Freedom of Information Act

I. A brief description of our public body is as follows:

  1. Our purpose is to provide materials and services for the recreational, social, informational, and educational needs of the community.
  2. An organizational chart is linked.
  3. The total amount of our operating budget for FY2024 is $8,663,650.
    Funding sources are property and personal property replacement taxes, state and federal grants, fines, charges, and donations. Tax levies are:

    1. 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. Debt Service (for bond and interest payments)
  4. The office is located at this address: 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook, IL 60062
  5. We have approximately the following number of persons employed:
    • Full-time: 50
    • Part-time: 64
  6. The following organization exercises control over our policies and procedures: The Northbrook Public Library Board of Library Trustees, which meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday of each month, 7:30 pm at the library.
    Its members are: Howard Jay Glaubinger, President; Stacy Oliver, Vice President; Maura Crisham, Secretary; Jami Xu, Treasurer; Janet Spector Bishop; Barbara Unikel; Abby Young
  7. We are required to report and be answerable for our operations to: Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois. Its members are: State Librarian, Alexi Giannoulis (Secretary of State); Director of State Library, and various other staff.

II. You may request the information and the records available to the public in the following manner:

  1. Use the online request form or email the FOIA office at foia@northbrook.info.
  2. Your request should be directed to the following individual: Anna Amen, FOIA officer.
  3. You must indicate whether you have a "commercial purpose"1 in your request2.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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 in paper as you select.
  7. 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.
  8. Records may be inspected or copied. If inspected, an employee must be present throughout the inspection.
  9. The place and times where the records will be available are as follows:
    9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Northbrook Public Library, Administration.

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:

  1. Monthly Financial Statements
  2. Annual Receipts and Disbursements Reports
  3. Operating Budgets
  4. Annual Audits
  5. Minutes of the Board of Library Trustees
  6. Library Policies, including Materials Selection
  7. Adopted Resolutions of the Board
  8. Annual Reports to the Illinois State Library

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 from prepayment; or provide the documents requested.