§ 815. Supreme court library at Richmond. The law library for the county officials of the county of Richmond, as now constituted and all of the books therein, shall be the law library of the supreme court of the state of New York in the thirteenth judicial district and shall be in the care and custody and under the control of the justices of the supreme court of the state of New York in the thirteenth judicial district or a majority of them, not designated as justices of the appellate division, who shall be the trustees thereof. The trustees shall have power to receive by gift, devise or bequest any property given or conveyed for the purpose of a law library and to hold and manage and dispose of the same, and may make rules and regulations for the management and protection of said library and prescribe penalties for the violation thereof. They may sue for and recover such penalties and may maintain actions for injury to said library. They may also designate from among their number a library committee or committees, the members of which shall have the power to administer the rules and regulations prescribed by the said trustees. The trustees may employ and appoint such persons as they may deem necessary for the proper care, management and maintenance of said library and fix their salaries. The library and the equipment shall also be available for the use of the surrogate, family and criminal court judges, district attorney and other county officials of the county of Richmond and the judges of the civil court of the city of New York presiding in such county. The librarian and the assistant librarian, shall, in addition to the duties of librarian and assistant librarian, perform any and all duties as may be required of or imposed upon them by said trustees. The trustees may also procure proper furniture for the said library, purchase books therefor and defray all the expenses incidental to its care and management. They shall yearly ascertain the amount necessary for the aforesaid purposes and certify it to the board of estimate who shall provide for raising and paying the same.
