Open Records
Los Angeles County Record Request Requirements–Just Quirky? Or Unconstitutional?
I was alerted to this issue by a commenter on the Find-A-Grave California Discussion Forum. If you go in person to the main office of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder in Norwalk, California, and ask to view their birth, death, or marriage records, you will be required to sign a form similar to the one below (the example is for …
May 2, 2009 Saturday at 2:01 pm
"Open" State Vital Records: The Bad and the Ugly
One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy Previously, we spotlighted several states that are particularly “genealogy-friendly” concerning access to state vital records. Now we wade into the swamp of vital records-access horribles. At the edge of the swamp are states that have unreasonably long (100 years or more for birth records; more than fifty years for death …
March 26, 2008 Wednesday at 10:40 pm
Open State Vital Records: Some of the Best States
One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy I’ve made a brief survey of state vital records laws and here present some of the “best” states in terms of “openness.” These determinations are based on several factors: whether law provides that vital records are “open” or “public”; whether reasonable “confidential periods” are imposed; whether reasonable fees are required; …
March 26, 2008 Wednesday at 2:57 am
APG Open Records Summary
One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy The Association of Professional Genealogists position paper on open records contains the following summary: No proof that open records significantly contribute to ID theft or terrorism. ID thieves rarely use public records, relying instead on stolen or fraudulent data. Public benefits of access to records far outweighs their threat. Open …
March 25, 2008 Tuesday at 2:39 am
APG Pushes for Open Records
One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy Coincident with our series of posts about open government records, the Association of Professional Genealogists has released a position paper entitled “The Case for Open Records.” Appropriately, it was a project of APG’s Sunshine state [Florida] chapter. Last Friday, APG issued a press release about the position paper, which has …
March 24, 2008 Monday at 4:33 pm
FOIA Spotlight: The U.S. Department of State
One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy Last week, as we noted, was Sunshine Week, focused on open government, and open records in particular. Although the commemoration has passed, we’ll continue in the next few posts to focus on open records. After all, every week should be Sunshine Week! Our FOIA Spotlight today is on the U.S. …
March 24, 2008 Monday at 3:31 am
Let the Sunshine In!
One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and GenealogyTim Agazio at Genealogy Reviews Online blogs today about his experiences with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). That reminded me that this week (March 16-22) is Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is a project of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, with many other participants. It is “national initiative to open …
March 17, 2008 Monday at 11:10 pm
