Section 19C Regional public library service; annual appropriation
Section 19C. The board shall establish a comprehensive statewide program of regional library service, consisting of regional library systems, which shall not exceed six, for the purpose of providing reference and research services, interlibrary loan, delivery, and other regional services to public, school, academic, and special libraries in the region. For each regional library system, the board shall designate an administrative agency. For such purpose, there shall be an annual appropriation which the board shall apply in the following manner:
(1) Insofar as practicable the board shall enter into an arrangement or arrangements with such public library or libraries in each regional area as it may determine under the terms of which such library or libraries shall supply services or space, equipment, personnel, books, periodicals and other library materials to communities having fewer than twenty-five thousand inhabitants;
(2) Said board shall also designate libraries in each area to serve as a regional reference center or centers to meet the reference and research library needs of the residents of all the cities and towns in each such area; provided, however, that the amount allocated for such reference and research service shall be applied only to the costs of reference and research books, periodicals and other library materials and the personnel employed in such reference and research service in accordance with a regional plan of service. Minimum standards for reference and research centers shall be developed by the board of library commissioners in consultation with the regional library systems.
(3) Any regional library system providing service under an approved plan shall be entitled to receive annually in state aid an amount per capita of its served population per square mile of the area served in accordance with the following schedules:
(4) In addition to the sums provided in clause (3), the Boston public library, as the library of last recourse for reference and research services for the commonwealth, shall be entitled to receive in state aid the sum of fifty cents for each resident of the commonwealth;
(5) Any employee employed in a position identified as a regional position in a public library which accepts funds under this section shall not be required to comply with residency requirements. For purposes of this section, “regional position” shall mean a full-time or part-time position for which at least fifty per cent of the funding is provided by the commonwealth pursuant to this section.