Chapter 43

43.11(3) (3) Duties and powers.

43.11(3)(a) (a) The committee may prepare a new plan for the organization of a county or multicounty system, revise an existing plan or change the boundaries of a public library system. It shall conduct public hearings concerning these plans, revisions and changes to which representatives of all libraries in the county shall be invited.

43.11(3)(b) (b) The committee’s final report, including a new plan, revisions to an existing plan or changes to the boundaries of a public library system and copies of any written agreements necessary to implement the proposal, shall be filed with the county board and submitted to the division. Plans for multicounty systems shall include a method for allocating system board membership among the member counties.

43.11(3)(c) (c) The plan of library service for a county, whether for a single county or a multicounty system, shall provide for library services to residents of those municipalities in the county not maintaining a public library under this chapter. The services shall include full access to public libraries participating in the public library system and the plan shall provide for reimbursement for that access. Services may include books-by-mail service, bookmobile service, the establishment of additional libraries or other services deemed appropriate by the committee. Services may be provided by contracting with existing public libraries in the county or in adjacent counties or with the public library system or by creating a county library organization under this chapter. The plan of library service for a county may provide for improving public library service countywide and in municipalities that have libraries. The plan shall specify the method and level of funding to be provided by the county to implement the services described in the plan, including the reimbursement of public libraries for access by residents of those municipalities in the county not maintaining a public library.

43.11(3)(d) (d) The plan of library services for a county may include minimum standards of operation for public libraries in the county. The county shall hold a public hearing on any standards proposed under this paragraph. The standards shall take effect if they are approved by the county and the public library boards of at least 50 percent of the participating municipalities in the county that contain, according to the most recent estimate prepared under s. 16.96, at least 80 percent of the population of participating municipalities in the county.

43.11(3)(e) (e) The plan of library services for a county may require that a municipality located in whole or in part within the county that operates a public library compensate another municipality located in whole or in part within the county that operates a public library whenever the latter public library provides library services to residents of the municipality that operates the former public library. The plan’s compensation for each loan may not exceed the actual cost of the loan, as defined by the department by rule.

43.11 History History: 1971 c. 152; 1981 c. 20; 1985 a. 29, 177; 1993 a. 184; 1997 a. 150; 2005 a. 420.

43.12 43.12 County payment for library services.

43.12(1) (1) 

43.12(1)(a) (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:

43.12(1)(a)1. 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., by a county that does not maintain a consolidated public library for the county under s. 43.57 and that contains residents who are not residents of a municipality that maintains a public library under s. 43.52 or 43.53, to each public library in the county and to each public library in an adjacent county, other than a county with a population of at least 750,000 or a county that maintains a consolidated public library for the county.

43.12(1)(a)2. 2. If the adjacent county maintains a consolidated public library and provides the notice under sub. (1m), by a county that does not maintain a consolidated public library for the county under s. 43.57 and that contains residents who are not residents of a municipality that maintains a public library under s. 43.52 or 43.53, to the consolidated public library for the adjacent county providing the notice under sub. (1m).

43.12(1)(a)3. 3. If a county maintains a consolidated public library and provides a notice under sub. (1m), by that county to each public library in an adjacent county, other than a county with a population of at least 750,000, that provides a statement to the county under sub. (2).

43.12(1)(b) (b) The minimum amount under par. (a) shall be calculated to equal 70 percent of the amount computed by multiplying the number of loans of material made by the library during the prior calendar year, for par. (a) 1. or 3., to residents of the county who are not residents of a municipality that maintains a public library under s. 43.52 or 43.53, or, for par. (a) 2., to residents of the county who are not residents of a municipality that contains a branch of the consolidated library, as reported under sub. (2), by the amount that results from dividing the total operational expenditures of the library during the calendar year for which the number of loans are reported, not including capital expenditures or expenditures of federal funds, by the total number of loans of material made by the public library during the calendar year for which the loans are reported.

43.12(1)(c) (c) The library board of the public library entitled to a payment under this subsection may direct the county to credit all or a portion of the payment to a county library service or library system for shared services.

43.12(1m) (1m) If a county maintains a consolidated public library, the library shall provide a notice not later than April 1 to any public library from which it requests payment under sub. (1).

43.12(2) (2) By July 1 of each year, each public library lying in whole or in part in a county shall provide a statement to the county clerk of that county and to the county clerk of each adjacent county, other than a county with a population of at least 750,000, that reports all of the following:

43.12(2)(a) (a) The number of loans of material made by that library during the prior calendar year to residents of the county, or adjacent county, who are not residents of a municipality that maintains a public library under s. 43.52 or 43.53.

43.12(2)(b) (b) If the library is in a county that is adjacent to a county with a consolidated library system, the number of loans of material made by that library during the prior calendar year to residents of the adjacent county who are not residents of a municipality that contains a branch of the consolidated library.

43.12(2)(c) (c) The total number of loans of material made by that library during the previous calendar year.

43.12(3) (3) A county may enter into an agreement with its participating municipalities or with a public library system to pay no less than the amounts determined under sub. (1) to the public library system for distribution to the public libraries that participate in that system.

43.12(4) (4) Upon request of a county clerk, a public library shall provide access to all books and records used to determine the amount computed under sub. (2).

43.12(5m) (5m) Nothing in this section prohibits a county from providing funding for capital expenditures.

43.12(6) (6) The county library board or, if no county library board exists, the county itself, shall either distribute the aid provided by the county to the public libraries, as provided in the plan prepared under s. 43.11, or shall transfer the aid for distribution to the public library system in which it participates.

43.12(7) (7) This section does not apply to a county having a population of 750,000 or more.

43.12(8) (8) For the purposes of this section, a county that provides library service solely under s. 43.57 (2m) is a county that maintains a consolidated public library, and a tribal college-county joint library under s. 43.57 (2m) is a branch of the consolidated library.

43.12 History History: 1997 a. 150; 2005 a. 226, 420; 2007 a. 97; 2013 a. 157; 2015 a. 306; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

43.13 43.13 Division review.

43.13(1) (1) 

43.13(1)(a) (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 services, the role of existing multi-jurisdictional service programs in the territory and plans for cooperation with adjoining systems and with other kinds of libraries in the territory.

43.13(1)(b) (b) If the division approves a final report, it shall report such approval to the appropriate county boards and county library planning committees. Upon acceptance by the county boards, the division shall certify to the appropriate county boards the establishment of the public library system proposed by the report, specifying the effective date of the establishment of the system.

43.13(2) (2) A public library system board may submit to the division a plan for the alteration in the territory included within the system or for a change in system organization from a federated to a consolidated system or vice versa. If the change proposed by the plan is approved, the division shall certify such fact to the system board, specifying the effective date of the change.

43.13(3) (3) The effective date of the establishment of a system under sub. (1) or of a change under sub. (2) shall be January 1 of the year specified by the division.

43.13(4) (4) Any decision by the division under this section may be appealed to the state superintendent.

43.13 History History: 1971 c. 152; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27; 2005 a. 226.

43.15 43.15 Standards for public library systems. A public library system shall not be established unless it meets the requirements under this section.

43.15(1) (1) Population. The territory within the system shall:

43.15(1)(a) (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 3 participating counties and a population under 200,000, the remaining parts of the system shall realign with an existing system within 2 years after the date on which the population falls below 200,000.

43.15(1)(b) (b) After July 1, 1998, no new system may be established unless it serves a population of at least 200,000.

43.15(2) (2) Financial support. Each county proposed to be included within a system shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the division, its ability to provide adequate funding to implement the plan submitted under s. 43.11 (3) and the report submitted under s. 43.13 (1).

43.15(3) (3) Territory included.

43.15(3)(a) (a) A consolidated system shall consist of one county only. A federated system shall consist of one or more counties.

43.15(3)(b) (b) No more than one system may be established within a single county. If the territory of a municipality lies in 2 or more counties which are not in the same public library system, the municipal library board or, if no such board exists, the municipal governing body shall determine the system in which the municipality will participate.

43.15(3)(c) (c) If the territory of a joint library lies in 2 or more counties that are not in the same public library system, the joint library board or, if no such board exists, the governing bodies of the municipalities and counties that created the joint library shall determine the system in which the joint library will participate.

43.15(4) (4) Method of organization.

43.15(4)(a) (a) A public library system may be organized as a single-county federated public library system, a multicounty federated public library system, or a single-county consolidated public library system. Two public library systems may merge with the approval of each public library system board and the county boards of the participating counties.

43.15(4)(b) (b) A county may participate in a federated public library system if it does all of the following:

43.15(4)(b)1. 1. Adopts and maintains the plan of library service submitted and approved under ss. 43.11 (3) and 43.13 (1).

43.15(4)(b)2. 2. Provides the financial support for library services required under sub. (2).

43.15(4)(b)3. 3. Enters into a written agreement with the public library system board to participate in the system and its activities and to furnish library services to residents of those municipalities in the county not maintaining a public library.

43.15(4)(c) (c) A municipal, county or joint public library may participate in a public library system if it meets all of the following requirements:

43.15(4)(c)1. 1. Is established under this chapter. A tribal college-county joint library under s. 43.57 (2m) is a library established under this chapter.

43.15(4)(c)2. 2. Is located in a county that participates in a public library system.

43.15(4)(c)3. 3. Is authorized by its municipal governing body or county board to participate in the public library system. If the library is a tribal college-county joint library, it is authorized by an agreement under s. 43.57 (2m).

43.15(4)(c)4. 4. Enters into a written agreement with the public library system board to participate in the system and its activities, to participate in interlibrary loan of materials with other system libraries, and to provide, to any resident of the system area, the same library services, on the same terms, that are provided to the residents of the municipality or county that established the member library. This subdivision does not prohibit a municipal, county, or joint public library from giving preference to its residents in library group programs held for children or adults if the library limits the number of persons who may participate in the group program, or from providing remote access to a library’s online resources only to its residents.

43.15(4)(c)6. 6. Employs a head librarian who is certified as a public librarian by the department and whose employment requires that he or she be present in the library for at least 10 hours of each week that the library is open to the public, less leave time.

43.15(4)(c)7. 7. Beginning in 2008, annually is open to the public an average of at least 20 hours each week except that for a library in existence on June 3, 2006, annually is open to the public an average of at least 20 hours or the number of hours each week that the library was open to the public in 2005, whichever is fewer.

43.15(4)(c)8. 8. Beginning in 2008, annually spends at least $2,500 on library materials.

43.15(4)(d) (d) A county may establish a consolidated public library system in which the included county and its underlying communities form a single system. The county may, for such purposes, take over and acquire any library property by consent of the authority controlling that property.

43.15(5) (5) Capital costs excluded. For the purpose of determining the amount of financial support required under sub. (4) (b) 2., amounts spent for capital projects shall be excluded.

43.15(5m) (5m) Limit. A public library system may not be established if its establishment would cause the number of public library systems to exceed the number in existence on June 3, 2006.

43.15 History History: 1971 c. 152; 1981 c. 197; 1985 a. 29, 177; 1987 a. 399; 1989 a. 286; 1991 a. 269; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1995 a. 270; 1997 a. 27, 150; 2005 a. 226, 420; 2007 a. 97; 2011 a. 32; 2015 a. 306; 2017 a. 365 s. 111.

43.15 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. PI 6.06, Wis. adm. code.

43.16 43.16 Resource libraries.

43.16(1) (1) 

43.16(1)(a) (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 as a system resource library in the following year. If the board and the proposed resource library are unable to reach an agreement for the following year before the expiration date of any existing agreements with resource libraries, the existing agreements shall be extended for one year or until an agreement is reached with that proposed resource library, whichever occurs earlier. The division shall notify the public library system board, the existing resource libraries and the proposed resource library of the extension and, during the period of extension, shall attempt to mediate an agreement between the public library system board and the proposed resource library. If the division determines that the public library system board and the proposed system resource library are unable to reach an agreement before the end of the one-year period, the division shall propose an alternative agreement, which shall be binding if it is acceptable to the proposed system resource library. If the alternative agreement is unacceptable to the proposed system resource library, the board shall negotiate with the member public library with the next largest annual operating budget of all member public libraries to serve as a system resource library in the following year.

43.16(1)(am) (am) An existing contract may be extended under par. (a) only if it was entered into on or after May 8, 1990.

43.16(1)(b) (b) The procedure under par. (a) shall be repeated with member public libraries in decreasing order of the size of their annual operating budgets until an agreement is reached with a member public library to serve as a system resource library. Except as provided in par. (a), no agreement may extend beyond December 31 of any year.

43.16(2) (2) If the member public library selected to serve as a system resource library under sub. (1) fails to meet all of the following requirements, the system board shall enter into a supplementary contract with the academic library with the largest operating budget of all academic libraries in the system area, or with a resource library in an adjacent system, that meets all of the following requirements:

43.16(2)(a) (a) The library has a collection of at least 100,000 volumes.

43.16(2)(b) (b) The library is open to the public at least 50 hours each week.

43.16(2)(c) (c) The library employs at least one full-time, permanent reference librarian with a master’s degree in library science.

43.16 History History: 1989 a. 286.

43.17 43.17 Public library systems; general provisions.

43.17(1) (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 a board, the members shall be divided as nearly as possible into 3 equal groups to serve for terms expiring on January 1 of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, respectively, following their appointment. Thereafter, regular terms shall be for 3 years and shall commence on January 1. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as regular appointments are made.

43.17(2) (2) Board organization and meetings. As soon as practicable after the initial establishment of a system, and thereafter in January of each year, the board shall organize by the election, from among its members, of a president and such other officers as it deems necessary. The board shall meet at least once every 2 months.

43.17(2m) (2m) Advisory committee. Every public library system may appoint a public library advisory committee to, among other things, advise the system board about the status and needs of libraries in the system, serve as a conduit of information between the system board and individual libraries in the system and make recommendations to the system board relating to libraries in the system.

43.17(3) (3) Fiscal year. The fiscal year of each federated public library system whose territory lies within 2 or more counties shall be the calendar year.

43.17(4) (4) System administration. Notwithstanding ss. 59.17 (2) (br) and 59.18 (2) (b), responsibility for administration of a public library system shall vest in a head librarian who shall be appointed by and directly responsible to the public library system board.

43.17(5) (5) Annual report. Annually, at the time required by the division, each public library system shall report to the division on its operations, expenditures and territory served during the preceding year, shall submit a plan describing the program for library service to be carried out in the subsequent year and shall furnish such other information as the division requires.

43.17(6) (6) Cooperative services. A public library system may contract with another such system, or with other libraries, library organizations or resource centers within this state or in adjacent states, to provide or receive library services.

43.17(7) (7) Existing employees. No person employed by a participating public library at the time of the establishment of a public library system shall lose, because of such establishment, any salary, fringe benefit or other employment rights in existence at that time.

43.17(8) (8) Retirement. If any employee of a participating employer under the Wisconsin retirement system becomes, by virtue of the establishment of a public library system, an employee of that library system, the library system shall become a participating employer under the Wisconsin retirement system.

43.17(9) (9) Contracts, bidding and borrowing.

43.17(9)(a) (a) All contracts for public construction made by a federated public library system whose territory lies within 2 or more counties or by a federated public library system whose territory lies within a single county with a population of at least 750,000 shall be let by the public library system board to the lowest responsible bidder in accordance with s. 62.15 (1) to (11) and (14). For purposes of this section, the system board possesses the powers conferred by s. 62.15 on the board of public works and the common council. All contracts made under this section shall be made in the name of the federated public library system and shall be executed by the system board president and such other board officer as the system board designates.

43.17(9)(b) (b) A public library system board of a multicounty library system may borrow money to accomplish any of its purposes, but the outstanding amount of such loans at any time may not exceed an amount equal to the system board’s receipts for the prior fiscal year. A federated public library system whose territory lies within 2 or more counties may obtain a state trust fund loan to accomplish any of its purposes, but the outstanding amount of a federated public library system’s state trust fund loans, together with all other indebtedness of the system, may not exceed an amount equal to the system’s receipts for the prior fiscal year.

43.17(10) (10) Borrowers’ cards. Except as provided in sub. (11), all public libraries in a public library system shall honor the valid borrowers’ cards of a public library in an adjacent public library system, other than the Milwaukee County Federated Library System. The requirement under this subsection does not apply to the Milwaukee County Federated Library System.

43.17(11) (11) Cost of lending services.

43.17(11)(a) (a) In this subsection, “loan” means a unit of service that involves the checking out of a single item from a library to an individual for use outside the library for a specific period of time.