Sept. 17, 2025 – Public records are a part of our everyday landscape. The information in them intersects with our jobs, financial decisions, and consumer choices – and that’s just scratching the surface.
A Wisconsin Legislative Council information memorandum generally describes open records as “any material on which information is recorded or preserved by a state or local governmental body, including an elective official.”
Reams could be written about how to discover public records using free and fee databases. For someone who enjoys research as much I do, diving into these public and private aggregate databases is often a fun and rewarding experience.
However, finding information about how to request records that aren’t readily available in a dataset requires a different approach.
Research Guides, Books, and Programs
Many researchers in Wisconsin start with the Wisconsin Public Records Law Compliance Guide, published online by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
This guide is an overview of public records laws in Wisconsin, and features key definitions and frequently asked questions about making requests. These include fees, the form of and response to the request, and access to particular record types. Updated regularly, the guide is replete with citations to laws, and court and attorney general opinions.
The Wisconsin Public Records and Open Meetings Handbook, published by State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE®, breaks down Wisconsin’s public records law, and provides guidance to request records. Separate chapters are devoted to special topics like personnel records, law enforcement information, student and contractor records. A chapter on the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) caps off the first half of the book, which is focused on public records.
The State Bar also holds an annual update on public records. The most recent program, Public Records, Open Meetings Update 2025, is currently available via webcast.
The U.S. Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act is available online, with an outline of procedural requirements, fees, disclosures, and exemptions discussed in detail.
Other legal treatises on specific subjects can also be helpful windows into public records and information requests. Look to administrative law, discovery, and specialty books for more guidance. For example, the book Newsgathering and the law (LexisNexis 2023) discusses requests and open records litigation for federal and state information.
Understanding Records
The Wisconsin Public Records Law Compliance Guide cautions researchers that government records retention is “related to, but different from, the access requirements imposed by the public records law.” However, it can be helpful to learn a little more about the types of records that government entities might keep.
Records retention policies are windows into the types of records retained by a government entity – and can help you to understand what records may not be available for requests (particularly when dealing with older information.)
In Wisconsin, the Public Records Board is a useful place to start, with records schedules and educational materials. The National Archives’ detailed Federal Records Management page is a gateway to government schedules and oversight.
Government records have a life cycle that can end with retention at library and archive centers, which is sometimes another avenue for your research. Learning how long records are retained, disposal guidelines, and what information is considered a record are helpful to understand as you build your request.
Official Forms and Sample Letters
Many government entities have public record request FAQs, instructions, or forms. The first step of building any open records request is to check the relevant government website for any existing instructions or information, including the best way to contact them.
Look for books or guides with sample letters. The Citizen’s Guide to Using the Freedom of Information Act to Request Government Records has many editions available online, and includes sample correspondence. The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council includes a sample letter, and the National Freedom of Information Coalition has a few different examples of FOIA letters. Published books are a rich source of tailored request letters and litigation forms, from general sources like Nichols Cyclopedia of Legal Forms, to topical treatises like Blashfield automobile law and practice.
Boost Your Research with Help from a Law Librarian
Wisconsin’s law libraries have access to legal research databases, books, and other sources to help you to quickly find examples and analysis of public records requests. You can find law librarians ready to assist you at these Wisconsin libraries:
