Public Records
What Meeting Minutes Record, and What They Leave Out
Learn how to read meeting minutes by separating decisions, assigned actions and discussion summaries, so you can…
The dispatch archive
All dispatches
Browse explanations of public records, language and information design, with each piece focused on a distinct way to read what is placed before the public.
Meeting Papers
Agenda by Topic or by Sequence: Two Ways to Find Your Place
Agenda by topic or by sequence: learn how each layout helps you locate a public meeting item and understand its…
Public Records
How Public Notices Changed from Noticeboards to Web Pages
See how public notices changed from noticeboards to web pages, and learn to find accessible copies, supporting records…
Public Language
What “Proposed” Means in a Public Notice
Learn what “proposed” means in a public notice, identify the next action requested, and find the right record to check…
Reading Habits
A Ten-Minute Routine for Following One Public Document
A ten-minute routine for following one public document helps you identify its type, locate the useful passage and…
Our point of view
Clarity starts with the document
We look closely at how public information is put together, so readers can follow what it says without mistaking a notice for a decision or a summary for the full record.