In accordance with requirements of chapter 42.17 RCW that agencies prevent unreasonable invasions of privacy, protect public records from damage or disorganization and prevent excessive interference with essential functions of the agency, public records may be inspected or copied or copies of such records may be obtained, by members of the public, upon compliance with the following procedures:

(1) Divisional records. A request shall be made in writing upon the form prescribed in WAC 434-690-150 which shall be available at the division's administrative office or at the secretary of state's administrative office. The form shall be presented to the secretary of state's public records officer at his/her office, or if he/she is not available, to any member of the division's staff at the administrative office of the division, during customary office hours. The request shall include the following information:

(a) The name of the person requesting the record;

(b) The time of day and calendar date on which the request was made;

(c) The nature of the request;

(d) If the matter requested is referenced within the current index maintained by the records officer, a reference to the requested record as it is described in such current index;

(e) If the requested matter is not identifiable by reference to the division's current index, an appropriate description of the record requested.

(2) Archives. A request shall be made in writing upon a form prescribed by the division which shall be available at the state archives and records center. The form shall be presented to the state archivist, or to a member of the division's staff, designated by the state archivist, at the state archives building, during customary office hours. The requests shall include specific subject and date and/or state archives record group, sub-group, series and date information to facilitate record retrieval.

(3) Scheduled records. Requests for scheduled records in the custody but not under the jurisdiction of the state archives, must be made through the office of record origin in accord with the rules and regulations regarding the release of public records by that agency as published in the Washington Administrative Code in compliance with chapter 42.17 RCW. An approved request form or letter of authorization from an appropriate agency of records origin must then be presented to the state archivist, or a member of the division's staff, thereby granting access, unless the division has other access authority granted by agency of record. The request or letter of authorization shall include the same or nearly the same identifying information as that supplied for public records of the division.

(4) In all cases in which a member of the public is making a request, it shall be the obligation of the public records officer or staff member to whom the request is made, to assist the member of the public in appropriately identifying the public record requested.