OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

STATE OF ILLINOIS

Lisa Madigan
ATTORNEY GENERAL

September 7, 2017

Via electronic mail

Mr. Mark Richard ( Rossetti) Hilbert
mrhilbert2005@yahoo. com

RE: FOIA Request for Review 2017 PAC 49341

Dear Mr. Hilbert:

This determination letter is issued pursuant to section 9. 5( c) of the Freedom of

Information Act ( FOIA) ( 5 ILCS 140/ 9. 5(
c) ( West 2016)). For the reasons set forth below, the
Public Access Bureau has determined that this Request for Review is unfounded.

On August 19, 2017, you submitted a FOIA request to the Glen Ellyn Library
Library) seeking:

the Internet Server Number Account ( Bank Account as such)

attached to Mr. Hilbert' s or Glen Ellyn Public Library Guest ID
Number' s 21322900190839 internet listings, postings.

A personal Internet Server Number attaches the headings,

listings, postings of the server placed on my behalf of the Swedish
Academy of Sciences. I REQUIRE THIS of GEPL electronic data
processing records: 21322900190839. ( Emphasis in original.) 111

On August 21, 2017. the Library responded, asserting that there was no such
number and therefore no responsive records. In your Request for Review, submitted on August
22, 2017, you contest the Library' s response.

FOIA request from Mark Richard ( Rossetti) Hilbert to Glen Ellyn Public Library ( August 19,
2017).

500 South Second Street, Springfield, Illinois 62706 ( 217) 782- 1090 TTY: ( 217) 785 - 2771 Fax: ( 217) 782- 7046
100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60601 ( 312) 814- 3000 TTY: ( 312) 814- 3374 Fax: ( 312) 814- 3806
1001 East Main, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 ( 618) 529- 6400 TTY: ( 618) 529- 6403 Fax: ( 618) 529- 6416
Mr. Mark Richard ( Rossetti) Hilbert
September 7, 2017
Page 2

Section 1. 2 of FOIA ( 5 ILCS 140/ 1. 2 ( West 2016)) provides that "[ a] ll records in
the custody or possession of a public body are presumed to be open to inspection or copying."
However, "[ a] request to inspect or
copy identify a public record[.]" Chicago
must
reasonably
Tribune Co. v. Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, 2014 IL App ( 4th)
130427, 33, 8 N. E. 3d 11, 19 ( 2014). A FOIA request " reasonably describes records if 'the
agency is able to determine precisely what records are being requested."' Kowalczyk v.

Department ofJustice, 73 F. 3d 386, 388 ( D.C. Cir. 1996) ( quoting Yeager v. Drug Enforcement
Admin., 678 F. 2d 315, 326 ( D. C. Cir. 1982)). Public bodies are not required to search beyond
the four corners of a FOIA request, nor are they required to divine the requester' s intent. Manna
v. U.S. Dep' t ofJustice, 106 F. Supp. 3d 16, 19 ( D. D.C. 2015).

On August 31, 2017, an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Access Bureau
contacted the Director of the Library, Ms. Dawn Bussey, to confirm whether the Library
understood what you
by " internet server number." She confirmed that the Library did not
meant

know what you meant by " internet server number" and did not believe that such a number
existed. Likewise, it is unclear to this office what public record( s) you intended to request. The
phrase " internet server number" is vague, does not have a recognizable meaning, and would
require the Library to guess as to what types of records you are seeking. Because your request
did not reasonably identify public records, the Public Access Bureau has determined that this
Request for Review is unfounded.

This letter closes this file. If you have any questions, please contact me at 312-
814- 5201 or at the Chicago address listed on the bottom of the first page of this letter.

EDIE STEIN ERG

Assistant Attorney General
Public Access Bureau

49341 f unf lib

cc: Via electronic mail

Ms. Dawn Bussey

Director

Glen Ellyn Public Library

400 Duane Street
Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137
dawnbussey@gepl. org