Can I demand records in a particular format? Must I accept paper printouts or can I demand an electronic copy of a record?

Most jurisdictions these days will provide records in the format you request if they are kept in that format and are readily retrievable in the requested format.  The federal Freedom of Information Act states that “an agency shall provide the record in any form or format requested by the person if the record is readily reproducible by the agency in that form or format.”  Further, under federal FOIA an agency is required to “make reasonable efforts to search for the records in electronic form or format, except when such efforts would significantly interfere with the operation of the agency’s automated information system.”

Note that the government may not be required, however, to provide a requester with a customized electronic record.  So for example, if you were only interested in receiving five fields of a spreadsheet containing forty fields and wanted the data sorted in a particular way before it was disclosed, the government may only be required to provide the entire database in the same manner in which it is maintained even if it has the capability to provide a customized record.

View our State Open Government Guide to see what the law is in %%%STATE%%% regarding access to electronic records and whether you can request customized records or searches.

Also check out our latest publication on access to electronic communications.