Recently Asked Questions

With recent updates to the OML in New York state, there is now a requirement both to stream and to make recordings of sessions available via website as described in 103(f).[1] However, the last two sentences of 103(f) seem to limit this requirement only to certain public bodies.

We are trying to understand whether or not this applies to a municipal library board's meetings or not. Certainly we do not have any members appointed by the board, and even if you go up to being chartered by the Board of Regents, Regents are elected by the legislature, so hard to see any applicability there.

Do you see any requirement in the open meetings law for library boards to have video recordings of their meetings posted publicly via the internet? Text of 103(f) below, or online here: https://opengovernment.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/02/oml-text-02282022.pdf
 

(f) Open meetings of an agency or authority shall be, to the extent practicable and within available funds, broadcast to the public and maintained as records of the agency or authority. If the agency or authority maintains a website and utilizes a high speed internet connection, such open meeting shall be, to the extent practicable and within available funds, streamed on such website in real-time, and posted on such website within and for a reasonable time
after the meeting. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term “agency” shall mean only a state department, board, bureau, division, council or office and any public corporation the majority of whose members are appointed by the governor. For purposes of this subdivision, the term “authority” shall mean a public authority or public benefit corporation created by or existing under any state law, at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor
(including any subsidiaries of such public authority or public benefit corporation), other than an interstate or international authority or public benefit corporation. [emphasis added]

[1] Editor footnote:  the question slightly mis-states the Open Meeting Law's most recent requirements; we'll address this in the answer.

The library's podcast (Your Friendly Neighborhood Librarians), hosted by two librarians here, recently started interviewing guests from outside the organization. We are concerned about a few things: what the ramifications are if a guest does not like the way their interview was edited and whether the library owns the rights to the interview and recording. We only edit for clarity and length, and haven't done anything in regards to copyright. Additionally, any advice on whether we should be using some sort of contract or agreement with guests would be helpful. We don't have any sort of agreement in place at present, and are mostly interviewing people who are somewhat library-related. Thank you for your help!

We are aware of the requirement to have a movie license to show a movie in a public forum, such as in a public library and the restrictions associated. My question is: are there restrictions to providing access to television programming, such as news events, in a public setting?......