Freedom of Information Requests Survey (FIRS) : Preliminary Results

At the request of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA), Dr. Martin Dowding, Assistant Professor at the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS), University of British Columbia recruited and supervised Jeremiah Saunders and Frederic Murray, MLIS candidates, to design and conduct a survey in 2005-2006 that would measure the process of and satisfaction with making a freedom of information request for public information through British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA or FIPPA). More than 300 organisations in British Columbia, representing a cross-section of BC society, were contacted via email to participate in a web questionnaire. The survey was composed of 35 questions, and the results will be released by FIPA, but this paper reports preliminary findings with commentary on the role of information professionals and freedom of information requests.