Chap. 598.—An ACT to authorize cities and incorporated towns to establish
and maintain free public libraries and reading rooms.

Approved March 5, 1900.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the
council of each incorporated city and town shall have power to establish
and maintain a public library and reading-room for the use and benefit
of the inhabitants of such city or town, and may levy a tax not to exceed
one mill on the dollar annually on all taxable property in the city or
town, such tax to be levied and collected in like manner with other gen-
eral taxes of said city, and to be known as the library fund.

2. When any city or town council shall have decided to establish and
maintain a public library and reading-room under this act, the mayor
of such city or town shall, with the approval of the council, proceed to
appoint a board of nine directors for the same, chosen from the citizens
at large with reference to their fitness for such office, and not more
than one member of the council shall be at any one time a member of
said board, and he shall be the chairman of the committee on finance of
said council, and the city superintendent of public schools shall also be
a member of said board.

3. Said directors shall hold .office one-third for one year, one-third
for two years, and one-third for three years from the date of their ap-
pointment, and at their first regular meeting shall cast lots for their
respective terms, and annually thereafter the mayor shall appoint, as
before, three directors, to take the place of the retiring directors, who
shall hold office for three years and until their successors are appointed.
The mayor may, by and with the consent of the council, remove any
director for misconduct or neglect of duty.

4. Vacancies in the board of directors occasioned by removal, resig-
nation, or otherwise, shall be reported to the council, and be filled in
like manner as original appointments, and no director shall receive com-
pensation as such.

5. Said directors shall, immediately after appointment, mect and
organize by the election of one of their number president, and by the
election of such other officers as they may deem necessary. They shall
make and adopt such by-laws, rules, and regulations for their own guid-
ance and for the government of the library and reading room as may
be expedient and may be not inconsistent with this act. They shall have
the exclusive control of the expenditure of all moneys collected to the
credit of the library fund, and of the construction of any library build-
ing. and of the supervision, care, and custody of the ground, rooms, or
buildings constructed, leased, or set apart for that purpose: provided,
that all moneys received for such library shall be deposited in the
treasury of said city to the credit of the library fund, and shall be kept
separate and apart from other moneys of such city, and drawn upon by
the proper officers of said city upon the properly authenticated vouchers
of the library board. Said board shall have power to purchase or lease
ground, to occupy, lease, or erect an appropriate building or buildings
for the use of said library; shall have power to appoint a ‘suitable libra-
rial and necessary assistants, and fix their compensation; and shall also
have power to remove such appointees; and shall, in general, carry out
the spirit and intent of this act in establishing and maintaining a pub-
lie enty and reading-room.

Every library and reading-room established under this act shall
be ‘forever free to the use of the inhabitants where located, always sub-
ject to such reasonable rules and regulations as the library board may
adopt; and said board may exclude from the use of said library and

reading Toom any and all persons who shall wilfully violate such rules.

7. The said board of directors shall make at the end of each and
every year from and after the organization of such library a report to
the city or town council, stating the conditions of their trust at the
date of such report, the various sums of money reccived from the library
fund and from other sources, and how such monevs have been expended.
and for what purposes; the number of books and periodicals on hand:
the number added by purchase, gift, or otherwise, during the year;
the number lost or missing; the, number of visitors attending: the
number of books loaned out, and the general character and kind of such
books, with such other statistics, information, and suggestions as thev
may deem of gencral interest. All such portions of said report as relates
to receipt and expenditure of money as well as the number of books
on hand, books lost or missing and books purchased shall be veritied
by ailidavit.

8. The council of said city or town shall have power to pass ordi-
nances imposing suitable penalties for the punishment of persons com-
milting injurv upon such library or the ground or other property thereof
for wilful injury to or failure to return any book belonging to such
library.

9. Anv person desiring to make donations of money, personal prop-
erty or real estate for the benefit of such library shall have the right
to vest the title to (the) money or real estate so donated in the board of
directors created under this act, to be held and controlled by such board.
when accepted, according to the terms of the deed, gift, devise, or he-
quest of such property: and, as to such property, the said trustees shall
be held and considered to be special trustees.

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