I. A brief description of our public body is as follows:
A. The Gail Borden Public Library District serves the community by providing a wide variety of items to borrow and by offering services for residents of all ages. The library provides information, book recommendations and programs. The library’s web site offers 24-hour access to electronic information, services and the catalog. High quality, personalized service is the library’s hallmark.
B. An organizational chart is attached. C.
The total amount of our operating budget for FY 2023-2024 is: $19,700,000.00. Funding sources are property and personal property replacement taxes, state and federal grants, fines, charges, and donations. Tax levies are:
1. Corporate purposes (for general operating expenditures)
2. IMRF (provides for employee’s retirement and related expenses)
3. Social Security (provides for employee’s FICA costs and related expenses)
4. Audit (for annual audit and related expenses)
5. Maintenance (for maintaining the building)
6. Tort Liability (for insurance premiums, risk management, attorney’s fees and
related expenses, unemployment and worker’s compensation insurance)D. The office is located at this address: Gail Borden Public Library District, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. There are two branch locations: Rakow Branch, 2751 Bowes Road, Elgin, IL 60124 and South Elgin Branch, 127 S McLean Blvd, South Elgin, IL 60177
E.
We have approximately the following number of persons employed:
1. Full-time 92
2. Part-time 121F.
The Gail Borden Public Library District Board of Trustees exercises control over the library’s policies and procedures. The board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the main library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin, IL 60120, unless rescheduled and notice given in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
G. The library is required to report and be answerable for our operations to: Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois. Its members are: State Librarian and Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, Director of the Illinois State Library, Greg McCormick; and various other staff.
II. Freedom of Information Act Policy
A. Use the request form or submit a request via email, by written letter or fax. The request form is not required, but is preferred.
B. Your request should be directed to the following individual: FOIA Officer, Administration Office
Gail Borden Public Library District
270 N. Grove Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
foia@gailborden.infoC. You must indicate whether you have a “commercial purpose” in your request.1
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.2
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 fifty (50) pages
- The actual copying cost of color copies and other sized copies will be charged
F. If the 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 on 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 an additional 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. The place and times where the records will be available are as follows: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Gail Borden Public Library District, Administrative Offices
III. The following items are available on the library website or through a FOIA request form:
A. Monthly Financial Statements B. Annual Receipts and Disbursements Reports C. Budget and Appropriation Ordinances D. Levy Ordinances E. Operating Budgets F. Annual Audits G. Minutes of the Board of Library Trustees H. Library Policies, including Resource Selection I. Adopted Ordinances and Resolutions of the Board J. Annual Reports to the Illinois State Library Please note that certain types of information maintained by the library are exempt from inspection and copying.
If you want more information you can find it on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act webpage.
1“Commercial purpose” is defined in the Act as “the use of any part of a public record or records, or information derived from public records, in any form for sale, resale, or solicitation or advertisement for sales or services.” However, there are exceptions for news media, non-profits, scientific and academic organizations for disseminate news, articles or opinions of public interest, or research or education.
2In the event a “commercial interest” is involved, additional questions can be asked of the requestor by the public body FOIA officer in order to determine the classification, then the public body has up to 21 days to respond and either deny the request based on exemptions or undue burden; or estimate the time and cost of the copying for prepayment; or provide the documents requested.