ADV PR 00-02 (2000).

• Case Date: January 28, 2000
• Court: Rhode Island

Rhode Island Attorney General Opinions 2000. ADV PR 00-02 (2000). State of Rhode IslandDepartment of the Attorney GeneralADV PR 00-02 (2000)ADV PR 00-02 Greenville Public LibraryAdvisory PR 00-02January 28, 2000Joseph DeAngelis, Esq.Tillinghast Licht Perkins Smith & Cohen, LLPProvidence, Rhode Island 02903Re: Greenville Public LibraryRequest for Access to Public Records Act Advisory Opinion Dear Mr. DeAngelis: I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 6, 2000, requesting an Access to Public Records Act (APRA) advisory opinion. You represent the Greenville Public Library, and as its legal counsel, you request "an opinion as to whether the Association Membership list of the Greenville Public Library is a public record subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act." You relate that "each of the approximately 325 members of the association is a library user that requests, checks out and/or uses library material." The APRA governs the public's right to access public records. The APRA provides that all documents maintained by public bodies are subject to public disclosure, unless exempt pursuant to one of twenty-three (23) exemptions. With respect to this case, we observe that R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2(4)(i)(U) exempts from public disclosure "[l]ibrary records which by themselves or when examined with other public records, would reveal the identity of the library user requesting, checking out, or using any library materials." However, based upon the facts that you present, and the plain meaning of R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2(4)(i)(U), we believe that the Greenville Public Library membership list is a public record. In particular, we note that based upon your representations, we find no evidence that disclosure of the membership list would reveal the identity of "the Joseph DeAngelis, Esq. January 28, 2000 Page 2 of 3 library user requesting, checking out, or using any library materials." Instead, the membership list merely identifies those individuals who are members of the Greenville Public Library, and as such, have the capabilities to request, check out, or use library materials. This opinion is consistent with a previous finding issued by the Department of the Attorney General in 1994. See Robinson v. Greenville Public Library, PR 94-24 (membership list constitutes a public record). This advisory opinion is based upon...