Information is the currency of democracy, Thomas Jefferson famously said.

And open access to government records is key to obtaining information, a requirement so basic we sometimes take it for granted.

In fact, various state and federal laws, including the Freedom of Information Act, are the tools ordinary citizens and the news media rely on to make sure their right to see public documents is protected. Like any laws, these need to change with the times.

The Massachusetts Public Records Law, written and adopted in 1973, is out of date and in need of reform.

To that end four bills have been quietly making their through the Massachusetts legislature that would update the law by bringing about needed reforms. The bills would lower fees that can be charged for public records, require state agencies to better manage requests for them and modernize the law so electronic records are posted online or made available in electronic format.

Introduced by a state senator from Acton and representative from New Bedford and supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and Common Cause, among others, these bills are important and deserve broad support.

This is not just an issue for the news media. We have all faced the scenario: a routine request for information is either denied or stalled for days simply because the law allows it, even though the information is right there in the town hall and could readily be made available, either by making a copy or sending an e-mail. And in this digital age, routine posting of records online should become the norm, not the exception. On the Vineyard some towns are doing it, but not all, and more work is needed to make this a reality.

Last fall twenty daily newspapers in Massachusetts published an editorial backing the bills to reform the public records law, including our neighboring paper the Cape Cod Times. “Given recent scandals and polls showing a deep and growing distrust in government, we hope this year is different,” the editorial said. The message is the same on the Island as on the mainland.

The bills, S1575/H.1736 and S.1576/H.1737, were heard by the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight last September, but have yet to be reported out of committee. The deadline for reporting, absent an extension, is March 21.

On the eve of Sunshine Week in Massachusetts, which begins March 13, the Gazette joins the chorus in calling for reform of the Massachusetts Public Records Law. We hope our representatives in the Cape and Islands delegation agree and help move these bills into the light.