Section 307.51. County law library resources board

(A) As used in this section, "county office" means any officer, department, board, commission, or agency of a county.

(B) There is hereby created in each county a county law library resources board. The board shall consist of five members who shall be appointed and hold office as provided in section 307.511 of the Revised Code. Beginning on January 1, 2010, subject to appropriation pursuant to section 307.513 of the Revised Code, the board shall provide legal research, reference, and library services to the county and to the municipal corporations, townships, and courts within the county and shall manage the coordination, acquisition, and utilization of legal resources.

(C) The board shall employ a county law librarian who shall be the chief administrator of the county law library resources board and may employ additional staff to perform any functions as determined by the board. The board shall fix the compensation of the county law librarian and any additional employees. All employees of the county law library resources board shall be in the unclassified civil service of the county.

(D)

(1) The board may adopt any rules it considers necessary for its operation and shall adopt rules for the following:

(a) The expenditure of funds that are appropriated for its use pursuant to division (B) of section 307.513 of the Revised Code;

(b) Public access and hours of operation of the law library;

(c) Fees for services;

(d) The receipt of gifts to the county law library resources fund.

(2) The board shall not charge any fee for any service provided to any member of the general assembly or to any officer or employee of a county, municipal, or township government or court located within that county when the officer or employee is acting within the scope of the officer's or employee's employment.

(3) Fees for services do not include fees for access to the law library. The board shall not charge a fee for access to the law library.

(4) The county law librarian or the librarian's designee shall deposit all fees collected pursuant to this section by any employee of the county law library resources board into the county law library resources fund established pursuant to section 307.514 of the Revised Code.

(E) There is hereby established a transition advisory council that shall consist of those individuals serving as members of the board of trustees of the law library association of the county that, as of the effective date of this section, received fines, penalties, and moneys arising from forfeited bail under sections 3375.50 to 3375.53 of the Revised Code, as amended and repealed by this act. The transition advisory council shall exist from July 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010. After December 31, 2010, the board may create an advisory council that is comprised of persons engaged in the private practice of law and with expertise in the operation and funding of law libraries.

(F) Subject to the approval of the board of county commissioners of the county, the county law library resources board may contract with other county law library resources boards, the statewide consortium of law library resources boards, private entities, or public agencies for the provision of any services that the county law library resources board considers necessary.

(G) After January 1, 2010, no county office shall purchase, lease, rent, operate, or contract for the use of any legal research or reference materials available in print, audio, visual, or other medium or, notwithstanding section 307.842 of the Revised Code, any equipment necessary to support the utilization of that medium without prior approval of the board. If such approval is denied, the county office, notwithstanding section 307.842 of the Revised Code, may purchase, lease, rent, operate, or contract for the use of any legal research or reference materials available in print, audio, visual, or other medium at its own expense.

Effective Date: 2008 HB420 12-30-2008