Over the years, FOIA officers and records custodians have helped MuckRock release over three million government documents. With 2018 coming to a close, we cannot forget about those who helped make government transparency a reality this year.

A presentation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Records Management Division uncovered by Paul Galante as part of our Ronald Reagan FBI file crowdsource outline the process used by FOIA officers to search for records.

As someone who has been threatened with jail, lawsuits, and the occasional death threat over requests I’ve filed or helped file, I understand how frustrating public records can be. But with Sunshine Week 2018 wrapped up, I think it’s worth taking note of everything that’s gone well.

During its 70 year history, a number of coffee-related controversies have gripped the Central Intelligence Agency - but perhaps none of them had such long-lasting impact on the caffeination of our nation’s clandestine service as a year-long inquiry into the legality of using government funds to buy CIA employees their daily pick-me-up.

It’s easy to focus on the challenges of public records, but behind every successful request is somebody who helped fulfill it - often with very few resources, a challenging balance of priorities, and a desire to help share their work with the public.

Since last year, MuckRock users have filed a collective 14,852 requests — but none of that would have been possible without dedicated public servants. This holiday, take a minute to thank a FOIA officer who helped make government open and accountable.

It’s easy to focus on the challenges of public records, but behind every successful request is somebody who helped fulfill it - often with very few resources, a challenging balance of priorities, and a desire to help share their work with the public. Here are the agencies that MuckRock users and readers were particularly thankful for this year.

As challenging as public records can be, it’s an incredibly important part of the democratic process. And it wouldn’t be possible without government officials doing their job, and often going above and beyond in the name of transparency. Take a moment to say thanks.

Last month, we put out a call for thanks to the agency staff that have helped make FOIA and public records work for you. Here are a few of the submissions we received.

As the Department of Defense’s Chief of FOIA Policy, Jim Hogan helps oversee the processes that manage the roughly 60,000 requests the DoD sees each year. For him, it all started 20 years ago when, as an active duty officer in the Air Force, he made the jump to processing FOIA requests.