Today, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) announced the appointment of Miriam Nisbet as the director of the newly established Office of Government Information Services (OGIS).  This long-awaited appointment is welcome news.  OGIS is now a leap closer to coming into full operation.

Nisbet enters the position coming from UNESCO’s Information for All Program.  Nisbet served as the legislative counsel for the American Library Association from 1999-2007.  Prior to that, she was the Deputy Director of the Justice Department’s Office of Information Privacy.

OGIS was established under the 2007 OPEN Government Act.  Its purpose is to provide policy guidance and meditation on FOIA activities across the federal government.  OGIS will also review and evaluate agency FOIA compliance.

Although passed in 2007, the office has already had a controversial history.  In February 2008, former President George W. Bush attempted to bury a provision in the 2009 fiscal budget proposal that would move the functions of OGIS to the Justice Department.  The very office that the administration had instructed to defend agency assertions of secrecy was to mediate disputes on FOIA.  Fortunately, the administration’s attempt to rewrite law using the budget process was not successful and OGIS was restored to NARA, often seen as an independent arbitrator distanced from the White House.