What is a Public Record?
According to the State Records Act (5 ILCS 160/2):
"All books, papers, digitized electronic material, maps, photographs, databases, or other official documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made, produced, executed, or received by any agency in the State in pursuance of State law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by that agency or its successor as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the State or of the State Government, or because of the informational data contained therein."
In short, a public record is any document, physical or electronic, that notes decisions and transactions which support various college functions. This includes photos, audio, audiovisual, and machine-readable materials.
What is NOT a Record?
Documents that are not considered public records are duplicates, library materials, draft versions or working materials, and transitory information. Documents with transitory information are not essential for understanding the business of the college and are typically temporary.