Title 397, LIBRARIES

Sec. 5. To be eligible for membership in a cooperative library, a local library shall do all of the following: (a) Maintain a minimum local support of 3/10 of a mill on taxable value, as taxable value is calculated under section 27a of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, M…

Sec. 6. (1) A cooperative library includes those areas consisting of 1 of the following: (a) Two or more counties with a total population of at least 100,000. (b) One county plus portions of other counties with a population of at least 100,000. (c) One county or portion of the co…

Sec. 7. A cooperative library board shall be representative of the participating libraries except as specifically provided in section 6. It shall consist of 9 members with the method of selection to be stated in the approved plan as provided in section 4. In the case of existing …

Sec. 8. (1) The cooperative board is a body corporate and may sue and be sued. (2) The cooperative board shall do all of the following: (a) Operate the cooperative library and manage and control the cooperative library's funds and property. (b) Select a chairperson. (c) Establish…

Sec. 9. Following establishment of a cooperative board, the cooperative board shall submit to the department a plan that designates and describes the responsibilities of the cooperative library, provides for future selection of cooperative board membership, and gives notice of th…

Sec. 10. The fiscal year of the cooperative library is October 1 to September 30, except where the cooperative library must conform to the fiscal year fixed by another state law or local charter. The funds of the cooperative library shall be deposited in banks designated by the c…

Sec. 11. Following establishment of a cooperative board, residents of the cooperative library's area are eligible to use the facilities and resources of the member libraries subject to the rules of the cooperative library plan. Services of the cooperative library, including those…

Sec. 11a. A library may charge nonresident borrowing fees to a person residing outside of the library's service area, including a person residing within the cooperative library's service area to which that library is assigned, if the fee does not exceed the costs incurred by the …

Sec. 12. Once a cooperative plan has been accepted by the department and a cooperative board has been established, a local board shall adopt a resolution requesting that the local library become a participating library in the cooperative library. Duplicate copies of the resolutio…

Sec. 13. A cooperative library shall be granted continuing state aid at the rate of 50 cents per capita for its served population.

Sec. 14. A cooperative board shall provide, directly or through a written contract, services to member libraries within the cooperative library's area. The services, subject to standards approved by the department in consultation with the state librarian, may include: (a) A centr…

Sec. 15. When the state aid grant is insufficient to provide all services, the member libraries may be required to pay for services in a priority order to be specified in the cooperative plan. Cooperative library headquarters shall be linked to the library of Michigan and may be …

Sec. 16. (1) A public library shall receive 35 cents per capita from state aid during the fiscal year 1977-78 if in the prior year the public library received local support equal to that required by this act. (2) A public library shall receive 50 cents per capita from state aid d…

Sec. 17. A cooperative library and public library shall conform to certification requirements for personnel as established by the department in order to qualify for state aid.

Sec. 18. A cooperative library and public library desiring to participate in state aid shall apply before February 1 of each year of distribution. The applicant shall certify to the department the amount of money received from each source during the last completed fiscal year bef…

Sec. 19. The department shall prepare a statement of the amount to be distributed in accordance with this act. Vouchers for disbursement of state aid shall be signed by an authorized agent of the department and delivered to the department of management and budget, which shall dra…

Sec. 20. A cooperative library or public library receiving state aid shall deposit the money in a separate fund. Expenditures from that fund are subject to review by the department or its authorized representative.

Sec. 21. State aid paid to a cooperative library or a public library may be used for any expenditure, including the cost of intersystem or intrasystem contracts.

Sec. 22. When there is a dispute concerning the cooperative library to which a public library shall belong, services rendered to member libraries, or the operations of a cooperative system which cannot be resolved on the local level, the department may hear the case. The decision…

Sec. 23. The department shall consider the following needs in carrying out its powers and duties: (a) Library facilities shall be provided to residents of the area covered by a cooperative library without needless duplication of facilities, resources, or expertise. (b) Establishm…

Sec. 25. (1) There is appropriated for public libraries from the general fund of the state for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1977, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the sum necessary to fulfill the requirements of this act. The appropriation shall be distributed as prov…

Sec. 26. Act No. 286 of the Public Acts of 1965, being sections 397.501 to 397.527 of the Compiled Laws of 1970, is repealed.