Nebraska webinar outlines Open Meetings Act rules for library boards

Lincoln — The Nebraska Library Commission’s Encompass Live webinar on the state Open Meetings Act reviewed how library boards and other public bodies must advertise and run meetings, what may be discussed in closed session, and how the public’s rights to notice, participation and records are protected.

Scott Childers, executive director of the Southeast Library System, told attendees that the presenters were “not lawyers, and more importantly, we are not your lawyers,” and said the session’s purpose was educational: to summarize statutory requirements and point boards to where they can get legal advice.

Why it matters: The Open Meetings Act is intended to ensure citizens know what their public bodies are doing and have an opportunity to provide input. Childers and Krista Porter of the Nebraska Library Commission walked through statutory requirements (cited in the webinar as Neb. Rev. Stat. sections 84-1407 to 84-1414) and practical steps libraries should take to avoid violations that can void actions and expose officials to fines.

Key requirements and guidance discussed

Notice and advertising: Childers said boards have two primary options for publishing meeting notices: a printed notice in a local newspaper or a notice on the newspaper’s website plus posting to the Nebraska Press Association’s statewide repository for public notices. Municipalities with populations under…