Research Links & Other Valuable Resources

 "Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions..."

"The term open source refers specifically to information that is available for public consumption. If any specialist skills, tools, or techniques are required to access a piece of information, it can’t reasonably be considered open source."

Information can also be considered open source if it is:

• Published or broadcast for a public audience (for example, news media content)
• Available to the public by request (for example, census data)
• Available to the public by subscription or purchase (for example, industry journals)
• Could be seen or heard by any casual observer
• Made available at a meeting open to the public
• Obtained by visiting any place or attending any event that is open to the public

"The Colorado Open Records Act, (CORA) C.R.S. § 24-72-201 to 206, provides that all public records shall be open for inspection by any person at reasonable times, except as provided in part 2 or as otherwise specifically provided by law. It is the intention of CDOR to apply this Act in a uniform and reliable manner to comply with its provisions."

Why should Coloradans learn about our state’s open-government laws, generically known as the sunshine laws? The Colorado Supreme Court succinctly answered that question in a 1983 ruling (Cole v. State): “A free self-governing people needs full information concerning the activities of its government not only to shape its views of policy and to vote intelligently in elections, but also to compel the state, the agent of the people, to act responsibly and account for its actions.”