Guide to Problematical Boston Public Library Use

See also
http://GuideToProblematicalLibraryUse.blog-city.com

http://slashdot.org/~donsaklad



By Dorie Clark.
Public attraction.
So few people attend Boston City Council meetings that public
participation is almost nonexistent. Here are nine ways to boost
attendance.
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/documents/01636589.htm

Ask the watchdog finance commission to take a look at the fettering
of access to legitimately public information at City Hall, the City Clerk,
the City Council, the Mayor, Boston Public Library and other city departments.
Boston Finance Commission
 Paul Minihane
 617 681 1974
 Facsimile 617 561 1783
 pminihane at massport dot com
 http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22paul+minihane%22

 Robert Fortes
 rfortes at umassd dot edu 
 extension 6690 at
 http://www.umassd.edu/dce/contact/welcome.cfm
 http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22robert+fortes%22

 Karen MacNutt
 http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22karen+macnutt%22

 Mark Goshko
 mgoshko at kl dot com
 617 261 3163
 Facsimile  617 261 3175
 http://www.kl.com/professionals/professionals_results.asp?Letter=G
 http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22mark+goshko%22

 Paul McDonough
 pvmcd at bostonpic dot org
 617 488 1301
 http://www.bostonpic.org/about/completestafflist.htm
 http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22paul+mcdonough%22+boston

It shall be the duty of the finance commission from time to time to
investigate any and all matters relating to appropriations, loans,
expenditures, accounts, and methods of administration affecting the
city of Boston or the county of Suffolk, or any department thereof,
that may appear to the commission to require investigation, and to
report thereon from time to time to the mayor, the city council, the
governor, or the general court. Acts 1909 Chapter 486 Sections 17 et al
http://guidetoproblematicallibraryuse.weblogs.com/discuss/msgReader$378

A variety of comments about libraries at
[ http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=42789&cid=0&pid=0&startat=&threshold=-1&mode=nested&commentsort=1&op=Change ]

[ http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=42789&threshold=-1&commentsort=1&tid=99&mode=nested&startat=50&pid=0 ]


Ask your city public library for public background information. Read about
long range planning for the public library including publicly funded public
library consultants' reports and studies from public meetings of the public
library board.

Use the information. Contribute comment,suggestions and questions.

Ironically, denial of service at our Boston Public Library Government
Documents Reference Desk for the background information is prevalent
because the materials need to be acquistioned and accessioned. Our public
library users, BPL personnel and BPL unions labor relations collective
bargaining advocates are denied the legitimately public information with
red tape hurtles, obstacles to access that in the mission of the public
library should be available with unfettered access.


By Celeste West. Elizabeth Katz. et al.
Revolting Librarians
http://owen.massey.net/libraries/revolting
______________________________________________________________


Weblog guide to problematical Boston Public Library use
Contents

http://GuideToProblematicalLibraryUse.WebLogs.com/stories
Updates

http://GuideToProblematicalLibraryUse.WebLogs.com
______________________________________________________________

http://www.cs.sunysb.edu/~skiena/horse/horse/s/saklad!.html
______________________________________________________________

BPLusers. Develop alternate links
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad/GovernmentDocumentsDept.html
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad/Science_Department_BPL.html
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad/socscibpl.html
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad/specialcollectionsbpl.html
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad/GuideToProblematicalLibr.html
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad/BostonMayorTomMenino.html
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad/gunars.html
http://www.geocities.com/dsaklad
______________________________________________________________




Around the web, on what web link URLs would you be able to read
 any or all of the following 5 cites from the appeal
 or on what web link URLs would you be able to read
 any information about these particular 5 cites?...



 Attorney General v. Assistant Comm'r of the Real Property Dep't of
 Boston 380 Mass 623, 625 (1980)
http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html

 Attorney General v. Board of Assessors of Woburn
 375 Mass 430, 432 (1978)
http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html

 Reinstein v. Police Comm'r of Boston
 378 Mass 281, 289-90 (1979)
 the statutory exemptions are not blanket in nature.
http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html

 District Attorney for the Norfolk Dist. v. Flatley
 419 Mass 507, 511 (1995)
 custodian has the burden of establishing applicability of exemption.
http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html

 1975 Mass Acts 303 s3
 removing requirements that minutes be approved prior to becoming
 public.
http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites303.html




ENSE PETIT PLACIDAM SVB LIBERTATE QVIETEM
[ By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty ]
[ Shield. Motto.
  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/flags/massachusetts/massachusettsflag.shtml ]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
 William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth
 Public Records Division

April 24, 2002
 SPR02/124

Marilyn Gagalis
 Administrative Assistant
 Cambridge Public Library
 449 Broadway
 Cambridge Massachusetts 02139

Dear Ms. Gagalis:



I have received a petition from Don Saklad appealing the
 lack of response of the Cambridge Public Library (Library) to
 his public records request.

 See GLc66 s10b (2000 ed.)
 Supervisor of Public Records has authority to resolve public records
 appeals;
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/lawlaw.htm ]

 see also 950CMR 32.08(2) appeal process.
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/law950.htm ]

 Specifically, Mr. Saklad requested access to library board meeting
 minutes.



"Public Records" is broadly defined to include all documentary
 materials or data, regardless of physical form or characteristics,
 made or received by any officer or employee of any city of the
 Commonwealth, unless falling within a statutory exemption.
 GLc4 s7(26) (2000 ed.)
 The statutory exemptions are strictly and narrowly construed.
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/lawlaw.htm ]

 Attorney General v. Assistant Comm'r of the Real Property Dep't of
 Boston 380 Mass 623, 625 (1980);
 [ http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html ]

 Attorney General v. Board of Assessors of Woburn
 375 Mass 430, 432 (1978)
 [ http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html ]



Public Records and any nonexempt segregable portions thereof
 are subject to mandatory disclosure upon request.
 GLc66 s10a (2000 ed.);
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/lawlaw.htm ]

 see also Reinstein v. Police Comm'r of Boston
 378 Mass 281, 289-90 (1979)
 the statutory exemptions are not blanket in nature.
 [ http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html ]

 Moreover, there is a presumption that all governmental records are
 public records.
 GLc66 s10c (2000 ed.);
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/lawlaw.htm ]
 950CMR 32.08(4)
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/law950.htm ]


One Ashburton Place, 17th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02108
 (617) 727-2832 . Fax (617) 727-5914
 [ http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html ]
 
Marilyn Gagalis  SPR02/124
 Page Two
 April 23, 2002



Therefore, it is the burden of the record custodian to demonstrate the
 application of an exemption in order to withhold a requested record.
 GLc66 s10c (2000 ed.);
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/lawlaw.htm ]

 see also District Attorney for the Norfolk Dist. v. Flatley
 419 Mass 507, 511 (1995)
 custodian has the burden of establishing applicability of exemption.
 [ http://zork.net/~dsaklad/cites.html ]



Please be advised that all meeting records, whether existing in the
 form of stenographic or longhand notes, are public records at the time
 of their creation.
 See GLc4 s7(26) (2000 ed.)
 defining "public records" as all documentary materials or data made
 or received by any public officer or employee.
 [ http://www.state.ma.us/sec/pre/prelaw/lawlaw.htm ]

 The Public Records Law does not prohibit the placement of a notation
 stating "unapproved" or "draft" upon a records prior to disclosure.

 However, the disclosure of the minutes of an open meeting cannot be
 contingent upon approval or acceptance by the custodian.
 See 1975 Mass Acts 303 s3
 removing requirements that minutes be approved prior to becoming
 public.

 The unapproved minutes must therefore be viewed as the record of the
 meeting until the minutes have been approved.

 Accordingly, the Library's unapproved minutes are subject to disclosure
 upon request from the time they are created.



In an April 23, 2002 telephone conversation, you informed
 KerryAnne Kilcoyne, an attorney on my staff, that the meeting minutes
 from last month are available at the Library.

 In addition, the minutes will be posted and available today on the Library
 website at http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/~CPL/about/trust.html



Accordingly, as the Library has agreed to provide Mr. Saklad with
 access to records which are responsive to his request, I will
 consider this administrative appeal closed.

Very truly yours,
 Alan N. Cote
 Supervisor of Public Records

cc: Don Saklad