By Lynn Walsh, RTDNA Blogger

Freedom of Information Act requests and the state equivalent requests may not be everyone's favorite, but they can be worth it. Unfortunately the requests are not always that easy to keep up with and can sometimes get lost in the shuffle.

Here are some ways to make requesting documents more manageable that I use on an almost daily basis. This is the second of a series of tips I use to help keep my life a little more orderly and less overwhelming. Last week it was phone calls, this week it is FOIA and public information requests.

Create a spreadsheet. I would recommend a personal one and a newsroom-wide one. If you create it in Google docs it can be accessed anywhere, making it easy to pull up anywhere and anytime by anyone you give access to. Important things to include: 

 - A response deadline (different in every state)
 - What the request was for (I usually copy and paste the exact wording from my request)
 - When it was submitted (can be crucial when writing the actual story and makes it easier than searching through e-mail)
 - Format of request (e-mail, standard mail, etc.)
 - Result of request (could turn into an interesting story itself!)

Create a calendar. You can create a separate calendar within your calendar or just include it in your personal calendar. I set dates for myself to remind me of when deadlines for campaign finance reports are due, state test results, etc. This way I do not have to remember, my calendar does it for me. This is great if you cover a specific beat and they talk about a report coming out or an upcoming audit, mark it on your calendar so you remember to ask for it.

Follow-up with phone calls, e-mails. Sometimes, in the case of investigations especially, you know there will be a report and you may have to put in a formal request for it, so why not have it ready? I create reminders either on my phone or on a calendar that are re-occurring (every few days or weeks) that remind me to check in on an investigation or story that I want the final report of. Find out who is in charge and ask them when they think it may be done and tell them you will continue to check in with them about it in order to get the information. In the reminder you can even have a draft e-mail of the request ready so that if you find out the investigation is done while out on assignment you do not have to worry, you just have to change the date and hit send!

Be aware of what is going on in the world, state, country. When a story is not breaking, it can sometimes be better utilized when it relates to the time of year or events going on in your community. Keep that in mind while thinking of FOIA requests and stories in general. If you saw a great story by a reporter in another state or region of the country, think and see if it can be duplicated where you are. Also, people tend to think of certain things during certain parts of the year: vacations during the summer, donations during the holidays, etc.

Stop by their office. If you are going to be in the same building as an agency you submitted a request to, stop by and see them. I even send them an e-mail sometimes telling them I will be stopping by and would love to look at the documents if they have them ready. It doesn't always work but sometimes a visit in person can be the little push they need to get you the information more quickly.

How do you make your public information request more manageable? Tweet me @LWalsh or send me an e-mail: Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com.