Online Document Library

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

Planning & Development Services (PDS) created the online PDS Document Library (http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/pds/doclibrary.html) to better serve the public by providing convenient, online public access to the Department’s digital repository of project-related documents. The PDS Document Library is a simple to use online tool that allows members of the public to easily search for and download documents ranging from Environmental Impact Reports to Use Permits without the need to visit County offices. Finding content through the PDS Document Library is flexible and easy because it accommodates searches by project information, property location and even the text within a document itself. Search results are displayed on the same page and the documents are available to view and download. The purpose of developing the PDS Document Library was to provide the public with a simple and convenient tool to conduct extensive research online and review documents that are public record without the added difficulty of driving to the County Permit Center and waiting to see a staff person. Through the launching of the PDS Document Library, PDS has provided increased transparency and accessibility to information online for the public. The PDS Document Library was published in May 2016 and, in the eight months since the website went live, there have been nearly 9,000 visitors to the site. Feedback from the public demonstrates that the tool is useful and provides customers with convenient access to helpful documents that they would otherwise have trouble finding and retrieving.