43.001 Legislative findings and declaration of policy. (1) The legislature recognizes: (a) The importance of free access to knowledge, information and diversity of ideas by all residents of this state; (b) The critical role played by public, school, special and academic libraries in providing that access; (c) The major educational, cultural and economic asset that […]
43.01 Definitions. In this chapter: (1) “Department” means the department of public instruction. (2) “Division” means the division for libraries and technology in the department. (3) “Municipality” means a city, village, town, tribal government or tribal association, or a school district that maintained and operated a public library facility prior to December 17, 1971. (4) […]
43.03 General duties of state superintendent. The state superintendent shall: (1) Promote, assist and plan the organization, development and improvement of school library media services to provide the resources needed for teaching and learning in the schools. (2) Promote, assist, plan and coordinate the organization, development and improvement of public library services and public library […]
43.05 General duties of the division. The division shall: (1) Coordinate and conduct continuing education programs for librarians of school library media programs, public libraries, public library systems and institutional library programs. (2) As it deems appropriate, assist libraries in the identification and recruitment of qualified personnel. (3) Provide professional and technical advisory, consulting and […]
43.06 Collection and maintenance of data. (1) The division may perform any of the following activities to collect and maintain public library-related data, including all of the following: (a) Purchase licenses for data collection software. (b) Train library staff on the effective use of data in decision-making. (c) Establish digital processes for the efficient collection, […]
43.07 Council on library and network development. The state superintendent and the division shall seek the advice of and consult with the council on library and network development in performing their duties in regard to library service. The state superintendent or the administrator of the division shall attend every meeting of the council. The council […]
43.09 Certificates and standards. (1) Public librarians. The division shall issue certificates to public librarians and promulgate, under ch. 227, necessary standards for public librarians. The qualifications for public librarians shall be based on education, professional training and experience. Any relevant instruction, as defined in s. 440.075 (1), that an applicant for a certificate has […]
43.11 County library planning committees. (1) Creation. Any county board may appoint a county library planning committee under this section. If a county board, in a county where all public library service is administered or coordinated by an existing county library board or where there is a single-county public library system board, determines to appoint […]
43.12 County payment for library services. (1) (a) By March 1 of each year, each of the following payments of not less than the minimum amount calculated under par. (b) shall be made: 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., by a county that does not maintain a consolidated public library for the county under […]
43.13 Division review. (1) (a) No public library system may be established without the approval of the division. In reviewing final reports submitted by county library planning committees, the division shall consider, in addition to the standards set forth in s. 43.15, the proposed system territory, organization and financing, initial and long-range plans for library […]
43.15 Standards for public library systems. A public library system shall not be established unless it meets the requirements under this section. (1) Population. The territory within the system shall: (a) Have a population of 100,000 or more. If, because of the withdrawal or realignment of participating counties, a public library system has fewer than […]
43.16 Resource libraries. (1) (a) Each public library system shall have at least one system resource library. Annually, prior to the expiration of its agreement with its existing system resource library, the public library system board shall negotiate with the member public library with the largest annual operating budget of all member libraries to serve […]
43.17 Public library systems; general provisions. (1) Board terms. Every public library system shall be governed by a board appointed under s. 43.19 or 43.21. No person employed by a public library that is a member of a public library system may be appointed to the public library system board. Upon the initial establishment of […]
43.18 Withdrawal, abolition and expulsion. (1) Withdrawal. (ag) In this subsection, “participating municipality” means a municipality that operates a public library and is a member of a public library system. (am) Not less than 3 years after affiliating with a public library system, a participating municipality or a county may withdraw from the system by […]
43.19 Federated public library systems. (1) (a) In a federated public library system whose territory lies within a single county, the system board shall consist of 7 members nominated by the county executive, or by the county board chairperson in a county without a county executive, and approved by the county board. At least 3 […]
43.21 Consolidated public library systems. (1) In a consolidated public library system, the system board shall consist of 7 or 9 members appointed by the county board. In the initial appointment of a system board, at least 3 members of the system board, at the time of their appointment, shall be active voting members of […]
43.24 State aid. (1) Each public library system shall be paid state aid for the operation and maintenance of the system. Except as provided in pars. (b) and (c), the amount paid to each system shall be determined as follows: (a) 1. Determine the percentage change in the total amount appropriated under s. 20.255 (3) […]
43.27 Distribution of materials from resources for libraries and lifelong learning collection to public library systems. The division may disperse to public library systems, without charge, materials from the collection of the resources for libraries and lifelong learning service that the division determines are not appropriately held in the collection of the resources for libraries […]
43.30 Public library records. (1b) In this section: (ae) “Collection agency” has the meaning given in s. 218.04 (1) (a). (ag) “Custodial parent” includes any parent other than a parent who has been denied periods of physical placement with a child under s. 767.41 (4). (b) “Law enforcement officer” has the meaning given in s. […]
43.52 Municipal libraries. (1) Any municipality may establish, equip and maintain a public library, and may annually levy a tax or appropriate money to provide a library fund, to be used exclusively to maintain the public library. The municipality may enact and enforce police regulations to govern the use, management and preservation of the public […]
