By Bruce Rolfe
The Lawrence Memorial District Library Board unanimously approved (5-0) a Freedom Of Information Act policy at its regular meeting June 24 at the library.
Library Board President Joel Amos said the library board president will be the FOIA coordinator.
Amos adds the FOIA policy the board approved, along with the fees associated with information requests, is not unlike FOIA policies in place at other libraries within the local library’s area.
Some basic terms of the approved FOIA policy include:
• Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the Library will respond or seek a deposit within 5 business days after it receives the request. However, the Library may extend that time period by 10 business days. A request sent by e-mail or other electronic means is not considered received until 1 business day after it is transmitted. If the request is sent to a spam or junk mail folder, it is not considered received until 1 day after it is discovered.
• For labor costs, the Library will not charge more than the hourly wage of its lowest-paid employee, which is $12.70/hour.
The fee will be charged in 15 minute increments, with all partial time rounded down, except the labor fee for duplication and publication, which shall be charged in 1 minute increments.
• For public records provided to the requestor on non-paper physical media (discs, flash drives, e-mails), the Library may charge the actual and most reasonably economical cost of the media.
• For paper copies, the Library may charge the actual total incremental cost of necessary duplication or publication not to exceed $.10 per page (single or double sided) for 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper or 81/2 by 14 inch paper. The Library will charge the actual cost of copies made on paper of a different size. The Library will use double-sided printing, if cost saving and available. The Library may charge the actual cost of mailing and the least expensive form of postal delivery confirmation.
• The Library may require a good-faith deposit of 1/2 of the estimated fee if the entire fee estimate or charge authorized under the FOIA exceeds $50.00, based on a good-faith calculation of the total estimated fee.
• A reduction of the fee by $20.00 is available to certain individuals who submit an affidavit stating they are indigent and receiving public assistance, or if not receiving public assistance, stating facts showing in ability to pay because of indigency. For this reduction to apply, the individual may not have received discounted fees twice during that calendar year and the person may not be requesting on behalf of parties who are paying to make the request.
• The FOIA Coordinator may reduce or waive the imposition of fees if the FOIA Coordinator determines that a waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest because searching for or furnishing copies of the public record can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public.
• If the Library does not respond to a written request in a timely manner as required by the FOIA, the Library shall reduce the charges for labor costs by 5% for each day the Library exceeds the time permitted, with a maximum 50% reduction, if the late response was willful and intentional or the written request included specific language as set forth more fully in the Procedures and Guidelines.
A complete copy of the Procedures and Guidelines is available at the library located at 107 N Main Street in Climax?or on the website at www.lawrencememorialdistrictlibrary.org.
Rotary, Library Will Team up for July 12 Movie in the Park Event
The next Movie In The Park Night Is July 12, which will be held in conjunction with the Climax Rotary Club. The local Rotary Club will hold a meal fundraiser before the movie, with food supplied by To The Max BBQ. The movie will be “National Treasure.”
Number of Active Patrons Goes Over 800 Mark
Library Director Bill Lewis told the board the number of active patrons has gone over the 800 mark. He said the active patron list is at 810, however the library is continuing to clean up the data base.
Lewis said Overdrive check out for May was 101 and the total number of items checked out in the library was 267 for a total of 368 items checked out for May.
The library was open 20 days in May, however one day the library was closed due to a power outage.
For the month of May there were 169 adults, 25 juvenile and 17 children for a total of 211 visitors during the month.
The library was open a total of 114 hours in May. There were five who attended story hour, one movie in the park event held with an attendance of 25, and 42 participated in the Dolly Parton Reading program with three graduating.
Patron savings for the month was $1,948.17.
Tie-Dye Event Scheduled For July 11
The Library will be hosting a tie-dye event July 11 from 1-3 p.m.
The Lawrence Memorial District Library Board unanimously approved (5-0) a Freedom Of Information Act policy at its regular meeting June 24 at the library.
Library Board President Joel Amos said the library board president will be the FOIA coordinator.
Amos adds the FOIA policy the board approved, along with the fees associated with information requests, is not unlike FOIA policies in place at other libraries within the local library’s area.
Some basic terms of the approved FOIA policy include:
• Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the Library will respond or seek a deposit within 5 business days after it receives the request. However, the Library may extend that time period by 10 business days. A request sent by e-mail or other electronic means is not considered received until 1 business day after it is transmitted. If the request is sent to a spam or junk mail folder, it is not considered received until 1 day after it is discovered.
• For labor costs, the Library will not charge more than the hourly wage of its lowest-paid employee, which is $12.70/hour.
The fee will be charged in 15 minute increments, with all partial time rounded down, except the labor fee for duplication and publication, which shall be charged in 1 minute increments.
• For public records provided to the requestor on non-paper physical media (discs, flash drives, e-mails), the Library may charge the actual and most reasonably economical cost of the media.
• For paper copies, the Library may charge the actual total incremental cost of necessary duplication or publication not to exceed $.10 per page (single or double sided) for 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper or 81/2 by 14 inch paper. The Library will charge the actual cost of copies made on paper of a different size. The Library will use double-sided printing, if cost saving and available. The Library may charge the actual cost of mailing and the least expensive form of postal delivery confirmation.
• The Library may require a good-faith deposit of 1/2 of the estimated fee if the entire fee estimate or charge authorized under the FOIA exceeds $50.00, based on a good-faith calculation of the total estimated fee.
• A reduction of the fee by $20.00 is available to certain individuals who submit an affidavit stating they are indigent and receiving public assistance, or if not receiving public assistance, stating facts showing in ability to pay because of indigency. For this reduction to apply, the individual may not have received discounted fees twice during that calendar year and the person may not be requesting on behalf of parties who are paying to make the request.
• The FOIA Coordinator may reduce or waive the imposition of fees if the FOIA Coordinator determines that a waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest because searching for or furnishing copies of the public record can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public.
• If the Library does not respond to a written request in a timely manner as required by the FOIA, the Library shall reduce the charges for labor costs by 5% for each day the Library exceeds the time permitted, with a maximum 50% reduction, if the late response was willful and intentional or the written request included specific language as set forth more fully in the Procedures and Guidelines.
A complete copy of the Procedures and Guidelines is available at the library located at 107 N Main Street in Climax?or on the website at www.lawrencememorialdistrictlibrary.org.
Rotary, Library Will Team up for July 12 Movie in the Park Event
The next Movie In The Park Night Is July 12, which will be held in conjunction with the Climax Rotary Club. The local Rotary Club will hold a meal fundraiser before the movie, with food supplied by To The Max BBQ. The movie will be “National Treasure.”
Number of Active Patrons Goes Over 800 Mark
Library Director Bill Lewis told the board the number of active patrons has gone over the 800 mark. He said the active patron list is at 810, however the library is continuing to clean up the data base.
Lewis said Overdrive check out for May was 101 and the total number of items checked out in the library was 267 for a total of 368 items checked out for May.
The library was open 20 days in May, however one day the library was closed due to a power outage.
For the month of May there were 169 adults, 25 juvenile and 17 children for a total of 211 visitors during the month.
The library was open a total of 114 hours in May. There were five who attended story hour, one movie in the park event held with an attendance of 25, and 42 participated in the Dolly Parton Reading program with three graduating.
Patron savings for the month was $1,948.17.
Tie-Dye Event Scheduled For July 11
The Library will be hosting a tie-dye event July 11 from 1-3 p.m.
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