LBCC Hosts Open Records Forums on Nov. 15

Whether you’re looking for election spending and campaign contributions, property transaction information, or business licensing documents, much of this public information is easily accessible to citizens -- if only they knew how to best access the records.

Linn-Benton Community College will host a pair of Open Records Forums on Thursday, Nov. 15, designed to demystify the Oregon and federal public records systems and give people the tools they need to easily access the information and records they are seeking.

A forum primarily for college students and staff begins at 2:30 p.m. in the college’s Boardroom, Room 103, of the Calapooia Center on LBCC’s main Albany campus, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W.

A second forum for the general public begins at 5:30 p.m. in the same location. Both forums are free and open to the public.

The forums will be led by Ginger McCall, Oregon’s Public Records Advocate, a newly appointed position intended to help the public access records and other state information. She will discuss the general framework of open records in Oregon as well as focusing on how to most easily access those records. In addition, she’ll touch on aspects of the federal Freedom of Information Act.

LBCC’s Communication Department, Journalism Department and The Commuter, the college’s award-winning student newspaper, are hosting the event.

For more information, contact:

• Zakir Khan, LBCC Communication Dept. Chairman, khanz@linnbenton.edu, 541-917- 4834
• Rob Priewe, LBCC Journalism Faculty, priewer@linnbenton.edu, 541-917-4563
• Ginger McCall, Oregon Public Records Advocate, Ginger.MCCALL@oregon.gov, 503-378-5228
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