Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 70.djvu/349

 70 S T A T. ]

PUBLIC LAW 597-JUNE 19, 1956

Public Law 597

293 CHAPTER 407

AN ACT To promote the further development of public library service in r u r a l a r e a s.

June 19, 19J16 [H. R. 2840]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may ^ ^ibrary be cited as the "Library Services Act".

Services

DECLARATION OF POLICY

SEC. 2, (a) I t is the purpose of this Act to promote the further extension by the several States of public library services to rural areas without such services or with inadequate services. (b) The provisions of this Act shall not be so construed as to interfere with State and local initiative and responsibility in the conduct of public library services. The administration of public libraries, the selection of personnel and library books and materials, and, insofar as consistent with the purposes of this Act, the determination of the best uses of the funds provided under this Act shall be reserved to the States and their local subdivisions. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 3. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1957, and for each of the four succeeding fiscal years the sum of $7,500,000 which shall be used for making payments to States which have submitted and had approved by the Commissioner of Education (hereinafter referred to as the Commissioner) State plans for the further extension of public library services to rural areas without such services, or with inadequate services. ALLOTMENTS TO STATES

SEC. 4. (a) From the sums appropriated pursuant to section 3 for each fiscal year, the Commissioner shall allot $10,000 to the Virgin Islands and $40,000 to each of the other States, and shall allot to each State such part of the remainder of such sums as the rural population of the State bears to the rural population of the United States, according to the most recent decennial census. (b) The amount of any allotment to a State under subsection (a) for any fiscal year remaining unpaid to such State at the end of such fiscal year shall be available for payment to such Stat« under section 6 until the end of the succeeding fiscal year. No payment to a State under section 6 shall be made out of its allotment for any fiscal year until its allotment for the preceding fiscal year has been exhausted or has ceased to be available. STATE PLANS

SEC. 5. (a) To be approved under this section, a State plan for the further extension of public library services to rural areas must— (1) provide for the administration, or supervision of the administration, of the plan by the State library administrative agency, and provide that such agency wall have adequate authority under State law to administer the plan in accordance with its provisions and the provisions of this Act; (2) provide for the receipt by the State treasurer (or, if there be no State treasurer, the officer exercising similar functions for the State) of all funds paid to the State pursuant to this Act and for the proper safeguarding of such funds by such officer,

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