FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT POLICY
It is the policy of the Geneva Public Library District to permit access to and copying of public records in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), balanced by the limited exceptions recognized in the Act to safeguard individual privacy and the efficient operation of the Library and by the purpose of the Act not to further commercial enterprise. Many records, including minutes, ordinances, and financial reports are available through links on the Library’s website at www.gpld.org.
I. A brief description of our public body is as follows:
A. The Geneva Public Library District is a District Library established under the Public Library District Act of 1991, 75 ILCS 16. The Library is governed by an elected Board of Trustees consisting of seven members. Trustees are elected to serve four year terms without compensation. Trustees bear fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of the Geneva Public Library District. The Library Director, hired by the Board of Trustees, manages day-to-day operations of the Library.
B. The mission of the Library is: Connecting our community to discover, inspire, and grow!
C. An organizational chart for the Library is available.
D. The working budget for the Library is attached. Funding sources are property and personal property replacement taxes, state and federal grants, fines, fees, and donations.
Tax levies are:
1. Corporate (for general operating expenditures)
2. Maintenance
3. IMRF
4. Audit
5. Liability insurance
6. Social Security
E. The Library has one office located at this address: 227 S. Seventh St., Geneva, IL 60134.
F. The number of full and part-time employees employed by the Library can be found at:
https://gpld.org/foia-requests.
G. The following organization exercises control over the Library’s policies and procedures: Geneva Public Library District Board of Library Trustees, which meets monthly on the fourth Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m., at the Library. For a list of Library Board Trustees and officers, please see:
https://gpld.org/foia-requests.
II. Public records may be obtained in the following manner:
A. The Geneva Public Library District follows the provisions of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. An individual may request the information and the records available to the public in the following manner: Submit a written request which includes the following information: name, address, the date, and a daytime phone number. The description of the information sought should include sufficient detail so that the Library can find the requested records. Providing as much information as possible will expedite the search process. Requests may be submitted by mail, personal delivery, fax or email.
Before submitting a FOIA request, you may wish to check the Library’s website at http://gpld.org to see if the records you are looking for are already available online. When records are available on the Library’s website, the Freedom of Information Act provides that the Library may direct the requester to the location on its website where the records can be accessed instead of providing them separately through FOIA. However, if a request is re-submitted to the Library stating that the requester is unable to reasonably access the records online, the Library will provide the requested records in accord with the Act.
B. The following individuals are FOIA officers for the Library: Christine Lazaris
Library Director (630) 232-0787
Mail requests to: Geneva Public Library, Attention: FOIA Officer, 227 S. Seventh St., Geneva, IL 60134
Fax requests to: Geneva Public Library, Attention: FOIA Officer, (630) 232-0881
Email requests to: foia@gpld.org
FOIA requests may also be delivered in person to the Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St. Geneva, IL
C. Please specify whether the records requested are to be inspected at our office or to be copied. If you desire that any records be certified, please specify which ones. If inspected, a Library District employee must be present throughout the inspection.
Records will be made available for inspection by appointment Monday through Friday
9:30 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. excluding holidays at the address listed above.
D. The Library will respond to a written request within five (5) business days of receipt of the request. An extension of an additional five (5) business days, as allowed by statute, may be necessary to properly respond. If such an extension is necessary, the Library will
notify the requestor in writing of the statutory reasons for the extension and when the
requested information will be produced.
A “business day” is a regular day of the week (Monday through Friday). Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays are not business days and cannot be counted in the 5 day time period.
If a request is denied, or partially denied, the requestor will be informed in writing with reference to the specific legal reason(s) under FOIA to justify the non-disclosure.
Any denial or partial denial of a FOIA request may be appealed to the State of Illinois Public Access Counselor (PAC) in the office of the Illinois Attorney General. An appeal, or request for review, must be submitted within 60 days of the response, include a copy of the FOIA request and any responses provided by the Library, and submitted to the Public Access Counselor at:
Public Access Counselor
Office of the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Bureau
500 South Second Street Springfield, IL 62706
Phone 1-877-299-3642
The Public Access Counselor will process the request for review in accord with the provisions of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Additional information may be obtained from the Illinois Attorney General’s website at foia.ilattorneygeneral.net.
E. Fees for the actual cost of reproducing the requested records will be charged as follows:
For traditional black and white, letter or legal-sized copies, the first 50 pages are free. Additional pages are 10 cents each.
Adopted 7.28.16
