(A) The Quorum Courts of the several counties have been empowered by Act 742 of 1977, as passed by the State Legislature, with power and authority to establish, maintain and operate county free libraries in the manner and with the functions prescribed in an ordinance, and counties may appropriate money for these purposes.
(B) The county free libraries under this section shall be under the control of an Administrative Board as defined in Act 742 of 1977. The Board shall have all the powers, rights and protection as provided in Act 742 of 1977 which shall include, but not limit it to, the power and authority to establish, maintain and operate county free libraries in a manner consistent with all acts passed by the State Legislature.
(1) The Board shall be composed of five members. Members of the Board shall serve for a period of five years. The County Judge, upon confirmation by the Quorum Court, shall be vested with the authority to appoint one member for a five-year term each year.
(2) No Board Member shall be appointed for more than two consecutive terms.
(3) All persons appointed to the Board shall be qualified electors of the county.
(4) The Administrative Board shall have full charge of the county library systems established hereunder, and shall elect a County Librarian.
(C) No person shall be appointed to the office of County Librarian unless prior to appointment he or she shall have received from the State Library Board a certificate of qualification for the office, which must be filed with the County Clerk before any salary claims may be honored. The County Librarian shall conduct the library according to the most approved county library methods, and shall attend all State Library Association Meetings.
(D) The County Library Board is authorized and empowered to receive on behalf of the county any gift, bequest or devise for the county free libraries or any branch or subdivision thereof, and shall use and administer the gifts in accordance with the terms imposed thereon. The title to all property belonging to the county free libraries shall be vested in the county.
(E) The County Library Board shall have authority to enter into contract with municipalities having library facilities approved by the State Library Commission, whereby free county library service may be rendered throughout the county, and the expenses of maintaining the joint municipal and county library service shall be apportioned in a manner as may be jointly agreed upon by the municipal authorities and the County Library Board. The librarian of the library must hold a county library certificate. The Board shall have the authority to take over municipal library property upon proper action by municipal authorities, and any municipality of this state may make its library facilities a part of the county free library system by appropriate action.
(Act 300, Section 3 of 1951)
(F) Two or more adjacent counties may, by proper order of the county courts, enter into agreements for joint free library service under the terms of this section. In these cases, the affairs of the joint library system shall be administered by agreements of the Boards in the respective counties, and the property to be used jointly by the counties shall not be withdrawn except in accordance with the terms of any agreements as may be entered into or with the consent of the other counties.
(G) The expenses of conducting the joint library service may be appointed by agreement, and all claims out of the joint library agreement shall constitute valid claims against the respective counties to be acted upon as herein provided for, in the case of a single county free library service.
(H) The Board shall be entitled to receive all tax monies established under the federal, state and local laws as existing and as may be amended or added to hereafter. The Quorum Court shall have the power, if it deems necessary, to add any further monies as it has the power under the law to do and if it so chooses to act.
(Ord. 78-1, passed 4-3-1978)