A librarian in Ohio told me my research request was 'too controversial' and it made me rethink how I approach public records

I was digging into old city council meeting minutes from 1998 about a noise ordinance that targeted local punk shows. The librarian at the Columbus main branch straight up said the request would need 'supervisor approval' because the topic was 'sensitive.' I didn't even realize they could gatekeep public documents like that. So I switched tactics and asked for the same records under the city's public records request form instead of the library system. That worked, but it took 3 weeks and I had to pay $12 for copying. It taught me that sometimes the quiet suppression is just as real as a big protest ban. Has anyone else hit a wall with a librarian or archivist over what you were looking up?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericschmidt1mo ago

Four dollars and twelve cents for copies of a noise ordinance from 1998. That's what it cost to prove that some librarian thought punk shows were too SCARY for the public to know about. I bet if you asked for the same records but said it was for a church bake sale they'd have handed them over with a SMILE and a bookmark. The quiet suppression angle is exactly right, it's like they think we're all children who can't handle the TRUTH about local government and loud guitars. Honestly, the whole situation makes me want to start a band called "The Public Records Request" just to annoy them.

amy_foster561mo ago

Is this really that deep though?