FOIA Library
An agency's online collection of records that must be made publicly available, including frequently requested records and certain documents the law requires to be posted proactively rather than only on individual request.
A FOIA Library (often called an electronic reading room) is the place where a U.S. federal agency proactively publishes records the public can access without filing an individual request. Under the Freedom of Information Act, agencies must affirmatively post certain categories of material, including final opinions, statements of policy, administrative staff manuals, and records that have been requested and released three or more times. Posting these “frequently requested” records reduces duplicate requests and speeds public access.
A FOIA Library matters to recordkeeping because it operationalizes the principle of proactive disclosure: records must be findable, properly described, and released in a usable format, which depends on disciplined records management, accurate metadata, and consistent redaction of exempt material. For example, an agency that has released the same inspection report to several requesters posts it once in the library so future readers retrieve it directly.
Distinguish the library from a reactive FOIA request, which seeks records not yet published; the library serves what is already cleared for public release.