Through this project, a dynamic, technology-rich learning environment will be established across the Snoqualie and Tioga Library Building complex that harnesses the collaboration between the Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI), the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), and the Library in a new, synergistic way and enables students to better connect to the services, programs, and resources these allied units offer.
It is fantastic to see the clear progress as the spaces begin to resemble how they will appear on the day when we will unpack our library and again provide in-person browsing. Here are photos of the east side of the fourth floor of TLB approximately two weeks apart, followed by the the photos of the second floor of TLB where the shelves came from:
Second floor of Tioga Library Building on January 11, 2021, prior to shift. Second floor of the Tioga Library Building on February 10, 2010, after books and shelving were removed. Fourth floor of the Tioga Library Building on January 11, 2021, before the beginning of the book shift. Fourth floor of Tioga Library Building on February 2, 2021, after the move of shelving and books.
Stories
Top 5 OER tips for Huskies – Celebrating Open Education Week
March 1, 2021
This week, March 1-5, 2021, is Open Education Week, an annual global celebration of open education efforts, including open courses, open textbooks, and other open educational resources (OER).
OER and textbook affordability go hand in hand. OER are free or extremely low cost by definition. When courses are taught using open textbooks and other OER, students save money. That’s even more important now because COVID-19 has taken a heavy economic toll on students, as U.S. PIRG reported last week in a new report on Fixing the Broken Textbook Market. The UW Libraries and the University Book Store have worked to address this issue through increased access to e-resources and the Student Choice program. Creating and adopting OER is another way instructors can help students save money.
UW faculty and students have worked together to produce innovative open publications through open pedagogical practices over the past few years. The UW Libraries have a growing catalog of OER written and published right here at the Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma campuses.
Here are some things you might not know yet about OER—but definitely should.
1. Open education ≠ Open access
Open education and open access (OA) share many of their goals and methods, but they aren’t the same.
What’s the difference? For one thing, OER are focused on teaching while OA literature is focused on research. OER are also a bit more open than OA materials. Here’s what that means:
As you can see, true OER can be reused, remixed, and incorporated into new projects. So instructors can freely adapt and customize course materials to suit their teaching style.
Let’s say you find a book in the Open Textbook Library and have a brilliant idea to riff on one of the chapters. You can do that! With Pressbooks, it’s easy to clone a copy and make it your own—while giving credit to the original creator, of course.
For UW instructors looking to switch out required reading or enrich their courses, OER Subject Guides are the place to start.
These guides highlight some of the best free and openly licensed materials that have been created for each discipline. Consult your subject librarian for additional support.
3. OER frees knowledge from the ivory tower
One way UW researchers are sharing their expertise beyond the bounds of campus is by producing OER.
Climate Science for the Classroom by the Program on Climate Change Community: This evolving toolkit is set up to help middle school and high school teachers use data to explore global, regional, and societal issues related to climate change. The contributors are mostly UW graduate students and faculty members.
Designing Tech Policy by David Hendry: This collection of instructional case studies from University of Washington Tech Policy Lab is designed to enhance tech policy capacity and fluency in a wide variety of settings, from preparing policymakers to educating undergraduate students.
Virtual REACH Program 2020: Exploring Neuroscience and Neurotechnologies at Home by Dr. Kristen Clapper Bergsman and Dr. Eric H. Chudler: This interactive digital book was produced for a high school summer camp through the Center for Neurotechnology, which went fully online because of the pandemic. Anyone can explore and adapt these readings, videos, images, quizzes, and activities on cutting-edge research.
4. Students can—and do—publish OER
An important aspect of open education is open pedagogy—when students are involved in developing, adapting, or using OER in their coursework. At the UW, groups of students have published volumes of essays, research, and original artwork. Here’s a sample:
The Creative Process, by the Fall 2020 ART 480 Honors class in Seattle showcases 20 visual artists in conversation about why they make, how they work, and how the creative process unfolds.
Students always hold the copyright to their own work, but publishing with an open license lays the groundwork for a living, growing collaboration as each new class builds on the work of previous classes.
Instructors who want to start using OER and open pedagogy in their courses can contact Lauren Ray, Open Education Librarian, to learn more.
Priceless, ancient coins find a home at UW Libraries
February 19, 2021
Photos of a portion of the 51 Greek Hellenistic and early Islamic coins seized at the US/Canada border, now held at UW Libraries Special Collections. WATCH the story on KIRO 7 TV news !
Ancient coins, federal agents, mysterious circumstances at an international border…what sounds like a scene out of an Indiana Jones movie is a real-life story of lost artifacts that have now found a home with UW Libraries Special Collections. The story begins in 2017 at the US/Canadian border in Blaine, WA. When a vehicle was refused entrance and attempted to return to the United States, US border agents discovered and seized a collection of 51 ancient Greek Hellenic and early Islamic coins, the oldest of which are thought to date back to pre-Roman empire, around 350 BCE. The individual involved could not provide documentation of origin or ownership, and a formal investigation ensued that would continue for more than four years.
“A private citizen would not normally be in possession of something like (ancient coins),” said Brian Humphrey, Director of Field Operations for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Seattle. According to Humphrey, it is extremely rare to intercept stolen antiquities in this manner, presumably on their way to the black market. “These coins were obtained due to some very astute CBP Officers,” Humphrey says.
Brian Humphrey (left), Director of Field Operations for CBP in Seattle, and Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations operations in the Pacific Northwest, display some of the 51 Greek Hellenistic and early Islamic coins HSI transferred to the University of Washington Libraries in a ceremony hosted on the UW campus, Feb. 18, 2021.
The prevalence of looting archaeological sites combined with high demand in the black market pose a serious threat to preservation of historical artifacts. According to Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) operations in the Pacific Northwest, U.S. agents have engaged in more than 12,000 antiquities investigations in the past decade.
“Illegal smuggling of cultural antiquities is not a victimless crime. The countries these items belong to and are stolen from are victims. Society as a whole is victimized when we lose these pieces of history to a private collector’s coffee table. HSI will continue to work aggressively with CBP to seize stolen antiquities and return them to either their rightful country of origin or a key academic partner like the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections for the safekeeping of the pieces of history.”
As part of the investigation, agents reached out to Professor Sarah Stroup of the Department of Classics at the University of Washington to help authenticate the coins. Agents would investigate further over the next three years to try and establish a verifiable record of authenticity and provenance in order to return the coins to a rightful owner.
Prof. Sarah Stroup addresses media at the February 18th ceremony in front of Allen Library.
“When items are illegally removed, that is, they are not the result of legitimate archaeological excavation—they lose provenance, and so not only is their history lost, it becomes exceptionally difficult to properly repatriate them,” says Professor Stroup.
“When items are illegally removed, that is, they are not the result of legitimate archaeological excavation—they lose provenance, and so not only is their history lost, it becomes exceptionally difficult to properly repatriate them,” says Professor Stroup.
In this case, provenance could not be established. Per US law, museums are not eligible to accept materials without provenance, but academic institutions can. In June 2019, when it was clear that repatriation was not possible, UW Libraries was approached about the opportunity, and made a formal request to accept the coins. The administrative approval and legal review by the Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings would take another year to complete, due in part to COVID-related operational delays.
On Thursday, February 18, 2021, agents from both US Border Patrol and Homeland Security met UW Libraries staff outside the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries to officially transfer the coins. Sandra Kroupa, a UW Libraries veteran for over 50 years and the Book Arts and Rare Book Curator for UW Libraries Special Collections, accepted the coins from Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer.
“When a student can hold 3,000 years of history in their hand, there is no substitute for that in the learning environment.”
Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer (left), presents the coins to Sandra Kroupa, Book Arts and Rare Book Curator, for University of Washington Libraries Special Collections in a ceremony hosted on the UW campus, Feb. 18, 2021.
“UW Special Collections holds many historically significant artifacts that have been found and given to the Libraries from donors who want the items to be shared and studied for the public good,” says Kroupa. “We are grateful for the opportunity to add these very unique coins to our collections. Beyond their value as currency, ancient coins like this represent the beginning of communication and bookmaking. They reveal important historical information that help us understand the culture and politics from a specific time period. When a student can hold 3,000 years of history in their hand, there is no substitute for that in the learning environment.”
According to Kroupa, these coins provide a rare glimpse into histories from an area of the world underrepresented in the Libraries’ historical resources. The coins will advance scholarship for local researchers who have limited access to these kinds of antiquities in the Pacific Northwest.
Access to the coins is currently not available as the Libraries remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When normal operations resume, and after the acquisition process for the coins has been completed, Special Collections staff look forward to sharing them with students and researchers by appointment.
The coins provide a foundation for discussion about the societies in which they were created, as well as the complex issues of cultural heritage and the impact of illegal excavation and antiquities trade.
For students interested in exploring these topics further, consider courses like these* that delve into the history and trade of ancient artifacts such as: History of Recorded Information (LIS 508), a Library and Information Science graduate course; and Looting and Loss: The Recent Destruction of Cultural Heritage Sites in the Middle East (NEAR E 312) taught through Near Eastern Languages and Civilization; as well as a variety of courses in Ancient and Medieval History including The Ancient World (HSTAM 111); Military History of the Ancient World (HSTAM 205); The World of Late Antiquity (HSTAM 311); and Ancient and Medieval History (HSTAM 314) .*
*- these are examples of past courses and may not be offered at this time.
The UW Libraries reaffirms a commitment to diversity and inclusion that some felt was not evident in how we handled this event and its promotion. We will seek continuously to ensure that our actions reflect the Libraries’ values in the future.
Stories
Libraries Monthly Update: February
February 4, 2021
Last update: 2/10
News and Announcements
Libraries Operations Update:
We are pleased to announce that the UW Libraries plans to open Individual Study Space @ Research Commons located on the ground floor of Allen South on the UW Seattle campus.
The space will open when preparations for COVID compliance are complete, no later than the start of spring quarter (March 29).
This space is intended to provide a clean, safe and quiet space for individual study with access to WIFI and equitable access through the LibSeats reservation system. Once the online reservation system is active, a link will be provided.
The libraries at UW Bothell and Tacoma are developing localized plans in coordination with campus administration.
Opening and maintaining Libraryspaces will be highly dependent on adherence to COVID safety guidelines, as noted in the Husky PackPledge.
New Publishing Agreement for UW Authors: The University of Washington and Cambridge University Press have entered into a transformative “read and publish” agreement, the first of its kind for UW, making UW scholarship more accessible to readers and researchers all over the world. Learn more.
UW Libraries Black History Month Challenge: read, listen and watch something new and then share it! Learn more.
#IHeartUWLibraries Student Video Contest is back!After more than ten months of remote learning,UW huskies are becoming experts in accessing the Libraries remote resources. Students can apply their 2020/2021 experience and creative talents for a chance to win cash awards worth up to $1,500! Learn more.
Wall Street Journal Pilot- All huskies now have access to the WSJ.com and other WSJ resources through a new two-year pilot.Learn more.
Community Reads 2021:Explore environmental justice topics and resources with something new to watch, read and listen to each quarter.Hosted by UW Bothell Libraries, open to all students and faculty; easily integrated into courses through Canvas!Learn more.
Budget updates:Updates on Libraries budget planning and impact on subscriptions and collections are posted regularly on our website. Current update.
Events, Workshops
Did you know that the UW Libraries provides hundreds of hours of FREE instruction and community events each year for UW students and faculty? Don’t miss out!
Manifold and Pressbooks Workshops:Learn how to create and publish a wide variety of materials (digital books, textbooks, monographs, and teaching materials)using Pressbooks and Manifoldplatforms.
Feb 12: Join us for avirtual Lunar New Year celebration with the Tateuchi East Asia Library– check out this and other TEAL events including Digital Scholarshipfor East Asia Studies (multiple events), Korean and Japanese Research Methods Workshopsand more! See all TEAL events.
Feb20: Digital Humanities Day Panel Discussion– Explore liberal arts studies and what can you do with a humanities or social sciences degree in a panel discussionswith UW Libraries Open Scholarship team, UW students and alumni. Learn more.
Feb 22: Research Data Management Workshop – Do you create or use data in your research? Looking for tips and tools to better help you manage your research data, and preserve it for long-term use? This asynchronous workshop may be for you! Learn More
No Reservations: Weekly Drop-In Help Sessions From UW Libraries: Digital Scholarship Project Help Office Hours:Get help finding and using tools and resources fordigital publishing, data research management, data visualization and more! dates and hours.
New Agreement Covers the Costs of Publishing in Open Access Cambridge University Press Journals for UW Authors
February 4, 2021
The University of Washington and Cambridge University Press have entered into a transformative “read and publish” agreement to promote Open Access publishing. Negotiated with our consortial partners in the Orbis Cascade Alliance, the agreement is designed to maintain UW’s access to Cambridge’s outstanding journals while also supporting the Libraries’ strategic goal of Advancing Research for the Public Good by making UW scholarship available to more readers and researchers all over the world. This is UW’s first read and publish agreement with a major publisher and runs for three years, from 2021 to 2023.
Why is it important?
Over the past decade, the growing adoption of Open Access (OA) publishing has changed the nature of the scholarly publishing ecosystem – for authors, readers, publishers, and libraries. A 2019 study estimated that 31% of all journal articles are available as OA and 52% of all article views are to OA articles, and that the trend toward more open scholarship will continue. There has been increased interest among research libraries to help accelerate the transition by moving away from traditional journal subscriptions to read and publish arrangements that help cover all or part of the costs to institutional authors for Open Access article publishing.
The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Washington and authors must indicate their UW institutional affiliation at the time of submission.
The agreement provides a complete waiver on all Article Processing Charges (APCs) for UW corresponding authors publishing in CUP journals with an Open Access publishing option.
Articles must be accepted for publication between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023. There’s no limit on the number of times an eligible UW author may request funding during the contract period.
Once an article has been accepted and submitted, authors select a Creative Commons License for their work. The CC license is widely used and accepted in OA publishing and allows authors to determine how readers can re-use and share their work.
As UW corresponding authors complete their Author Publishing Agreement, they’ll have the option to seek funding to pay for their article processing charges. UW will approve or deny the request and authors will receive an email confirming this decision.
We are excited about the new agreement and this opportunity to help support and promote UW open scholarship. If you have questions about the CUP agreement or Open Access publishing, please contact the Libraries’ Scholarly Communication and Publishing Department.
Gordon Aamot Director, Scholarly Communication and Publishing
Stories
Community Reads 2021: Environmental Justice
January 15, 2021
An image from this quarter’s Community Reads selection
UW Bothell and Cascadia College Campus Library’s Community Readsprogram strives to build community through shared intellectual experiences and discussions around social justice, equity, and diversity. With something new to read, watch, and listen to each quarter– participants get a variety of perspectives and mediums to engage with. Although this year’s digital interactions may look a little different from past years’ in-person events, the Community Reads 2020-21 committee has curated an interactive Canvas course that provides a variety of different resources for participants. It’s all hosted asynchronously and commenting/contributing to discussions is optional.
Each quarter we base discussions around a central theme. This year’s theme is environmental justice and during Winter quarter, we are exploring climate migration and climate refugees through three thought-provoking reflections on the topic:
Podcast: Climate Refugees from What Makes Us Human by Cornell College of Arts and Sciences
Plus a wide range of related resources including webinars, books, and more
Community Reads is open to all UW students, faculty, and staff. In addition to discussions on curated materials, participants can also contribute to our Community Reads Climate Zine. The Community Reads Zine is an opportunity for participants to share their voice on this quarter’s topic by submitting a piece of creative work inspired by the course’s materials and activities. The zine is then uploaded to the Canvas webpage and made available to all to read; you can find the previous quarter’s zines here.
Faculty and staffcan also integrate materials, thematic modules, and activities into their classes and programs. Ideas for classroom and departmental use include:
Invite students to participate in the entire course or specific modules for extra credit.
Import specific modules of the course into your own courses.
Assign the Zine activity as an assignment in your course or suggest staff submittals.
Invite the staff or student employees you supervise to engage with the resources of the course and participate in activities and discussion spaces.
We are excited to share these resources with you, and hope that you will join us this quarter for Community Reads! Enrolling in theCanvas course is easy and required for participation. Follow the link below to learn more!https://guides.lib.uw.edu/bothell/communityreads/w21
Stories
UW Libraries Launches Wall Street Journal Pilot
January 12, 2021
The UW Libraries has begun a two-year pilot partnership with The Wall Street Journal. Current students, faculty and staff may register now to get free access to WSJ.com, the WSJ mobile app, podcasts, and educator tools now through December 22, 2022. Recognized as a leading source for business and finance, The Wall Street Journal also covers U.S. and world news, politics, arts and culture.
What happens after the pilot?
During the two-year trial, UW Libraries will assess usage data to understand how this resource is used and if it serves specific user needs that are not able to be met with other resources. While we expect the WSJ will undoubtedly be a popular resource, the cost of access for this single source and other mainstream news websites like WSJ can be comparable to what a library might pay for access to hundreds of academic research journals or thousands of books and media.
Sustainability is always at the forefront of resource allocation. At the end of two years, the Libraries may continue with a paid subscription, or not — there are many variables to consider, and no guarantees. Therefore, it is important that users understand that this is a trial period and access is temporary. Robust usage data and a clearer picture of future UW budget priorities will provide guidance in the longer term.
News sources within libraries: changes and challenges
The prospect of a university-wide paid subscription to The Wall Street Journal is complicated and somewhat incompatible with traditional library collections economics.
For as long as libraries have preserved primary sources, library patrons have made use of relatively few formats to get access to news, from paging through current daily newspapers on a stick to browsing microform reproductions on specialized reading equipment. In recent decades, newspaper articles became searchable on CD-ROMs and, more conveniently, on website databases — now the standard method for finding and retrieving news articles. Long before this new pilot began, the UW Libraries has been providing access to full-text reproductions of the daily print edition of The Wall Street Journal through ProQuest, an aggregator of news and journal articles.
But as newspaper publishers have transformed the habit of news consumption from the printed page to dynamic and personalized digital content, news consumers have come to expect a higher level of richer and more interactive content that can’t be replicated by the text-only formats that most library databases provide.
While libraries are still best positioned to provide centralized access to archived news content, current library databases and budgets are not ideally situated for facilitating direct access to news publisher websites given their inherently high cost. Single-source subscriptions, including the New York TImes, Financial Times and other news websites have not been feasible for many academic Libraries. (To be clear, the Libraries does provide text-only access to FT and the Times through newspaper database aggregators, just not the websites.) But with the right partnership and involvement of campus stakeholders, a sustainable funding structure is conceivable.
The WSJ opportunity
Budgetary hurdles aside, the two-year WSJ pilot affords us a terrific opportunity to see what works and to understand the value of a direct subscription to a leading news source. As we begin monitoring WSJ usage and gathering user feedback, we will also communicate with UW departments and stakeholders to determine what funding sources may help to make the WSJ an affordable resource.
For now, though, I am encouraged by the already apparent enthusiasm for The Wall Street Journal at the UW. In just the first week of the program launch, more than 800 people registered for WSJ accounts. In the months and years ahead, library patrons in the Foster Business Library and in UW Libraries spanning the Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma campuses will have a unique opportunity to make the most of the free access to this major news source.
###
Stories
Libraries Monthly Update: December 2020
December 11, 2020
With the holidays upon us, we would like to echo the public health advice from UW Environmental Health and Safety to encourage all huskies in having a safe and healthy holiday.
The following is the latest news and updates from the Libraries:
UW Press Book Sale:Get 40% off books now through December 31st – local stories with global appeal for every reader on your list. Makes the perfect gift.
Libraries Operations: No change.
We anticipate very little change in operations between Fall and Winter quarter. Based on the protocols outlined within University of Washington COVID-19 Safe Start Phases*, Libraries will remain closed to the public during this Phase 2. We continue to work in partnership with centralized UW planning teams to evaluate any shift in operational plans, and will update the community through these monthly updates and in our centralized communications as new information arises.
Curbside pick-upwill be open regular hours during break with the exception of University holidays on 12/25/20 and 1/1/21. Thank you to our UW Libraries Access Services team who keep this vital service running for all huskies.
Virtual Library Study Room, Sunday, December 13th: Don’t study alone! All students are welcome! We’ll provide motivational tips, a variety of soundtracks to study to, and opportunities to meet and chat with other students.
Introduction to Business Library Research, Thursday, January 7th: an asynchronous workshop to build foundational and advanced skills using library databases hosted by Foster business Library.
Dr. Bo Zhao on geospatial analysis,Thursday January 7th: Part of the Tateuchi Research methods workshop series, UW’s Dr. Bo Zhao, will give a talk on research projects utilizing geospatial analysis techniques.
Please continue to share your questions andtell us how we can continue to support your teaching, learning and research needs. Our Libraries staff in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell arehere to help.
Don’t forget to follow us on social media to get the latest news on Libraries events and resources!
Stay healthy, huskies!
Stories
Featured Resource: How to FOIA
December 4, 2020
In 2019, the UWCHR celebrated its 10th anniversary. As a part of the celebration, I facilitated a public FOIA training workshop, and rewrote the training manual to be relevant to a wider audience looking to do public interest research. The manual, How to FOIA, was published by UW Pressbooks and provides guidelines on how to file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, highlighting an important tool for human rights activists and anyone conducting research on the U.S. federal government. How to FOIA, is a free step-by-step guide for beginners about how to file FOIA requests, including examples. The guide traces the process from developing an idea, drafting, and submitting the request all the way through the appeal process.
What is the FOIA?
The FOIA is a law that was passed by congress in 1966 that allows any person (U.S. citizen or not) to request information from the United States federal government. The law says that anyone has a right to all government information, except for nine different reasons, or exemptions. The exemptions include, for example, a prohibition of releasing information that would threaten national security, violate the privacy of an individual, interfere with law enforcement investigations, divulge information about the U.S.’s nuclear facilities, or share trade secrets.
While the FOIA provides opportunity for broad access to government information, each presidential administration chooses to interpret the law in a more broad or narrow scope. For example, President Obama, upon his inauguration, passed an executive order that called for the adoption of a “presumption of disclosure,” so the default was to release the documents unless an exemption prohibited it. The more limited interpretation would encourage the withholding of all information unless it was required to be released.
Why is the FOIA important?
Even one of the most secretive of U.S. government agencies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) declares on its website that public access to government information is necessary “to ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society.” While the FOIA allows public oversight of the government and is a key tool in holding the government accountable, it only works if people use it. Through decades of every-day people requesting information and groups pursuing strategic litigation, the FOIA law strengthens, as does the rights of the people to access information through the law.
The FOIA can be used in many different ways to provide public oversight and hold the U.S. federal government accountable for what it does with our tax dollars. Here are some examples:
As an educational institution, the University of Washington—students, staff, and faculty—have an important opportunity and responsibility to submit FOIAs and provide analysis and public access to government records declassified through the FOIA. The use of the FOIA and publishing the results of requests is also an important opportunity for advancement of educational equity by serving the general public and making government information available to more people. One example is the University of Washington Center for Human Rights collection of records on El Salvador, obtained through the FOIA. Read more about this project and see the document collection here, housed in the UW Research Works platform.
One important benefit to publishing the How to FOIA book on UW Pressbooks is the use of the creative commons license which allows for free publishing and easy collaboration. Free access through Pressbooks ensures the knowledge created is accessible to more people and allows for the collaborative creation of new knowledge. How to FOIA is licensed under the Creative Commons license “attribution, non-commercial, share-alike,” which allows and encourages other people to rework and re-publish the guide for non-commercial purposes. The hope is that as others develop expertise in using the FOIA, they can also write more detailed guides for obtaining important information in their subject areas, such as environmentalism, human rights, racial justice, public health, international justice, immigration advocacy, and criminal justice reform, among others. By learning how to FOIA and sharing this knowledge with others, UW researchers can help increase transparency and access to information that is critical to advocacy and social justice efforts across all disciplines.
By learning how to FOIA and sharing this knowledge with others, UW researchers can help increase transparency and access to information that is critical to advocacy and social justice efforts across all disciplines.
How to FOIA is an excellent example of open scholarship in action. It not only sheds light on what has traditionally been a closed and complicated process but its open license allows it to be adapted and built upon as others work through the FOIA process and add their expertise, creating a rich resource. The UW Libraries is pleased offer support for the creation and open sharing of projects like How to FOIA. To learn more about how you might create an open project like this one, please visit the UW Libraries Open Scholarship Commons to see examples of open work, learn more about tools to publish your work openly, and to get support on creating your own project.
elebration
