CHRISTIANSBURG -- A local resident has been honored for her work to keep government open and to better inform the community about town issues and actions.

Carol Lindstrom is this year's recipient of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government's Laurence E. Richardson award for individual citizen contributions to open government.

Lindstrom is recognized for work that includes obtaining documents through the Freedom of Information Act and posting them to her Web site, as well as posting audio and video recordings of town council, planning commission and other meetings.

"I guess I'm kind of overwhelmed," Lindstrom said Monday about the award. "To just do something that is my right to do and to then get this kind of an honor for it is just overwhelming."

Lindstrom, who has lived in Christiansburg for 10 years, said she also hopes the award might inspire others to do similar work to inform residents about government. "It would be so easy for a group of people to do what I did, so very, very easy."

The Virginia Coalition for Open Government is a nonprofit alliance formed to promote expanded access to government records, meetings and other proceedings at the state and local level, according to a news release.

The award, which honors the memory of a longtime Charlottesville broadcaster and coalition founding director, will be presented to Lindstrom on Thursday in Staunton.

Lindstrom said her work has been to better inform residents about decisions that can affect their lives. The efforts have included spending more than $1,000 of her own money to obtain documents through the FOIA.

"I'm very passionate about making sure that all people are treated right, and government, for the most part, tends to set the tone for that," she said. "Without open government, people don't know what it is that government is doing."

Town Councilman Henry Showalter said Lindstrom has helped get information out to residents.

"Everything she's done she's done at her own expense and her own time," Showalter said. "I believe she sparked an interest and people paying attention on what's going on in the town."

Lindstrom started her video work in January of this year and "any public meeting that was occurring in the town of Christiansburg I did my best to attend."

The meetings have included council meetings and planning commission meetings.

Lindstrom has posted videos, blogs, the town charter and town code and local crime statistics at www.myvaresources.com.

The town started a Web site earlier this decade but does not take or post videos of town meetings, said Barry Helms, assistant town manager.

Helms said in the past one of the reasons that videos were not available of the meetings is because of the expense of a system.

The council recently noted a goal to enhance public information and community relations. One of the objectives in "Vision 2020," a long-range plan the council recently developed, is to create a public relations position for the town.

The vision plan also states that another goal is to have a town of well-informed and engaged residents with information available about issues that affect residents' lives, such as through an informative town Web page, electronic access to council meetings and an accessible public relations department, according to the document.

Lindstrom said she has received support and encouragement from people about her efforts in the town.

"It is our town and we are a community," she said.

Lindstrom, who also is active with the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, said residents have a stake in their local government and the decisions that are made so it's important to stay informed.

"It affects you and your family and your future. Whatever government decisions that are made today can have impacts decades into the future," she said.