§ 29-3.1-2.2. Library board of Rhode Island established. (a) There is hereby created the library board of Rhode Island, sometimes hereinafter referred to as the "library board". The library board shall be protected from sudden changes in membership and reversal of policy by having staggered terms for its public members, and is hereby made successor to all powers, rights, duties, and privileges pertaining to public library services and interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing.

(b) The library board shall consist of fifteen (15) members appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, five (5) of whom shall be representative of general library users. The remainder of the governor's appointments shall be representative of the following:

(1) Users of the Talking Books Plus, the economically disadvantaged, and corporate or special librarians; school library media specialists;

(2) Librarians serving people who are institutionalized;

(3) Public library trustees and statewide library advocacy group; and

(4) Librarians from small public libraries, librarians from large or medium public libraries, and academic librarians.

(c) The commissioner for elementary and secondary education, or a designee, and the commissioner for higher education, or a designee, shall serve as nonvoting ex officio members. The governor shall appoint from the library board's public members a chairperson. The board may elect from among its members such other officers as it deems necessary.

(d) Board members shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be allowed travel expenses related to attendance at board meetings.

(e) No person shall be eligible for appointment to the board unless he or she is a resident of this state.

(f) Members of the board shall be removable by the governor pursuant to the provisions of § 36-1-7 and for cause only, and removal solely for partisan or personal reasons unrelated to capacity or fitness for the office shall be unlawful.

History of Section. (P.L. 1990, ch. 342, § 2; P.L. 1994, ch. 305, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 375, § 1; P.L. 1999, ch. 83, § 66; P.L. 1999, ch. 130, § 66; P.L. 2000, ch. 271, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 14, § 2; P.L. 2006, ch. 16, § 2; P.L. 2016, ch. 511, art. 2, § 23.)