Let the Sun Shine In

Making information and materials accessible is certainly a primary goal of any library.  Of equal importance is to formulate library policies in an open and accessible way.  That’s where Ohio’s Sunshine Laws come in. 

Patrick Henry once said, “The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. …To cover with the veil of secrecy, the common routine of business, is an abomination in the eyes of every intelligent man”

Ohio’s Sunshine Laws aim to ensure that all government agencies receiving taxpayer funding conduct their business in the open.  This is accomplished through two major acts, the Open Meetings Act and the Public Records Act.  The Open Meetings Act requires any meeting of a quorum of the library Board of Trustees where library business will be discussed to be announced in a timely manner and open to the public.  The Public Records Act ensures that library records, with the distinct exception of Patron Records, be readily available for public inspection. 

The Ohio Auditor and Attorney General’s offices have teamed up to publish an excellent resource on the Ohio Sunshine Laws.  Ohio Sunshine Laws 2008: An Open Government Resource Manual.  is available online at http://www.ag.state.oh.us/legal/sunshine.asp Additional copies of the "Yellow Book" can be obtained by contacting The Attorney General’s  Program Development Department at (614) 644-5224.