CHAPTER 8. Library Districts

Chapter 8 enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.

§§ 19400–19532 · 60 sections

1. ARTICLE 1. Formation, Annexation, Dissolution §§ 19400–19407 · 8 sections

   • § 19400 A library district may be organized, as provided in this chapter. The library district may establish, equip, and maintain a public library for the…
   • § 19401 The library district may include incorporated or unincorporated territory, or both, in any one or more counties, so long as the territory of the district…
   • § 19402 Whenever the formation of a library district is desired, a petition which may consist of any number of instruments, may be presented at a regular meeting of…
   • § 19403 The petition shall be signed by registered voters residing within the proposed library district equal in number to at least 5 percent of the number of votes…
   • § 19404 The proceedings for the filing and hearing of the petition are governed and controlled by the provisions of Sections 58032, 58033, 58034, 58060, and 58061 of…
   • § 19405 The proceedings for final hearing of the petition and the formation of the district are governed and controlled by the provisions of Article 4 (commencing with…
   • § 19406 On the filing of written protests by registered voters residing in the proposed district equal in number to at least 50 percent of the number of votes cast in…
   • § 19407 No library district including territory in more than one county shall be organized under this chapter without the concurrent consent by resolution of each…
2. ARTICLE 2. Trustees §§ 19420–19432 · 13 sections

   • § 19420 Within 30 days after the filing with the clerk of the board of supervisors or county board of supervisors of the resolution declaring the organization of the…
   • § 19421 The governing board of the district shall be called “the Board of Library Trustees of ____ Library District” (inserting the name of the particular district).
   • § 19422 The trustee shall hold office for the term of four years beginning on the last Friday in November next succeeding their appointment or election.
   • § 19423 The first board of library trustees appointed or elected in a district shall at their first meeting so classify themselves by lot that their terms shall…
   • § 19424 At its first meeting called after the original appointment of the board, and annually thereafter at its first meeting called after the last Friday in November…
   • § 19425 The board shall cause a proper record of its proceedings to be kept, and at the first meeting of the board of trustees of the library district, it shall…
   • § 19426 A vacancy in the board of library trustees shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment of the supervising board of supervisors.
   • § 19427 Each library trustee shall hold office until his successor is elected and qualified.
   • § 19428 The board of library trustees shall meet at least once a month, at such time and place as it may fix by resolution.
   • § 19429 Special meetings may be called at any time, as follows: (a) A special meeting of a three-member board of library trustees may be called by two trustees, by…
   • § 19430 (a) For three-member boards, two members constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. (b) For five-member boards, three members constitute a quorum for…
   • § 19431 A proposal to increase the number of seats on the board of library trustees from three to five may be initiated in either of the following alternative ways:…
   • § 19432 (a) The supervising board of supervisors, at its option, may conduct a public hearing on a petition or resolution filed pursuant to Section 19431. Notice of…
3. ARTICLE 3. Powers §§ 19460–19483 · 22 sections

   • § 19460 The board of library trustees shall make and enforce all rules, regulations, and bylaws necessary for the administration, government, and protection of the…
   • § 19460.5 A district may destroy a record pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 60200) of Division 1 of Title 6 of the Government Code.
   • § 19461 The board of library trustees shall administer any trust declared or created for the library, and received by gift, devise, or bequest, and hold in trust or…
   • § 19462 The board of library trustees shall prescribe the duties and powers of the librarian, secretary, and other officers and employees of the library, determine the…
   • § 19463 The board of library trustees shall purchase necessary books, journals, publications, and other personal property.
   • § 19464 The board of library trustees shall purchase real property, and erect or rent and equip, such buildings or rooms, as in its judgment are necessary properly to…
   • § 19465 The board of library trustees shall require the Secretary of State and other state officials to furnish the library with copies of any and all reports, laws,…
   • § 19466 The board of library trustees shall borrow books from, lend books to, and exchange books with other libraries, and may allow nonresidents of the district to…
   • § 19467 The board of library trustees shall borrow money, give security therefor, purchase on contract, and do and perform any and all other acts and things necessary…
   • § 19468 The board of library trustees shall file, through the librarian, on or before the last day of August of each year, a report with the State Librarian at…
   • § 19469 The board of library trustees shall designate the hours during which the library shall be open for the use of the public.
   • § 19470 Annually, at least 15 days before the first day of the month in which county taxes are levied, the board of library trustees of each library district shall…
   • § 19473 The tax shall be computed, entered upon the tax rolls, and collected in the same manner as county taxes are computed, entered, and collected. All money…
   • § 19475 All money acquired by gift, devise, bequest, or otherwise, for the purposes of the library, shall be paid into the county treasury to the credit of the library…
   • § 19476 If the payment into the treasury is inconsistent with the terms or conditions of any gift, devise, or bequest, the board of library trustees shall provide for…
   • § 19477 Upon the receipt by the county auditor of an order of the library trustees of the district, he shall issue his warrant upon the county treasurer for the amount…
   • § 19478 When any warrant is presented to the treasurer for payment and it is not paid for want of funds, the treasurer shall endorse thereon “not paid for want of…
   • § 19479 Every library established under this chapter shall be forever free to the inhabitants and nonresident taxpayers of the library district, subject always to such…
   • § 19480 The title to all property acquired for the purposes of the library, when not inconsistent with the terms of its acquisition, or not otherwise designated, vests…
   • § 19481 Every library district shall be designated by the name and style of ____ Library District (using the name of the district) of ____ County (using the name of…
   • § 19482 The board of library trustees and the boards of trustees of neighboring library districts, or the governing bodies of neighboring cities, or boards of…
   • § 19483 Anything in Sections 19100 to 19179, inclusive, to the contrary, notwithstanding, the property in any library district created under this chapter subsequent to…
4. ARTICLE 4. Claims § 19500 · 1 section

   • § 19500 All claims for money or damages against the district are governed by Part 3 (commencing with Section 900) and Part 4 (commencing with Section 940) of Division…
5. ARTICLE 5. Biennial Election of Trustees §§ 19510–19515 · 4 sections

   • § 19510 An election shall be held biennially in each library district for the election of one or more library trustees who shall hold office for four years beginning…
   • § 19511 To be qualified to vote at any library district election a person shall be registered to vote in the library district, at least 29 days before the election.
   • § 19514 If pursuant to Section 5327 a district election is not held, the board of supervisors of the county in which the district, or the largest part thereof in area,…
   • § 19515 Except as otherwise provided in this article, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 5300) of Part 4 of this division shall govern and control the conduct of…
6. ARTICLE 6. Bonds §§ 19520–19532 · 12 sections

   • § 19520 The board of trustees of any library district may, when in their judgment it is deemed advisable, and shall, upon a petition of 50 or more taxpayers and…
   • § 19521 The bond election shall be called and conducted and the results thereof canvassed, returned, and declared in the manner provided in Chapter 3 (commencing with…
   • § 19522 The board of trustees shall set forth in the resolution calling for a bond election the amount and denomination of the bonds, the rate of interest, and the…
   • § 19524 If it appears that two-thirds of the votes cast at the election were cast in favor of issuing the bonds, the board shall enter the fact upon its minutes and…
   • § 19525 The total amount of bonds issued shall not exceed 5 percent of the assessed value of the property of the district, prior to the 1980–81 fiscal year and shall…
   • § 19526 The supervising board of supervisors by an order entered upon its minutes shall prescribe the form of the bonds and of the interest coupons attached thereto,…
   • § 19527 The bonds shall not bear a greater amount of interest than 6 percent, to be payable annually or semiannually. The bonds shall be sold in the manner prescribed…
   • § 19528 The board of supervisors of each county in which any part of the district is situated, at the time of making the levy of taxes for county purposes, shall levy…
   • § 19529 All money levied, when collected, shall be paid into the county treasury to the credit of the library district, and shall be used for the payment of principal…
   • § 19530 Whenever any bonds issued under this article remain unsold for the period of six months after having been offered for sale in the manner prescribed by the…
   • § 19531 Upon receiving the petition, signed by a majority of the members of the board of trustees, the supervising board of supervisors shall fix a time for hearing…
   • § 19532 At the time and place designated in the notice for hearing the petition, or at any subsequent time to which the hearing is postponed, the supervising board of…