Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

                                                                 APPROVED                 CHAPTER
                                                                  JULY 1, 2025                 117
                                                                BY GOVERNOR               RESOLVES
                                  STATE OF MAINE
                                          _____
                          IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
                        TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
                                          _____
                                  H.P. 926 - L.D. 1404
Resolve, to Create a Working Group on the Status of School Libraries and on
                         Public Libraries in Maine
    Sec. 1. State Librarian to convene working group. Resolved: That the State
Librarian shall convene a working group on the status of school libraries and public
libraries in the State, referred to in this resolve as "the working group."
    Sec. 2. Working group membership. Resolved: That the working group
consists of 15 members as follows:
    1. The State Librarian;
    2. The President of the Maine Library Association or the president's designee;
    3. The President of the Maine Association of School Libraries or the president's
designee;
   4. A representative of the Maine Principals' Association, appointed by the
Commissioner of Education;
    5. A representative from the Maine School Superintendents Association, appointed by
the Commissioner of Education;
    6. Three representatives of nonprofit public libraries, who must be from libraries of
different sizes and from different regions of the State and one of whom must be a member
of that representative's library governing board, appointed by the President of the Maine
Library Association;
    7. Two representatives of municipal public libraries, who must be from libraries of
different sizes and from different regions of the State, appointed by the President of the
Maine Library Association;
    8. Three representatives of public school libraries, who must be from schools of
different sizes and from different regions of the State, appointed by the board of the Maine
Association of School Libraries;
    9. One staff member of the Department of Education, appointed by the Commissioner
of Education; and
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    10. One staff member from the library development division within the Maine State
Library, appointed by the State Librarian.
    Sec. 3. Chair. Resolved: That the State Librarian is the chair of the working group.
     Sec. 4. Convening of working group. Resolved: That the chair shall call the
first meeting of the working group within 45 days of the effective date of this resolve. A
majority of the working group membership constitutes a quorum. The member of the
working group who is a staff member from the library development division within the
Maine State Library shall take minutes at each meeting, which must be posted on the Maine
State Library's publicly accessible website within 5 business days of the meeting.
    Sec. 5. Duties. Resolved: That the working group shall study:
    1. Library services for specific segments of the State's population, including
individuals 55 years of age and older, individuals with disabilities, youth and children,
immigrant and migrant communities, tribal communities and individuals residing in remote
areas of the State;
    2. The role that libraries play in emergency preparedness; cultural diversity and
inclusion; public health and safety; community identity and resiliency; economic
development; and access to public services and resources; and
    3. The current overall status of public and school libraries in the State, which may
include information related to partnerships, resources, facilities, technology and staffing.
    In the performance of its duties under this section, the working group shall solicit input
from the general public and library users across the State.
    Sec. 6. Study guidance. Resolved: That, in performing the duties under section
5, the working group may:
     1. Assess current community, county and state partnerships with public and school
libraries and identify gap areas and potential additional partners, including an assessment
of regional partnerships based on areas of need in each region;
    2. Study the size and diversity of library holdings and assess the strengths of and gaps
in materials available to residents of the State, including an assessment of how resources
are shared across different libraries and communities and how to best find economies of
scale through shared resources among public and school libraries;
    3. Study the status of public and school library facilities across the State, with a focus
on how to improve accessibility, safety and energy efficiency while still accounting for
historic preservation and local community needs;
    4. Study whether public and school libraries in the State have sufficient access to basic
technological resources, cybersecurity resources, electronic catalogs, interlibrary loan
services and appropriate hardware and software to address community member needs;
    5. Study staffing levels at public and school libraries in the State, whether staffing
levels are sufficient to meet user needs, how libraries use volunteers and what resources
are available for workforce development and training of library staff;
    6. Solicit input from the Maine Library Commission; and
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    7. Examine models for library management and organization in other states, including
the formation of statewide service networks.
    Sec. 7. Staff assistance; mileage reimbursement. Resolved: That the Maine
State Library shall provide administrative, technical and legal assistance to the working
group, including contracting with an outside facilitator with experience in leading
community and library discussions to assist the State Librarian with meeting facilitation
and organization.
    Members of the working group are entitled to mileage reimbursement from the Maine
State Library for travel to in-person meetings at the same rate as under the Maine Revised
Statutes, Title 5, section 8 for not more than 12 meetings.
    Sec. 8. Report. Resolved: That, no later than November 1, 2027, the State
Librarian shall submit a report based on the study under section 5 for presentation to the
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural
affairs. The report must include:
   1. Specific and detailed findings and proposals concerning the issues studied by the
working group;
    2. Recommendations for updating the Maine Revised Statutes, agency rules and
governance structures of public and school libraries in the State to ensure equitable access
for residents of the State, efficient use of resources and high quality in the provision of
services;
    3. Recommendations related to the funding needs of public and school libraries in the
State, including capital, ongoing and special funding; and
     4. Any other information or recommendations the working group determines necessary
to include in the report.
    The joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and
cultural affairs is authorized to report out legislation related to the report to the Second
Regular Session of the 133rd Legislature.
    Sec. 9.    Appropriations and allocations. Resolved: That the following
appropriations and allocations are made.
LIBRARY, MAINE STATE
Maine State Library 0217
Initiative: Provides one-time funding in fiscal year 2025-26 and fiscal year 2026-27 only
for the cost of contracting with an outside facilitator with experience in leading community
and library discussions and to reimburse working group members for mileage.
GENERAL FUND                                                     2025-26          2026-27
 All Other                                                         $9,000           $9,000
                                                              __________       __________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL                                                 $9,000           $9,000
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