Public Records Policy
Ohio Revised Code 149.43 provides that all public records shall be promptly prepared and made available for inspection to any person at all reasonable business hours.
Requests to view records of the Library must follow these procedures:
1. Requests for inspection of any public record kept by Henderson Memorial Public Library shall be addressed to the Director.
2. The Director shall determine which records are to be disclosed and which are exempt from disclosure.
3. Any questions as to the exempt status of any record should be reviewed with the Board President and/or the Ashtabula County Prosecutor’s Office. Unresolved issues will be forwarded to the Ashtabula County Prosecutor’s Office.
4. Upon determination that the requested records are available and to be disclosed, an appointment will be made with the requesting party to review the records in the presence of the Director or designee. The appointment will be during regular business hours.
5. The Director or designee will make copies of records if the requestor chooses. The copies will be made on a reimbursable basis at the established rate. The copies will be available for the requesting party to pick up within a reasonable period of time based on the volume of the request after payment for copies has been received.
6. If the requesting party wishes copies to be mailed, the requestor must pay for copies at the established rate and for delivery costs prior to the records being mailed.
7. The library does not ask about the identity of the requestor or the intended use of any requested public document, except when necessary to facilitate compliance with a request.
8. A record retentions schedule, approved by the Ohio Historical Society, is followed.
9. The Library Board of Trustees with the Fiscal Officer are the library records commission.
10. The library records commission will meet at least yearly to review the records retention schedule and review disposal of obsolete records.
11. The library records commission will then submit the requests to the Ohio Historical Society. If after fifteen (15) days, the Ohio Historical Society has not requested any of said records, the records will be disposed of.
As an association library, we will continue to comply with these laws.
Revised: August 11, 2009, September 11, 2007
Approved: April 12, 2005
Henderson Memorial Public Library Board of Trustees