4 lessons from the federal open records process
COMMENTARY | State and local governments can take a page from the federal government’s FOIA playbook to boost their own efficiency and transparency.
Grants and growth: The infrastructure funding surge demands masterful management
COMMENTARY | To leverage federal funds to strengthen their economies and invest in the future, state and local governments need strong, centralized grant management support.
There’s one year left to turn the corner on evictions
COMMENTARY | By taking advantage of ARPA funds, local leaders can better utilize eviction data to keep more people in their homes.
Expungement backlogs swamp courts
Thousands of new expungement applications are causing months-long backlogs in jurisdictions with manual and paper-based processing. Automation can help.
Access to public records is 'deteriorating terribly'
In a time when trust in state and local government is under siege, public access to information is particularly vital.
Why Blockchain Is a Key Technology for State and Local Governments
COMMENTARY | Blockchains are a promising solution for securing data in health care, finance, voting and other public applications.
County looks to blockchain for records management
Riverside County, California, wants to convert paper-centric services to trusted, secure and private electronic operations with an interagency blockchain platform that would be open to other counties.
States Have the Resources to Clear Criminal Records
COMMENTARY | Most governments already have the capacity and technology to deliver automatic record clearance to all those eligible for relief equitably, expeditiously and at scale.
How Records of Life’s Milestones Help Solve Cold Cases, Pinpoint Health Risks and Allocate Public Resources
Agencies should adopt a centralized approach to managing vital records such as marriage licenses and birth certificates to better track population data.
Digitized ID Eases Re-entry for Formerly Incarcerated
To streamline the re-entry process for released inmates, the Maryland Re-Entry Passport program launched an online portal that stores digitized copies of personal documents.
Machine Learning Digs Into States’ Archives
Amid growing backlogs of archival data, states are turning to software tools to streamline records management.
6 ways technology can streamline public records requests
Agencies are relying on technology to simplify and streamline their public records request process and, as a second-order effect, increase constituents’ confidence in their governing bodies.
Mayor Snagged in WhatsApp Debate
Use of the encrypted messaging app by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration rekindles discussion over apps that allow officials to skirt the spirit, if not the letter, of open records laws.
Mayor snagged in WhatsApp debate
Use of the encrypted messaging app by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s administration rekindles discussion over apps that allow officials to skirt the spirit, if not the letter, of open-records laws.
143,518 U.S. Public Library Workers Are Keeping their Communities Informed, Connected and Engaged – But Their Jobs May be at Risk
COMMENTARY | While newer data isn’t available, the number is probably lower now, and recent history suggests more library jobs may be on the chopping block in the near future.
Government Agencies Interest in Digitizing Paper Records Grows
Paper records account for more than half of the records kept by 52% of government agencies that responded to a recent survey.
A State Agency Scraps Its Paper-Based Licensing System
In adopting a digital licensing system, officials at the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission say they moved away not just from stacks and stacks of paper, but also an old mindset.
Philly Mayor Deleted Years of Text Messages
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | W.Va. teachers strike … Alaska cold case leads to arrest in Maine using genetic genealogy … and the Cincinnati City Council’s attendance record.
Digital Record Deluge Threatens to Swamp States
States allocate less than one-hundredth of one percent of their budget on archives despite exponential data growth.
The Difficult Balance of Transparency and Privacy for Local Governments
“Risk will never be zero so it has to be actively managed,” according to Jason Lally, data services manager for the city and county of San Francisco.
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link
If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.
Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.
Cookie List
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Functional Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Performance Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Social Media Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Targeting Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Help us tailor content specifically for you: