I . A brief description of our public body is as follows:
A. Our purpose is to provide materials and services for the recreational, social, informational, and educational needs of the community.
B. An organizational chart is attached.
C. The total amount of our operating budget for FY 2021-22 is $4,414,697.00.
Funding sources are property taxes, fees, state replacement taxes, state and federal grants, fees, charges, and donations. Current year tax levy for the library is $3,935,164.00. Current year tax rate is 0.43367.
D. The office is located at 206 W. College Avenue, Normal, IL, 61761.
E. We have approximately the following number of persons employed:
F. Control over our policies and procedures is exercised by the Normal Public Library Board of Trustees, which meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month, at 6:00 PM, in the Community Room of the Normal Public Library.
G. We are required to report and to be answerable for our operations to the Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois. Its members are State Librarian, Alexi Giannoulias (Secretary of State); Director of State Library, Greg McCormick; and various other staff. We report budgetary information to the Town of Normal.
II. You may request the information and the records available to the public in the following manner:
A. Use request form. (see attached)
B. Your request form should be directed to John Fischer, FOIA officer.
C. You must indicate whether you have a “commercial purpose” in your request.
D. You must specify the records requested to be disclosed for inspection or to be copied. If you desire that any records be certified, you must specify which ones.
E. To reimburse us our actual costs for reproducing and certifying (if requested) the records, you will be charged the following fees:
There is a $1.00 charge for each certification of records.
There is no charge for the first fifty (50) pages of black and white text either letter or legal size;
There is a $.15 per page charge for copied records in excess of 50 pages;
The actual cost of copying color copies and other sized copies will be charged.
F. If records are kept in electronic format, you may request a specific format and if feasible, they will be so provided, but if not, they will be provided either in the electronic format in which they are kept (and you would be required to pay the actual cost of the medium only, i.e. disc, diskette, tape, etc.) or in paper as you select.
G. The office will respond to a written request within five (5) working days or sooner, if possible. An extension of five (5) working days may be necessary to properly respond.
H. Records may be inspected or copied. If inspected, an employee must be present throughout the inspection.
I. You may appeal the decision of the FOIA officer to the President of the Normal Public Library Board of Trustees.
J. The place and times where the records will be available are as follows:
By appointment between 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, Normal Public Library, Administrative Offices.
III. Certain types of information maintained by us are exempt from inspection and copying. However, the following types or categories of records are maintained under our control:
A. Monthly Financial Statements
B. Monthly Receipts and Disbursement Reports
C. Operating Budgets
D. Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Committees
E. Library Policies, including Materials Selection
F. Adopted Ordinances and Resolutions of the Board
G. Monthly and Annual Statistical Reports
Approved by Board of Trustees of Normal Public Library on April 28, 2021; Amended February 15, 2023.