The Office of the General Council at DC Public Library can help you find relevant government documents about DC Public Library as well as respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
FOIA Requests
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests
The District of Columbia Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, DC Code §§ 2-531-539, provides that any person has the right to request access to records. All public bodies of the District government are required to disclose public records, except for those records, or portions of records, that are protected from disclosure by the exemptions found at DC Code § 2-534.
A FOIA request may be made for any public record. This does not mean, however, that the public body will disclose every record sought. Statutory exemptions authorize the withholding of certain public records. When the public body does withhold records or portions of records, it must specify which exemption of the FOIA permits the withholding. FOIA does not require agencies to do research, to analyze data, to answer written questions, or to create records in order to respond to a request. FOIA only requires the agency to make a reasonable effort to locate already existing records.
How to submit a FOIA request for DCPL records
Online
A FOIA request may be submitted online via the DC government Public FOIA Portal. FOIA requests submitted online will be easier to track and process.
Via e-mail
A FOIA request can be sent via email to general.counsel@dc.gov and must have “FOIA Request” in the Subject line.
Via mail
Mark the outside of the envelope with "FOIA Request.” Send the request to the FOIA Officer at:
FOIA Officer
DC Public Library
901 G St NW, Suite 403
Washington, DC 20001
Via phone
You are also able to call the DC Public Library’s General Counsel Office and submit an oral FOIA request. The FOIA Officer may request that an oral request be reduced to writing.
Telephone: 202-727-1134
DCPL FOIA Officer
J. Kevin McIntyre, General Counsel
DC Public Library | Office of General Counsel
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
901 G St. NW, Suite 403
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-727-1134
E-mail: general.counsel@dc.gov
Open Government
Open Government Act
President Bush signed the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007 on Dec. 31, 2007. This law, also known as Public Law 110–175 and the "OPEN Government Act of 2007," amended the federal FOIA statute in several ways.
The Open Government Initiative enables D.C. government to be fully transparent.
DCPL’s Open Government Documents
- FY-14 Agency Open Government Report
- District-wide Annual FOIA Reports
- Employee Salary Information
- Administrative Staff Manuals and Instructions
- Policies
- Purchase Card Transactions
- Budget Information
- Minutes of Library Board of Trustee Meetings
- Staff and Organizational Chart
- Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source Contracts
- Awarded Sole Source Contracts
- Determination & Findings for Mandatory Set Aside of Contracts $250,000 or Less
- Emergency Contracts
FY 2022
FY 2021
FY 2020