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How to Use Public Record Information for a Website

by Jon Seidel

Overview

Information in a public record is just that: Public. Anyone can publish it. The trick is to access it. Putting your hands on public records, in theory, shouldn't be hard. The reality is that obtaining public records can sometimes mean jumping through hoops or waiting weeks if not months. Because governments sometimes drag their feet in releasing public records, compiling public records on a website can be helpful to taxpayers who don't have the time to track records down themselves.

Step 1

Request the records. This is done by identifying the record(s) you want and determining who would have it. If it's a police report, you'd go to the local police department. If it's a copy of the city budget, you'd go to the city's comptroller, treasurer, or fiscal agent. Write a letter to that department politely identifying the record you seek and the information that department can use to contact you. You might need to follow up on that letter if you don't get a response within a couple weeks. If there is still no movement after that, check to see if your state has a public information officer who could help move things along.
Step 2

Prepare the records for publication. Once you receive the records, you'll have to decide how you want them to appear on your website. You might just want to publish the documents as they are, in which case you can use a scanner to create digital copies on your computer. Or you may want to enter the information into a spreadsheet or database that visitors to your website can access.
Step 3

Organize your website. Dumping random documents or information on your website in no order will only be so helpful to your visitors. Design your website so readers will know exactly where to go to access the information they're seeking. You might want to group similar documents together, or you may want to group records that are related to each other.
Step 4

Upload the records and test. Take the digital scans or databases you've created and publish them on your website. Then enter the site as a visitor and make sure that everything works properly. You also might want to show the site to a friend or co-worker who isn't familiar with it. That person might be able to give you feedback about how easy the site is to understand and how easy it is to access a document.
Step 5

Market your site. The site won't be too helpful to readers if they don't know it's there. Target people who would be interested in the records you are compiling by sending them e-mails, or spread knowledge of your site through word-of-mouth. Also make sure to include key words and phrases on your Web site that will be picked up by search engines when people are looking for the public information you have now made available.