This part sets forth the regulations under which the Commission shall engage in public decision-making processes, make public announcement of meetings at which a quorum of or all Commission members consider and determine official Commission action, and inform the public of which meetings they are entitled to observe.

In this part:

(a) Meeting means the deliberations of a majority of the Commission members who have been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate where such deliberations determine or result in the joint conduct of official Commission business.

(b) Member means one of the Commissioners of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) who is appointed to that position by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

This part applies to deliberations of a majority of the Commission members who have been appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Excluded from coverage of this part are deliberations of interagency committees whose composition includes Commission members and deliberations of Commission officials who are not members; individual member's consideration of official agency business circulated to the members in writing for disposition or notation; and deliberations by the agency in determining whether or not to close a portion or portions of a meeting or series of meetings as provided in § 1703.202.

The public is entitled to the fullest practicable information regarding the decision-making processes of the Commission. Commission meetings involving deliberations which determine or result in the joint conduct or disposition of official Commission business are presumptively open to the public. It is the intent of these regulations to open such meetings to public observation while protecting individuals' rights and the Commission's ability to carry out its responsibilities. Meetings or portions of meetings may be closed to public observation only if closure can be justified under one of the provisions set forth in § 1703.202.