What responsibility does the Historical Library have for providing access to public records?
The Historical Society, like any state agency, must comply with the Idaho Public Records Law. The right to inspect and to receive a copy of public records at all reasonable times is absolute unless the record is exempt from disclosure by laws. In addition, the public agency is required to extend reasonable comfort and facility to the individual requesting public records. The concept of a “copy” of a public record is comprehensive, including “transcribing by handwriting, photocopying, duplicating machine and reproduced by any other means so long as the public record is not altered or damaged.. Additionally, a certified copy, if feasible to produce, must be provided upon request. Agencies are not required to provide copies of records in a format not used by the agency in the normal course of business. For example, the agency need not alphabetize information upon request, or engage the services of a computer programmer to provide the information in a format desired by the requesting party
