Libraries

Wyo. Stat. Ann. tit. 18, ch. 7
in effect

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-101 Prerequisites to appropriate money for establishment and maintenance of library; payment of expenses.

When the board of county commissioners has received sufficient guarantees whether in the forms of conveyances or bonds of citizens, associations or corporations that a suitable place will be permanently furnished for the operation and use of a public library, it shall annually provide through property tax or otherwise for the establishment and maintenance of a public library at the county seat of the county. Whenever suitable library quarters are acquired, the county library board of directors may expend the revenue budgeted for the maintenance and operation of the county library and the county library system.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-102 Manner of levying and collecting tax; library fund.

The county library tax shall be levied and collected as other county taxes and the money collected shall be set apart as the county library fund. Nothing herein shall be construed to authorize any levy in excess of those authorized by law.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-103 Library fund under control of board of directors; appointment, powers, duties, terms of directors; manner of filling vacancies on board.

(a) The control, use and disposition of the county library fund is entrusted to the county library board of directors which shall budget and expend the fund for the maintenance, operation and promotion of the county library and county library system in order to carry out the informational, educational, cultural and recreational role of the county library. (b) The county library board of directors shall be appointed by the county commissioners and shall be composed of not less than three (3) and not more than five (5) competent and responsible residents who are representative of the entire county and who shall serve without compensation. Before entering upon his duties the treasurer of the county library board shall execute and deposit with the county commissioners a good and sufficient bond for the faithful performance of his duties in an amount required by the county commissioners. The bond shall be payable to the people of the state of Wyoming and be approved by the county commissioners. One (1) director shall be appointed for one (1) year, one (1) director (or two (2) if the board consists of four (4) or five (5) members) shall be appointed for two (2) years, and one (1) director (or two (2), if the board consists of five (5) directors) shall be appointed for three (3) years, each term to commence on July 1 following the appointment. Thereafter the county commissioners shall before July 1 of each year appoint a director or directors to replace the retiring director or directors for a term of three (3) years and until a successor is appointed. A director may be appointed for two (2) consecutive terms and shall not be eligible for reappointment until two (2) years after the expiration of his second term. (c) The county commissioners may remove any director for misconduct or neglect of duty. Vacancies on the board of directors shall be filled by the county commissioners for the balance of the unexpired term created by the vacancy.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-104 Authority of board to receive and dispose of property; appointment of librarian; library staff.

The library board of directors may receive and be responsible for real estate, money or other property to aid the establishment, maintenance or operation of the county library system. If received as a donation, they shall carefully observe as the trustee the conditions accompanying every such gift. When the board of directors determines it is in the best interests of the county library and in keeping with the purpose of the donor, it may with the approval of the board of county commissioners sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of such real estate or other property. The board of directors shall appoint a competent librarian who with the approval of the board of directors shall appoint a library staff. The duties and compensation of the staff shall be determined by the board.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-105 Organization of board; rules and regulations; filing of certificate of organization; incorporation; recovery of library materials; establishment of branch libraries; cooperative library service.

(a) Every library board of directors shall elect a chairman and other officers as necessary and shall prescribe rules and regulations for the establishment, organization, operation and use of the county library and library system. The board shall enforce such rules and regulations in any court of competent jurisdiction. As soon as the board is organized they shall file with the county clerk and with the secretary of state a certificate showing their organization, for which no filing fee or charge shall be paid. (b) Upon filing of the certificate the board of directors is a body corporate, with power to sue and be sued under the name on file with the secretary of state. (c) No member of the board of directors is personally liable for any action or procedure of the board. The corporation has perpetual existence and it is not necessary to file any other or further certificate than that filed upon the original organization of the board of directors. Every library established and maintained under the provisions of W.S. 18-7-101 through 18-7-106 is free to all residents of the county on the condition that such persons comply with rules and regulations of the library as prescribed by the board of directors. Holders of library cards are responsible for all library materials borrowed on such cards. Whenever library materials are lost, destroyed or taken from the library and not returned the library board may institute proceedings in any court of competent jurisdiction to recover the materials or the value thereof. The library board may establish and maintain branch libraries, stations and other library services and facilities. (d) Two (2) or more county library boards may contract to establish a federation of the libraries under their jurisdiction for the purpose of providing cooperative library services. Contracts shall be written, signed by the members of the contracting library boards and are binding upon the contracting library boards and their successors. The participating libraries may reserve the right to terminate the contracts by mutual agreement upon ninety (90) days written notice given to each contracting library board.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-106 Directors to keep records and make annual report.

Each library board of directors shall keep a record of all its proceedings, file in the library all vouchers for expenditures, and after the close of the fiscal year submit an annual financial, statistical and operational report to the county commissioners and to the Wyoming state library. Whenever practical the annual report shall contain information and data requested or required by the county commissioners and the Wyoming state library.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-201 Wyoming public library endowment challenge program.

The Wyoming public library endowment challenge program is created.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-202 Definitions.

(a) As used in this article: (i) "Challenge fund" means the public library endowment challenge fund created under this article; (ii) "Endowment gift" means an irrevocable gift or transfer to a Wyoming public library foundation of money or other property, whether real, personal, tangible or intangible, and whether or not the donor or transferor retains an interest in the property, where the gift of the foundation's interest in the property is required to be used by the foundation exclusively for endowment purposes, where: (A) The gift was received or the transfer occurred during the period July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2022; or (B) A commitment to make the gift or transfer was made in writing to the respective public library foundation, which commitment was received during the period July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2022, and the gift was received or the transfer occurred not later than December 31, 2023. (iii) "Foundation" means an organization established for each public library that among other purposes, exists to generate additional revenues for public library programs and activities; (iv) "Match" means the level of funds the state treasurer will provide to each public library foundation, where: (A) The amount disbursed by the state treasurer will be three (3) times the amount raised by the library foundation of any of the following counties: Albany, Big Horn, Hot Springs, Platte, Crook, Weston, Washakie, Goshen and Niobrara; (B) The amount disbursed by the state treasurer will be two (2) times the amount raised by the library foundation of any of the following counties: Johnson, Lincoln, Carbon, Uinta, Laramie, Park, Sheridan and Converse; (C) The amount disbursed by the state treasurer will be equal to the amount raised by the library foundation of any of the following counties: Campbell, Sublette, Sweetwater, Fremont, Natrona and Teton. (v) "Permanent endowment funds managed by a Wyoming public library foundation" means the endowment funds that are invested by the respective Wyoming public library foundation on a permanent basis and the earnings on those investments are dedicated to be expended exclusively to benefit and promote the mission, operation or any program or activity of the respective public library, including but not limited to augmentation of collections, programs and projects, capital improvements, increases to the corpus of the endowment and defraying reasonable costs of endowment administration.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-203 Wyoming public library endowment challenge fund.

(a) The Wyoming public library endowment challenge fund is created and shall consist of twenty-three (23) separate accounts, one (1) account for each Wyoming public library established pursuant to W.S. 18-7-101. (b) The state treasurer shall invest funds within the fund created under subsection (a) of this section and shall deposit the earnings from fund investments to the general fund.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-204 Endowment challenge fund matching program; matching payments; agreements with foundations; annual reports.

(a) To the extent funds are available in the separate account of any public library within the endowment challenge fund, the state treasurer shall match endowment gifts actually received by that public library's foundation. A match shall be paid under this subsection by the state treasurer at the time any accumulated amounts actually received by a public library foundation total ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) or more. The match shall be made by transferring from the separate challenge fund account to the appropriate public library a match amount calculated as provided by W.S. 18-7-202(a)(iv). The recipient public library shall immediately transfer matching funds received under this subsection to the public library foundation. (b) Each public library shall enter into an agreement with its foundation under which the foundation shall manage the matching funds received under subsection (a) of this section and under W.S. 18-7-205 in the same manner as other permanent endowment funds are managed by its foundation, including the permanent investment of funds, maintenance of the fund corpus as inviolate and the expenditure of fund earnings for endowment purposes only. (c) Earnings from endowment funds established with matching funds under this section, and funds received under W.S. 18-7-205, shall be expended only for the purpose of the endowment, including increasing the balance in the fund corpus and reasonable costs of administration. (d) The state treasurer shall make transfers to the appropriate public library under this section not later than the end of the calendar quarter following the quarter during which foundation gifts total at least ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). If gifts are made through a series of payments or transfers, no matching funds shall be transferred under this section until the total value of all payments or transfers actually received totals at least ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). (e) Except as provided under subsection (j) of this section, matching funds transferred under this article shall not be distributed to or encumbered by any public library foundation in excess of the amount in the challenge fund account for that library. Except to the extent authorized under subsection (j) of this section, matching funds shall not be transferred to any public library by the state treasurer except to match gifts actually received by its foundation. (f) If any public library board determines that the purpose of an endowment gift to the public library's foundation is not consistent with the mission or capability of that library, the gift shall not qualify for matching funds under this section. (g) For the purpose of computing the matching amount, the state treasurer shall use the value of an endowment gift based upon its fair market value at the time the gift is received by the public library foundation. The public library shall provide evidence of fair market value for any gift if requested by the state treasurer and shall fund the cost of providing any requested evidence. (h) Each public library shall on or before October 1 of each year, submit a report to the state treasurer from its foundation on the endowment matching program under this section for the preceding fiscal year. The report shall include a summary of funds raised under this program and the expenditure of endowment earnings. The report required under this subsection shall be for each applicable fiscal year through June 30, 2024. (j) Notwithstanding subsection (e) of this section, matching funds may be distributed to or encumbered by a public library foundation in excess of the amount within the challenge fund account of that public library if: (i) Endowment gifts for that public library exceed the amount within its challenge fund account; (ii) The public library enters into a written agreement with another public library having unencumbered amounts remaining within its challenge fund account; (iii) The public library with unencumbered amounts within its account agrees to transfer any portion of its unencumbered amount to that public library; (iv) Matching funds transferred by the state treasurer for amounts transferred between public libraries pursuant to this subsection shall be divided equally between the public libraries participating in the agreement.

Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 18-7-205 Additional transfer of funds.

(a) In addition to the transfer of matching funds authorized under W.S. 18-7-204, when the state treasurer determines that the cumulative amount of endowment gifts received by all twenty-three (23) of the public library foundations has reached two million three hundred thousand dollars ($2,300,000.00), the treasurer shall transfer to each of the public libraries, from its separate challenge fund account, the amount of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) or the amount of the balance remaining in the library's challenge fund account, whichever is less. (b) A library receiving funds under this section shall immediately transfer the funds to its public library foundation.
Source: WY Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title18.pdfFetched: 10/4/2026