43.03 General duties of state superintendent. The state superintendent shall:

(1) Promote, assist and plan the organization, development and improvement of school library media services to provide the resources needed for teaching and learning in the schools.

(2) Promote, assist, plan and coordinate the organization, development and improvement of public library services and public library systems to serve the needs of all citizens in the state.

(3)

(a) Promote cooperation and resource sharing among public libraries, school libraries, other types of libraries and related agencies.

(b) Plan, coordinate, evaluate and set statewide priorities for the development of networks to enable library cooperation and resource sharing within this state and between this state and resource providers in other states.

(d) Submit to the council on library and network development a biennial report which describes the programs and policies carried out under pars. (a) and (b) in the preceding biennium and the programs and policies to be carried out under pars. (a) and (b) in the succeeding biennium.

(4) Plan and coordinate the provision of library services to groups with special needs, including institutional residents, the physically and mentally handicapped, the socially and economically disadvantaged and racial and ethnic minorities.

(5) Accept, on behalf of the state, grants from the federal government or any federal agency or gifts or grants from any other source to be used for the purposes designated under this chapter.

(6) Enter into an annual contract with the public library in a 1st class city for the provision of library services to physically handicapped persons, including the blind and visually handicapped, certified by competent authority as unable to read or use conventional printed materials as a result of physical limitations. For the purpose of this subsection, “competent authority" means any member of the medical or allied professions, and professional persons in the fields of public health, education, library service, rehabilitation, social work and public welfare.

(7) Contract for service with libraries and other resource providers in and outside of this state to serve as resources of specialized library materials and information not available from the resources for libraries and lifelong learning service under s. 43.05 (11).

(8) Establish procedures necessary for the internal administrative operation of the division.

(9) Develop and maintain a computer database containing bibliographic and library holding information for all types of library materials owned by libraries throughout the state to serve as a resource sharing tool and assist libraries in developing computerized bibliographic databases.

(10) Disseminate information regarding appropriate continuing education activities available to librarians, library board members, library support staff and other related professionals.

History: 1979 c. 347; 1985 a. 177; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27; 1999 a. 185; 2011 a. 158.