Kansas Library Laws

Articles

• Public Libraries in The Kansas Public Library Handbook by Roy Bird, State Library of Kansas, 1998.

• Do library laws K.S.A. 12-1218 through 12-1235, written in 1951, apply to libraries established before that time? Attorney General Opinion 92-5


• When a city, county or township library is created under K.S.A. 12-1219, is that library automatically a "body corporate" as described in 12-1223 or is some additional "library establishment" necessary for the library to be a "body corporate"? Attorney General Opinion 92-5
  


• Can a Register of Deeds serve on a library board? Attorney General opinion 82-171


• Who determines how much money is raised for the library, the library board or the city? Attorney General Opinion 82-193, 99-27


• Can the governing body of a municipality eliminate the library fund levy for a library that has been established under the procedures specified in K.S.A., Chapter 12? Attorney General Opinion 97-35


• Can library boards of directors levy a tax to support an employee benefit fund? Attorney General Opinion 82-136


• Can a taxing authority refuse to levy a tax for an established employee benefit fund? Attorney Opinion 89-50


• Does contracting for library services from another library constitute the establishment of a library? Attorney General Opinion 73-214


• Can a city or county hold a non-binding "advisory" election related to establishing home rule? Attorney General Opinion 83-177


• What powers to "ex officio" board members have? Attorney General Opinion 78-350, 79-94


• Can city home rule be used for changing statute requirement that board members live within the city? Attorney General Opinion 89-133


• Can libraries lease their library building? Attorney General Opinion 78-285


• Who has basic responsibility of selecting an architect and approving the plans of a city library? Attorney General Opinion 1968


• Are public libraries subject to the minimum wages and maximum hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act? Attorney General Opinion 76-313


• Does Kansas law say Kansas libraries must or must not withhold the names of library card holders or the specific titles of items checked out by patrons? Attorney General Opinion 78-255


• Can urban counties use home rule to issue general obligation bonds? Attorney General's opinion 88-92


• Must K.A.R. 54-1-17, requiring a local levy of 1/4 mills for two years before a public library can leave a regional system of cooperating libraries, be followed? Attorney General Opinion 93-123


• Is a city, township or county public library a "taxing subdivision" for the purposes of the tax lid law? Attorney General Opinion 87-167
  

(NOTE: The tax lid law, K.S.A. 79-5021 to 79-5036, inclusive, discussed in the above opinion were repealed July 1, 1999. Nevertheless, this opinion may remain useful for defining "taxing subdivision.")