LibGuides: Virtual Displays: Sunshine Week 2025

What is Sunshine Week?

Sunshine Week is a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government, and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government. Sunshine Week is celebrating its 20th year with an in-person conference in Washington D.C. to find solutions to pressing problems in freedom of information across all disciplinary and geographic boundaries. To learn more, visit their website: https://sunshineweek.org/

Civic Literacy in Schools and Communities by Brian Charest; Kevin K. Kumashiro (Foreword by)
Call Number: 371.19 C472
ISBN: 9780807765258
Publication Date: 2021-04-09
Because many of our schools fail to address the health and well-being of both students and their communities, teachers and teacher educators are in need of a revised vision for teaching and schooling-one that is committed to civic and community engagement where we see school and community building as reciprocal, not separate, projects. This vision of schooling places the health and well-being of individuals and their communities at the center of the curriculum and sees partnership and collaboration with communities and community and democratic revitalization as a central goal of education.
Democracy's News by G. Michael Killenberg; Rob Anderson
Call Number: 070.4 K49
ISBN: 9780472075843
Publication Date: 2023-02-20
Since the Founding, America's faith in a democratic republic has depended on citizens who could be trusted to be communicators. Vigorous talk about equality, rights, and collaboration fueled the Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution with its amendments. In a republic, the people set the terms for their lives not individually, but in community. The genius of keeping it alive exists in how everyday citizens talk and listen, write and read, for a common good. Dialogue and deliberation--rather than an accumulation of individual preferences--sustains a republic, yet a diminished and scarred institution of journalism jeopardizes citizens' access to shared and truthful information.
Free Speech by Jacob Mchangama
Call Number: 323.443 M149
ISBN: 9781541600492
Publication Date: 2022-02-08
Often hailed as the "first freedom," free speech is the bedrock of democracy, the enemy of tyranny, and the gateway to enlightenment. Research reveals a strong correlation between freedom of speech and democracy, innovation, and advancements in human rights, as well as reductions in conflict, corruption, and discrimination. But for all its benefits, free speech remains a challenging, controversial, and often counterintuitive principle, easily subject to erosion in times of social and political upheaval. And today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, freedom of speech is now on the retreat.
Free Speech and Turbulent Freedom by Michael J. Glennon
Call Number: 323.443 G559
ISBN: 9780197636763
Publication Date: 2024-01-23
A brisk, practical defense of free speech in America's digital public square that calls on the courts to reject the censors' absolutism, enforce enduring First Amendment principles, and restore a vigorous and robust marketplace of ideas.
Journalism after Snowden by Emily Bell (Editor); Taylor Owen (Editor); Smitha Khorana (As told to); Jennifer Henrichsen (As told to)
Call Number: 070.4 J86
ISBN: 9780231176125
Publication Date: 2017-03-07
Edward Snowden's release of classified NSA documents exposed the widespread government practice of mass surveillance in a democratic society. The publication of these documents, facilitated by three journalists, as well as efforts to criminalize the act of being a whistleblower or source, signaled a new era in the coverage of national security reporting. The contributors to Journalism After Snowden analyze the implications of the Snowden affair for journalism and the future role of the profession as a watchdog for the public good. Integrating discussions of media, law, surveillance, technology, and national security, the book offers a timely and much-needed assessment of the promises and perils for journalism in the digital age.

Freedom of Information in a Post 9-11 World by Charles Sides
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781351844291
Publication Date: 2017-03-02
Freedom of Information in a Post 9-11 World is the first international scholarly examination of how the terrorist attack on the United States may alter academic and corporate research, as well as the sharing of information generated by that research, by international colleagues in technological fields. This collection of essays brings together a widely varied panel of communications experts from different backgrounds and cultures to focus their expertise on the ramifications of this world-changing event.
Fundamentals of Government Information by Cassandra J. Hartnett; Andrea L. Sevetson; Eric J. Forte
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780838914205
Publication Date: 2016-06-09
Government data and resources are uniquely useful to researchers and other library users. But without a roadmap, sifting through the sheer quantity of information to find the right answers is foolhardy. The first edition of this text is well established as an essential navigational tool for both LIS students and professionals; now this newly revised, peer-reviewed update is even more attuned to new sources and types of government information and how best to locate them. Unmatched in its scope, this book covers such key topics as- the history of government information, from its colorful beginnings to the era of Wikileaks, Edward Snowden, and data breaches;- how to think like a government documents librarian in order to find information efficiently, plus other research tips.
Presidential Privilege and the Freedom of Information Act by Kevin M Baron
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781474442473
Publication Date: 2019
Tells the story behind the development of the Freedom of Information Act and explores its legacy today The Freedom of Information Act, developed at the height of the Cold War, highlighted the power struggles between Congress and the president in that tumultuous era. By drawing on previously unseen primary source material and exhaustive archival research, this book reveals the largely untold and fascinating narrative of the development of the FOIA, and demonstrates how this single policy issue transformed presidential behavior. The author explores the policy's lasting influence on the politics surrounding contemporary debates on government secrecy, public records and the public's 'right to know', and examines the modern development and use of 'executive privilege.
The Transparency Fix: Secrets, Leaks, and Uncontrollable Government Information by Mark Fenster
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781503602670
Publication Date: 2017
Is the government too secret or not secret enough? Why is there simultaneously too much government secrecy and a seemingly endless procession of government leaks? The Transparency Fix asserts that we incorrectly assume that government information can be controlled. The same impulse that drives transparency movements also drives secrecy advocates. They all hold the mistaken belief that government information can either be released or kept secure on command. The Transparency Fix argues for a reformation in our assumptions about secrecy and transparency.
Troubling Transparency by David E. Pozen (Editor); Michael Schudson (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780231545808
Publication Date: 2018-08-01
Troubling Transparency brings together leading scholars from different disciplines to analyze freedom of information policies in the United States and abroad--how they are working, how they are failing, and how they might be improved. Contributors investigate the creation of FOIA; its day-to-day uses and limitations for the news media and for corporate and citizen requesters; its impact on government agencies; its global influence; recent alternatives to the FOIA model raised by the emergence of "open data" and other approaches to transparency; and the theoretical underpinnings of FOIA and the right to know. In addition to examining the mixed legacy and effectiveness of FOIA, contributors debate how best to move forward to improve access to information and government functioning. Neither romanticizing FOIA nor downplaying its real and symbolic achievements, Troubling Transparency is a timely and comprehensive consideration of laws such as FOIA and the larger project of open government, with wide-ranging lessons for journalism, law, government, and civil society.

Featured Library Database: Opposing Viewpoints in Context

This databases is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues. It helps researchers put these topics into their broader contexts via viewpoint pieces, reference articles, infographics, news articles, videos, audio, and more. The broad categories covered include the following sections:

Business and Economics
Energy and Environmentalism
Health and Medicine
Law and Politics
National Debate Topics
Science, Technology, and Ethics
Society and Culture
War and Diplomacy

Website: FOIA.gov

Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. The FOIA also requires agencies to proactively post online certain categories of information, including frequently requested records. As Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court have all recognized, the FOIA is a vital part of our democracy. Visit the official FOIA website to learn more.

Website: The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy website

The mission of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) is to encourage and oversee agency compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). OIP is responsible for developing government-wide policy guidance on all aspects of FOIA administration. OIP also provides legal counsel and training to agency personnel. To assist agencies in understanding the many substantive and procedural requirements of the FOIA, OIP publishes the United States Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act, which is a comprehensive legal treatise addressing all aspects of the FOIA. OIP also provides a range of resources to agencies to guide them in their administration of the Act.

Organization Website: The First Amendment Coalition (FAC)

The First Amendment Coalition protects and promotes a free press, freedom of expression, and the people’s right to know. Nonpartisan and nonprofit, FAC believes that the broadest range of engaged and informed communities is essential to the health of our democracy — that the values expressed by the First Amendment provide a blueprint for an inclusive, equitable society and a responsive, accountable government. To that end, FAC educates, advocates, and litigates to advance government transparency and First Amendment protections for all. (Board of Directors, June 2022)