www.opengovva.org is packed with new features and the best collection of public-access-related resources.
The Coalition officially unveiled its newly designed Web site at its seventh annual conference Nov. 18 in Lexington.
Designed by Kathy Cashel of Washington, D.C., and funded by a grant from the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the new site is cleaner, better organized and quicker to download.
The new site boasts expanded search capabilities in general, and the archive of opinions interpreting the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in particular. Users can search by date, by topic or by the entity that issued the opinion.
The current and former versions of the Freedom of Information Act are easily accessible and searchable. Users can take advantage of a new built-in FOIA record-request generator. Just fill in the form and your FOIA request is ready for delivery to any given governmental body.
The site also includes features today’s Web surfers have come to expect:
• A blog with commentary on various access and First Amendment issues;
• A user forum for more intense discussion of access and First Amendment issues;
• Real-time sign up for VCOG’s listserv, which usually makes 5-6 posts per week; and
• RSS feeds that notify subscribers of each update to the site.
If users can’t find what they’re looking for, there’s also an easy question form to send to VCOG staff with a promise of a timely reply.
Browse the extensive collection of links and resources on federal and state FOI matters, as well as up-to-the-minute news stories and notes of interest. Learn about VCOG — its members, its mission and how to join. Review back issues of the VCOG newsletter, or keep up to date with access-related bills pulsing through the Virginia General Assembly each session.