James Madison’s birthday is an exciting time for open-government wonks.  Madison, the father of our Constitution and fourth president, was an outspoken advocate of open government.  This is why we dedicate an entire week to heightened public advocacy of transparency issues through public events, legislative initiatives, and op-eds.  This year offers several opportunities for public participation.

This week, our blog will be highlighting some basic ways to access government information such as how to use the Freedom of Information Act, how to access government data, and to know what information is already available to you as a citizen.

The week kicks off nationally today, March 15, with the 2010 National Freedom of Information Day Conference at the First Amendment Center.  The theme of this year’s conference is to assess the current state of government openness and then to look forward to what we can expect in the near future.  Concluding the week’s events will be a tri-panel webcast on March 19 sponsored by OpenTheGovernment.org and hosted by the Center for American Progress.  For more events during the week, see the Sunshine Week calendar here.

There are a number of activities going on at the regional, state, and local levels as well.  For more information about these events you can look up your local coordinator here and contact them.