SECTIONS 18840-18849 - California Statutes

EDUCATION CODE

SECTION 18840-18849

18840. To be eligible for funds under this article, a regional
library network shall submit a plan to the state board for its
approval. The plan shall include all of the following:
(a) An organizational structure.
(b) Bylaws.
(c) Membership policies, assuring that all eligible libraries in
eligible public library jurisdictions and in eligible institutions in
the geographic region will be enabled to participate.
(d) A long-range plan, including the transition of services from
the California Library Services Act to the Library of California Act,
the criteria and functions for regional resource libraries, and the
linkages with information agencies in the region.
(e) The endorsement of the charter members. The charter members
shall include more than one type of library.
(f) Geographical contiguity.

18841. (a) Each regional library network shall establish a regional
library council. Every eligible public library jurisdiction is
designated as a member of the regional library network and its
library director or designee is its representative on the regional
network council. Every eligible institution of which one or more
libraries is a participating library, as described in Section 18830,
is designated as a member of the regional library network and shall
designate its representative on the regional network council from
among the directors of those participating libraries and its chief
library coordinator. In addition, the regional library council shall
include one library user from each type of member library. There
shall be one vote per person on the regional network council. Duties
of the regional network council include overall administrative
responsibility for the network, adopting an annual plan of service,
assuring the appropriate expenditure of funds, and submitting annual
budget proposals to the state board for implementation of the
provisions of this article.
(b) Each regional network council shall elect from its membership
a representative board to carry out its policies. The board shall
include at least one representative from each type of library elected
by representatives of that type of library and at least one library
user. There shall be one vote per person on the representative board.
(c) Administration and management of the regional library network
shall provide the vision and leadership necessary to perform the
functions and deliver the services in a timely and satisfactory
manner.

18842. Each regional library network shall do all of the following:
(a) Make available a telecommunications system for the transfer of
information and communications among its members.
(b) Provide regional communications based upon the most effective
methods of exchanging information among its members.
(c) Provide intraregional delivery service based upon the most
cost-effective methods for moving materials among its members.
(d) Provide online access to the information files, resources, and
bibliographic records of its members which may be accessed
regionally and statewide.

18843. Any eligible library or combination of eligible libraries
may receive funds from a regional library network for the provision
of public access to the range of library resources and services
available statewide through electronic online resources.

18844. Each eligible library may participate in one or more of the
access services components through its regional library network and
be reimbursed fully for its service to Californians who do not
constitute its primary clientele. Reimbursement rates shall be
equitable. The state board shall develop the reimbursement rate
formulas. All of the following are access services components:
(a) Interlibrary loan. Each eligible library shall be reimbursed
fully to cover the handling costs of each interlibrary loan among
members of the regional library networks. Participants shall provide,
as well as utilize, interlibrary loan services and may not charge
handling fees to other members.
(b) Patron referral and onsite services. Each eligible library
shall be reimbursed fully for services and resources that are
provided to Californians who would otherwise be ineligible for
services from that public library jurisdiction or that institution.
These persons must be referred by another member of a regional
library network. Information agencies that are not libraries may also
participate in this component and be reimbursed if they are the only
source for the information.
(c) Direct loan. Each eligible library may provide access to
Californians by providing direct borrowing privileges to the primary
clientele of other libraries. They shall be reimbursed fully for the
handling costs of all loans according to an allocation formula. Each
public library jurisdiction that is a member of a regional library
network shall provide direct borrowing privileges to all residents of
the area served by the regional library network.
(d) Electronic direct access. Each eligible library may provide
access to Californians by providing electronic borrowing privileges
or electronic document delivery privileges, or both, to the primary
clientele of other participating libraries. They shall be reimbursed
fully for the handling costs of each transaction. Members
participating in the electronic direct access component shall provide
and utilize electronic direct access services and may not charge
handling fees for this service to other members participating in this
program or to their primary clientele.
(e) Document delivery. Each eligible library shall be reimbursed
fully to cover the costs of document delivery resulting from an
interlibrary loan transaction and electronic loan transaction as
defined in this section.

18845. Each regional library network shall provide opportunities
for training and continuing education activities that encourage the
most effective use of the resources and services authorized under
this chapter, and that respond to the needs of its members in the
effective delivery of services.

18846. (a) Each regional library network shall provide information
and referrals to answer requests that are beyond the capacity or
capability of its members by accessing the resources and expertise of
other libraries, improving general reference service in
participating libraries, and improving reference service to respond
to the needs of the underserved populations in the region.
(b) Any eligible library or combination of eligible libraries or
regional library network may receive funds from the state board for
information service enhancement within the service area.

18847. Each regional library network shall augment the public
awareness programs of its members by providing public relations
packages to them for customization and dissemination.

18848. Any combination of eligible libraries may receive funds from
the regional library network for cooperative, coordinated resource
development programs of benefit to the local service area and to the
region as a whole. Each library participating in this program shall
already be capable of meeting the basic, recurring needs of its
primary clientele through its locally supported collection. Library
resources purchased, in whole or in part, under this program shall be
widely accessible to Californians for the useful life of those
resources.

18849. Any regional library network may apply to the state board
for funds for services to the underserved programs on a region-wide
basis. Regional library networks may also apply for funds for other
region-wide programs, but these programs shall include a component
for serving the underserved on a region-wide basis.