Effective: June 26, 2012
Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 321 - 129th General Assembly
(A) The board of trustees of any public library receiving money from a county's public library fund that desires to render public library service by means of branches, library stations, or traveling library service to the inhabitants of any school district, other than a school district situated within the territorial boundaries of the subdivision or district over which said board has jurisdiction of free public library service, may make application to the state library board before January 1, 2014, upon forms provided by the board, for the establishment of such service. The application shall set forth the total number of people being served by the library on the date of the application; an inventory of the books owned by the library; the number of branches, library stations, and traveling library service maintained by the library on the date of the application; the number and classification of the employees of the library, and other information as the state library board deems pertinent. The application shall be accompanied by a financial statement of the library making the application, covering the two fiscal years next preceding the date of the application.
(B) Upon receipt of the application by the state library board, the state librarian, or an employee of the state library board designated by such librarian, shall visit the library making the application for the purpose of determining whether or not the establishment of branches, library stations, or traveling library service as requested in the application will promote better library service in the district covered by the application. Upon the completion of the inspection, the librarian, or the person designated by the librarian to make the inspection, shall prepare a written report setting forth the librarian's or designee's recommendations pertaining to the establishment of the branches, library stations, or traveling library service as set forth in the application. The report shall be submitted to the state library board within ninety days after the receipt of the application by the state library board.
(C) Within thirty days after the report has been filed with the state library board, the board shall either approve or disapprove, in whole or in part, the establishment of branches, library stations, or traveling library service as requested in the application. No approvals may be made under this section by the state library board on or after January 1, 2015. The decision of the state library board shall be final. Within ten days after final action upon the application has been taken by the state library board, the librarian shall notify in writing the board of trustees of the public library making the application of the decision of the state library board.
(D) The state library board may withdraw its approval of library service rendered by any library to the inhabitants of a school district other than the school district in which the main library of the library is located. At least thirty days before the approval of such service may be withdrawn, the state library board shall give written notice to the board of trustees of the library rendering the service and to the board of education of the school district to which such service is being rendered. The notice shall set forth the reasons for the withdrawal of the approval of such service. If the board of trustees of the library rendering such service, or the board of education of a school district to which such service is being rendered, objects to the withdrawal of the approval it may, within twenty days of the receipt of the notice, request, in writing, that the state library board hold a hearing for the purpose of hearing protests to the withdrawal of the approval. Upon the receipt of the request, the state library board shall set the time and place of the hearing, which shall be held within the territorial boundaries of the school district being served by the branch, library station, or traveling library service whose continued operation is in question. The hearing shall be held not less than thirty days after the receipt by the state library board of the request for a hearing. The state library board shall take no action on the withdrawal of approval of such service until after holding the hearing. The decision of the state library board shall be final.
(E) All approvals previously granted under this section are void on January 1, 2015.