These efforts create risks that local newspaper publishers will lose part of their role as the number one information provider in their communities. In addition, the potential loss of legal notices means a potential loss of advertising dollars.

Mark Stodder, publisher of The Daily Reporter in Milwaukee, WI, and president of the American Courts and Commercial Newspapers Association, offered the North Carolina Press Association publishers ideas on ways they can preserve their privilege to publish legals and help their readers understand the importance of keeping legal notices in print.

He suggested running "house ads" and other material detailing how the information in public notices can impact communities, neighborhoods and more. Constantly remind readers how important notices are to their rights as citizens and property owners.

Make public notices easier to read and easier to understand. Statutes frequently require small typefaces, tight leading and worse. Having authored the statutes that make them nearly impossible to comprehend, legislators then like to argue, "since nobody’s reading public notices, let’s get ride of them." Respond by running summaries and explanations of the notices. Give notices a prominent and permanent position in your newspaper.

Some other do’s:

Use public notice as a source of news stories. An otherwise innocent-looking notice about a rezoning proposal may provide a window to an important story about a changing neighborhood.

Train your staff of the importance of public notice. Make sure they know how much public notice matters to the community and to the future of your business. It’s not about the revenue; it’s about the job you do for your community.

Let your customers know you’re the public notice "expert." Legal requirements attached to publishing notices, from publication schedules to affidavit procedures, can be nettlesome and confusing. Master them. And let your customers know they can be assured you’ll take care of the details.

Work with your state newspaper association to monitor public notice legislation. Changes in public notice laws usually move quietly through state legislatures. Do what you can to help your state newspaper association stay on top of the issue. Keep in touch with your local elected representatives and make sure they’re on your side when it comes to the future of public notices.

Here are a few don’ts:

Don’t treat public notice as just another classified advertising category. Placing notices deep in the classified ad section or, even worse, haphazardly in the paper, tells your readers that you don’t think public notice is particularly important. Your readers likely include local officials and state legislators, and they will act accordingly.

Don’t assume your readers know you’re the source for local public notices. If you don’t tell them, they probably won’t notice, and they probably won’t think your role as publisher of notices is significant.

Don’t put your least qualified and least experienced staff member in charge of public notice. Dealing with affidavits, clippings, glue sticks and peculiar scheduling and billing patterns can be a messy business. Respond by recognizing how important the job is and assign it to the most qualified and experienced staff member.

Don’t think this is only about revenue for your newspaper. While revenues generated by public notices, in total, can be significant, that’s not what’s most important about this debate. This is about providing vital information to your community and the role your newspaper plays in that process.