§ 9-7-205. Duties of board and director.

(1) The board shall:

(a) promote, develop, and organize a state library and make provisions for its housing;

(b) promote and develop library services throughout the state in cooperation with other state or municipal libraries, schools, or other agencies wherever practical;

(c) promote the establishment of district, regional, or multicounty libraries as conditions within particular areas of the state may require;

(d) supervise the books and materials of the state library and require the keeping of careful and complete records of the condition and affairs of the state library;

(e) establish policies for the administration of the division and for the control, distribution, and lending of books and materials to those libraries, institutions, groups, or individuals entitled to them under this chapter;

(f) serve as the agency of the state for the administration of state or federal funds that may be appropriated to further library development within the state;

(g) aid and provide general advisory assistance in the development of statewide school library service and encourage contractual and cooperative relations between school and public libraries;

(h) give assistance, advice, and counsel to all tax-supported libraries within the state and to all communities or persons proposing to establish them and conduct courses and institutes on the approved methods of operation, selection of books, or other activities necessary to the proper administration of a library;

(i) furnish or contract for the furnishing of library or information service to state officials, state departments, or any groups that in the opinion of the director warrant the furnishing of those services, particularly through the facilities of traveling libraries to those parts of the state otherwise inadequately supplied by libraries;

(j) where sufficient need exists and if the director considers it advisable, establish and maintain special departments in the state library to provide services for the blind, visually impaired, persons with disabilities, and professional, occupational, and other groups;

(k) administer a depository library program by collecting state publications, and providing a bibliographic information system;

(l) require the collection of information and statistics necessary to the work of the state library and the distribution of findings and reports;

(m) make any report concerning the activities of the state library to the governor as the governor may require; and

(n) develop standards for public libraries.

(2)

(a) By September 30 of each year, the board shall prepare and submit a request to the governor and the Legislature for prioritized capital facilities grants to be awarded to eligible libraries under this chapter.

(b) The board shall prepare a list of the requested capital facilities grants in a prioritized order and include a written explanation of:

(i) the total grant amount requested in the list; and

(ii) the basis of its prioritization of requested grants on the list.

(c) The board shall accept applications for capital facilities grants through June 1 of each year, prior to compiling and submitting its yearly request to the governor and Legislature under Subsection (2)(a).

(3) The director shall, under the policy direction of the board, carry out the responsibilities under Subsection (1).

Amended by Chapter 111, 2010 General Session