(a) As used in sections 11-24b, 11-24c and 11-31a:

(1) “Board” means the State Library Board.

(2) “Public library” means a library that serves its residents through its outlet or outlets without charging a borrower's card fee and which receives its financial support in whole or in part from local tax funds.

(3) “Principal public library” means the public library which has been so designated by the local municipal governing board.

(4) “Local funds” means moneys received by a public library from any source, public or private, excluding state or federal grants.

(5) “General library purposes” means all functions of a public library, including the purchase of land or the construction, alteration or remodeling of buildings.

(b) A municipality may have more than one public library, but may designate only one library as its principal public library. A principal public library may be designated for more than one town if it meets conditions established and approved by the State Library Board. In any town or municipality where there are multiple libraries, there shall be a separate board or governing body and a different library director and staff for each public library. Each public library shall be a separate library facility and there shall be a separate town appropriation to each public library.

(c) Any public library not designated as a principal public library shall be a “nonprincipal public library”. A nonprincipal public library in a municipality may be eligible to receive a state grant, construction cost grant, emergency repair grant or Connecticard grant provided it meets the following conditions: There is a separate board of trustees or governing body for each such nonprincipal public library; there is a different library director and staff for each such library; there is a separate library facility; and there is a separate town appropriation to each such library.

(1967, P.A. 590, S. 2; P.A. 75-316, S. 12; P.A. 83-364, S. 1, 2; P.A. 96-180, S. 17, 166; P.A. 13-239, S. 61.)

History: P.A. 75-316 substituted state library board for state library committee; P.A. 83-364 made former provisions Subsec. (a), replacing former alphabetic Subdiv. indicators with numeric indicators, redefined “public library” as a library which does not charge a borrower's card fee and which receives financial support wholly or partially from local tax funds, restated definition of “principal public library”, redefined “general library purposes” to include land purchase and building construction, alteration or remodeling which had previously been expressly excluded, deleted definition of “base period operational funds” and added Subsecs. (b) and (c) clarifying designation of principal public library and establishing criteria for receipt of grant by “nonprincipal public library”; P.A. 96-180 made a technical grammatical change in Subsec. (c), effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 13-239 amended Subsec. (c) to include emergency repair grants as eligible for funding, effective July 1, 2013.