Village of Thornton, IL Library Board

[1983 Code]

The Board of Library Directors shall carry out the spirit and intent of the Illinois Local Library Act[1] and, in addition to the other powers conferred by the Act, shall have the following powers:

To make and adopt such by-laws, rules and regulations for the government of the library system as necessary and not inconsistent with the Act;

To appoint and to fix the compensation of a qualified librarian, who shall have the authority to hire such other employees as may be necessary, to fix their compensation, and to remove such appointees, subject to the approval of the board, and the board may also retain counsel and professional consultants as needed;

To have the exclusive control of the expenditure of all moneys collected for the library and deposited to the credit of the library fund;

To invest funds pursuant to "An Act relating to certain investments of public funds by public agencies," approved July 23, 1943, as amended;

To accumulate and set apart as reserve funds portions of the unexpended balances of the proceeds received annually from taxes or other sources, for the purpose of providing self-insurance against liabilities relating to the public library;

To enter into contracts and to take title to any property acquired by it for library purposes by the name and style of "Board of Directors of the Thornton Library System, Thornton, Illinois," . . . and by that name to sue and be sued;

To have the exclusive control of the construction of any library building and of the supervision, care and custody of the grounds, rooms or buildings constructed, leased or set apart for that purpose;

To purchase or lease ground and to construct, purchase or lease and occupy an appropriate building or buildings for the use of the library system, including, but not limited to, the power to purchase or lease either real or personal property for system purposes through contracts which provide for the consideration for such purchase or lease to be paid through installments at stated intervals during a certain period not to exceed 10 years, together with interest at a rate not to exceed 7% on the unpaid balance owing and to purchase real estate for system purposes upon a mortgage basis for up to 50% of the total consideration therefor, the remaining balance to be paid through installments at stated intervals for a period not to exceed 10 years, together with interest at a rate not to exceed 7% on the unpaid balance owing.

To remodel or reconstruct a building erected or purchased by the board, when necessary to adopt such building for library purposes or needs;

To exercise the power of eminent domain subject to the prior approval of the Village Board of Trustees as provided under 75 ILCS 5/5-1 and 5/5-2.

To sell or otherwise dispose of any real or personal property that is deemed no longer necessary or useful for library purposes, and to lease to others any real property not immediately useful but for which plans for ultimate use have been or will be adopted, but the Village Board of Trustees shall have the first right to purchase or lease;

To contract with any public or private corporation or entity for the purpose of providing or receiving library service or of performing any and all other acts necessary and proper to carry out the responsibilities, the spirit, and the provisions of the Act. This contractual power includes, but is not limited to, participating in interstate library compacts and library systems, contracting to supply library services, and expending of any federal or state funds made available to the Village;

To join with the board or boards of any one or more libraries in this state in maintaining libraries, or for the maintenance of a common library or common library services for participants, upon such terms as may be agreed upon by and between the boards;

To join the public library as a member and to join the library board as members in the Illinois Library Association and the American Library Association, non-profit, non-political, (501-C-3) associations, as designated by the federal Internal Revenue Service, having the purpose of library development and librarianship; to provide for the payment of annual membership dues, fees and assessments and act by, through and in the name of such instrumentality by providing and disseminating information and research services, employing personnel and doing any and all other acts for the purpose of improving library development.

To extend the privileges and use of the library, including the borrowing of materials on an individual basis by persons residing outside the Village, pursuant to such terms and conditions as the board shall prescribe, and for such privileges and use, the board shall charge a nonresident fee at least equal to the cost paid by residents of the Village, with the cost to be determined according to the formula established by the Illinois State Library. Nonresident cards shall allow for borrowing privileges only at the library where the card was issued. The nonresident fee shall not apply to privilege and use provided under the terms of the library's membership in a library system operating under the provisions of the Illinois Library System Act, under the terms of any reciprocal agreement with a public or private corporation or entity providing a library service, or to a nonresident who as an individual or partner, principal stockholder, or other joint owner owns taxable property or is a senior administrative officer of a corporation owning taxable property within the Village upon the presentation of the most recent tax bill upon that taxable property, provided that the privilege and use of the library is extended to only one such nonresident for each parcel of such taxable property;

To exclude from the use of the library any person who wilfully violates the rules prescribed by the board.

On or before May 30 of each year, the Board of Library Directors shall make a report of the condition of their trust on the last day of the fiscal year to the Village Board of Trustees. This report shall be made in writing and shall be verified under oath by the secretary, or some other responsible officer of the Board of Library Directors. It shall contain:

An itemized statement of the various sums of money received from the Library Fund and from other sources;

An itemized statement of the objects and purposes for which those sums of money have been expended;

A statement of the number of books and periodicals available for use, and the number and character thereof circulated;

A statement of the real and personal property acquired by devise, bequest, purchase, gift or otherwise;

A statement of the character of any extensions of library service which have been undertaken;

A statement of the financial requirements of the library for the ensuing fiscal year for inclusion in the appropriation of the Village and of the amount of money which, in the judgment of the Board of Library Directors, it will be necessary to levy for library purposes in the next annual tax levy ordinance;

Any other statistics, information and suggestions that may be of interest. A report shall also be filed, at the same time, with the Illinois State Library.

[1]

Editor's Note: See 75 ILCS 5/4-7.