Senate Bill 950 (SB 950) was signed by Governor Kulongoski on May 25th and took effect on January 1, 2008. The bill was proposed by the Oregon Library Association and exempts library patron email addresses from disclosure under Oregon public records law. This new law applies to all public agencies, including academic libraries in public colleges and universities.
SB 950 was developed in response to a case in Florida where a public library was required to disclose thousands of patron email addresses to a political consultant working on a campaign because Florida law did not provide an exemption from disclosure. In the absence of SB 950, Oregon law would also require disclosure of patron email addresses.
What does SB 950 mean for libraries?
A Letter of Advice the State Library received from the Attorney General’s Office in 1995 clarifies the relationship between the public records law and local library policies. Libraries are exempt from disclosure, but not prohibited from disclosing public records in most cases. Therefore, your library needs policies that determine when you will disclose a public record and when you will not.
Recommendations for Libraries
1. Review your library policies regarding disclosure of patron information and consider making changes to it in light of Senate Bill 950.
