(1) Hours for inspection of records. Once a request is processed, public records of Lower Columbia College are available for inspection or receipt of copies during normal business hours of the college, Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding legal holidays and other college closures. Records must be inspected at the Administration Building, 1600 Maple Street, Longview, WA 98632.
(2) Records index. An index of public records is available for use by members of the public, including nonexempt final orders, declaratory orders, interpretive statements, and policy statements, as defined by RCW
42.56.070(5), issued after June 30, 1990, by the board of trustees of the district, the presidents of the colleges, or their designees.
Form. The index shall reference final orders, declaratory orders, interpretive statements, or policy statements by one or more of the following classifications: Date of implementation, organizational unit, or subject matter.
Requests for access to indexes. Information regarding public inspection of indexes, their location, and a schedule for revising and updating these indexes can be obtained by contacting the public records officer.
(3) Organization of records. Lower Columbia College will maintain its records in a reasonably organized manner. The college will take reasonable actions to protect records from damage and disorganization. A requestor shall not take the college's records from Lower Columbia College offices without the permission of the public records officer or designee. A variety of records are available on the Lower Columbia College website at www.lowercolumbia.edu. Requestors are encouraged to view the documents available on the website prior to submitting a records request.
(4) The college shall not impose copying charges for access to or downloading of records that the college routinely posts on its public internet website prior to receipt of a request unless the requestor has specifically requested that the college provide copies of records through other means.
(5) Making a request for public records.
(a) Any person wishing to inspect or receive copies of public records of the college should make the request in person during the college's normal office hours, or in writing on the college's request form, or by letter, fax, or email addressed to the public records officer. While no official format is required for making a records request, the college recommends that the requestor submit requests using the college provided request form. The request form is available at the office of the public records officer and online at www.lowercolumbia.edu. Regardless of format, the request must include the following information:
(i) Name of requestor;
(ii) Address of requestor;
(iii) Other contact information, including telephone number and any email address;
(iv) Identification of the public records must be for identifiable records; and
(v) The date and time of day of the request.
(b) If the requestor wishes to have copies of the records made instead of simply inspecting them, the requestor should so indicate and make arrangements to pay for copies of the records or a deposit.
(c) The public records officer or designee may accept requests for public records that contain the information in subsection (4) of this section by telephone or in person. If the public records officer or designee accepts such a request, they will confirm receipt of the information and the substance of the request in writing.
(d) The act does not allow an agency to provide access to "lists of individuals requested for commercial purposes." The request form includes an inquiry of the requestor whether the request is for commercial purposes. Lower Columbia College may also require a requestor to sign a declaration attesting that the request is not for use for commercial purposes.