Which item best defines Public Records?

• A. All documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings or other material, regardless of physical form or means of transmission, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business by any agency.
• B. Drafts or notes that precede the final record and are never public records.
• C. Only digital files created by private entities.
• D. Private correspondence that is not related to official business.

Answer: (A)

Public records are the official documents created or received by a government agency in the course of its official business, in any form or medium. This means papers, maps, photographs, films, tapes, emails, digital files, and more, as long as they were made or received pursuant to law or in connection with the transaction of official business by the agency. This broad definition is why the statement that captures all these items regardless of format is the best fit.

Drafts or notes that precede the final record aren’t automatically excluded from being public; they can become public if the agency keeps them as part of the official record. Materials created by private entities aren’t public records unless the agency holds them in its custody or they were created in the course of official business. Private correspondence unrelated to official business isn’t a public record either, since it isn’t created or received by the agency in connection with official duties.