# Records Requests & Management
Watch On Demand: FOIA Paranoia and How to Avoid the Lawyers
Recent history's most interesting, perplexing, and intricate public records requests
Original Air Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Watch On-Demand
This session takes a deliberate, humorous look at recent history’s most interesting, perplexing, and intricate public records requests. The session begins with a brief history of the Freedom of Information Act, manual vs. automated handling of public records requests, best practices, and how to avoid non-compliance, lawsuits, and your agency being in the headlines.
Topics will include:
- The history of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
- Why records transparency is essential for democracy
- The optimal mindset for handling public records requests
- Best practices to process requests and respond to appeals
- What to do when things go sideways, and they will
Your Host
CivicPlus® Account Executive
Jess Howe is an account executive at CivicPlus®, focusing on records request management and social media archiving. Before coming to CivicPlus, she spent 18 years as a gymnast. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she now enjoys CrossFit. Jess received a Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.