Alabama. Public Library Service (1959- ).

Authorities:

Alabama Government Manual, 1959-1982.

Code 1975, 41:8:1-25.

University of Alabama. Bureau of Public Administration. A Handbook of Alabama State Agencies. (Birmingham: The Printing Company, 1942).

Established as a separate entity in 1959, the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) developed cooperative systems whose purpose is to provide books and services to each person in the state. It is supervised by an Executive Board whose five members are appointed by the Governor. The Board elects a Chairman and Vice-Chairman. The Director, appointed by the Board, is the head of the department. (Acts 1959, No. 600, p. 1488.)

The agency began as the Public Library Service Division of the Department of Archives and History in 1939. It was supervised by an Executive Board of five members appointed by the Governor. The Director of the Department of Archives and History served as an ex-officio member. The Board's duties were to conduct the affairs of and to administer funds allocated to the Division.

The Director was delegated the following duties: (1) to keep a record of proceedings; (2) to keep accurate accounts of financial transactions; (3) to nominate to the Board necessary assistants; and (4) to supervise the work of the Division.

The responsibilities of the Division included: (1) to give advice to all free libraries in the state and all communities who wished to establish public libraries; and (2) to send staff members to aid in organizing such libraries. (Acts 1939-1940, No. 171, pp. 297-299)

According to the Handbook (1942), the Division had a separate board and budget from the Deparment of Archives and History.

By 1959, the directive, to accept grants, funds, and property from the federal government and accept the terms and conditions imposed by the grants, was added to the duties of the Board.

At present, the duties of the Executive Board include: (1) to conduct the affairs of the Service; (2) to administer funds, including federal funds provided by the Library Services and Construction Act; (3) to be responsible for the program within the agency plan for service in the state; (4) to report annually to the Governor; (5) to appoint the Director; (6) to award scholarships in Library Science to the extent that funds are available in accordance with the Library Services Act; and (7) to perform other activities naturally administered by such a Board.

The Director has the following duties: (1) to record the proceedings of the Board; (2) to keep accurate accounts of financial transactions; (3) to have charge of organizing new libraries and improving those already established; (4) to administer the Interstate Library Compact for the state; and (5) to perform duties as assigned by the Board.

Responsibilities of the Public Library Service include: (1) To assist all free public, regional, municipal, and county libraries, communities proposing to establish libraries, and local governments in establishing joint unit of library service; (2) to receive and administer all funds, books, and property; (3) to obtain annual reports from public libraries in the state.

In accordance with the Library Services and Construction Act, as amended in 1970, the State Advisory Council on libraries was established in 1971 for the purpose of advising the Library Service about the development and administration of long-range and annual plans for public libraries and of assisting in their evaluation.

The Humanities Resource Center was established in 1979 as a cooperative program sponsored jointly by the Committee for the Humanities in Alabama and The Alabama Public Library Service. Its purpose was to circulate films, videotapes, and exhibits on topics relating to the humanities in Alabama. It ended in 1985 because of a lack of funds.

The Service administratively established the following divisions:

Alabama. Public Library Service. Administrative Division.

Authority: Alabama Government Manual, 1982.

The Division is responsible for long-range planning and implementation of the state plan for library development, public relations, fiscal management, and systems management.

Alabama. Public Library Service. Division of the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

The Division maintains and circulates material to the state's blind and physically handicapped.

Alabama. Public Library Service. Library Development.

The Division advises and assists public libraries, helps in the growth of networking, and guides multitype library cooperation.

Alabama. Public Library Service. Library Operations.

Duties of the Division include acquisition and circulation of materials as well as information and reference services to state government agencies and public libraries.

Previous organizations have included: in 1967, the Director, Headquarters Staff, Field Staff, Business Office (which included accounting), Technical Services Section, and Readers' Services; and in 1977, Administrative staff, whose duties were largely the same as those of the current Division, Headquarters staff, responsible for acquisition and circulatin of materials and the provision of reference services, and Field staff, who were responsible for development of public libraries and library programs.