Skip to Main Content

Minimum Public Library Standards: Minimum Public Library Standards

Minimum Standards

Minimum Public Library Standards for Nevada 

1. The library must be legally established and operated in compliance with NRS 379, NAC 379, NRS 380.153 and NAC 380.010 including having written by-laws and policies for the management of the library board of trustees and the library. – See Notes.

2. The library board of trustees shall have a written master plan designed to extend five years into the future and which must be made current at least every two years. The plan and its updates are filed with the Nevada State Library and Archives by January 31 of the year following their adoption by the library board (NRS 397.003).

3. The library collects, provides, and coordinates access to library materials that are organized according to a nationally accepted classification system; the library ensures access to legal materials (NRS 380.153, NAC 380.010) through collections, online resources, or collaborative agreements with other agencies.

4. The library must have a completed annual statistical report for the preceding fiscal year accepted by, and on file with, the Nevada State Library and Archives by December 1 to be made available in a timely manner for national reporting.

5. The library has regular and published hours of operation with a “system” wide average of twenty hours per identified branch/outlet per week including some night and/or weekend hours. – See Notes.

6. The library consists of a specific space designated for providing library services with the facilities, equipment, and staff necessary to enable public access to information. – See Notes.

7. The Library Board of Trustees shall select from one of three listed options as a means by which to validate and document the library’s efforts to maintain a collection appropriate to community needs. The option selected by a jurisdiction may be revised each year. – See Notes. Option I: Meet or exceed at 90% - The five-year average of amounts spent on collections. Option II: Meet or exceed at 30% - Amount spent on collections divided by Total Services and Supplies budget. Option III: Meet or exceed at 10% - Adjusted total operating budget divided by collection budget. Exclude from TOB rent for facility(s), motor pool/vehicle charges, technology = Adjusted TOB

8. Librarian certification for staff: a. Population (legal service area): 1,000-14,999. Public library jurisdictions shall have a library director who holds the credential of certified librarian from the State of Nevada (NAC 379.010). b. Population (legal service area): 15,000-49,999. Public library jurisdictions shall have a library director who holds the credential of certified librarian from the State of Nevada (NAC 379.010). Any additional staff holding a full-time library position performing the duties of reference and/or children’s services shall hold the credential of certified librarian from the State of Nevada (NAC 379.010). c. Population (legal service area): 50,000 or more. Public library jurisdictions shall have a library director who holds a master’s degree in library or information science from a college or university accredited by the American Library Association. A consolidated library district that serves a population of more than 1,000,000 may establish the educational qualifications of the executive director, which may include, without limitation, holding a master's degree in library and information science. Any additional staff in the position of librarian or other full-time professional library position performing the duties of reference and/or children’s services shall hold the credential of certified librarian from the State of Nevada (NAC 379.010). d. Any public Library Board of Trustees that has declined to adopt NAC 379.010, Section 1 and whose librarians are not exempted under NAC 379.010, Section 2 may bring their library into compliance with this standard by adopting a good faith effort to meet the standards for public library employees delineated in NAC 379.020. – See Notes.

9. Public libraries shall agree to lend circulating materials in accordance with the state-wide interlibrary loan program Information Nevada. Postage charges for interlibrary loans are assumed by the library, not the user.

10. Public libraries shall extend to Nevada library card holders the same lending privileges received by their card holders. Nevada card holders will not be charged a non-resident fee when borrowing from any Nevada public library.

11. Public libraries not meeting one or more of the above standards shall submit a “Request for Waiver of Minimum Standards” form to NSLA which includes the reason for the waiver, the action taken to comply with the standard, and the projected date for compliance with the standard. - See notes

Amended: 2/15/2023

NOTES 

The notes are an integral part of the Minimum Public Library Standards for Nevada and are included as explanatory information.

Minimum Standard 1

  • Written by-laws are adopted by the board, available in the library for review, and submitted to the appropriate local governmental entity, i.e., County Commission or City Council/Supervisors. They are reviewed, revised, re-adopted, and filed with the appropriate local authority at least every five years.
  • Written policies for operation of the library include, but are not limited to, selection of materials and request for reconsideration; personnel; facility use; interlibrary loan; circulation; public internet access; collection development; and confidentiality. Policies are available in the library for review. The policies are reviewed, revised and re-adopted at least every five years.

Minimum Standard 5

  • Hours of service should be offered in relation to local community needs as determined by the Library Board of Trustees and the hours and days selected for service should reflect the maximum potential use. An annual review of the hours and days selected for service shall be conducted by the Library Board of Trustees as part of the local budget process.
  • A system-wide average of hours opened is calculated by using the total number of hours the entire library jurisdiction is open divided by the reported number of library branches or outlets within the jurisdiction.

Minimum Standard 6

  • Library buildings shall meet community needs as determined by the Library Board of Trustees and shall be compliant with local, state and federal regulations.

Minimum Standard 7

  • If Options I, II, III are adopted, the annual statistics entry may be modified by NSLA to more easily capture the required data.
  • Definitions of line items are determined by the accounting practices of the local jurisdiction. The local jurisdiction will identify and memorialize which line item(s) are defined by the words: rent(s) for facility(s), motor pool/vehicle charges, technology.
  • The selected option shall be determined during the budget process each year, prior to the adoption of the budget for the forthcoming fiscal year. The option selected shall be documented and will be in effect during the term of the forthcoming fiscal year.
  • Preface: The NSLA Administrator shall have the authority to declare any given year one of “extraordinary circumstances” Such declaration would allow for the automatic waiver of standards for individual library jurisdictions in order to accommodate unprecedented or unforeseeable changes in the economy, natural disasters, or other unavoidable problems.

Minimum Standard 8.d

  • This good faith effort may be achieved by inclusion of a Continuing Education component in the required 5-Year Plan (NRS 397.003). This component will include the manner in which library employees who do not hold Master’s Degrees will be educated and/or trained in those competencies delineated in NAC 379.020 and will be appropriate to the size of the population served and the resources available.
  • Successful compliance with good faith efforts made to satisfy this standard does not confer certification upon participating library employees.

Minimum Standard 11

  • The “Request for Waiver of Minimum Standards” form shall be completed by the applicant library, signed by the Library Board, and submitted to the Administrator of the Nevada State Library and Archives by January 31 of each year.
  • The NSLA Administrator shall grant or deny the waiver within thirty days of receipt and return a signed copy of the form to the applicant library.
  • Granted waivers shall be filed by NSLA as an addendum to the master plan of the applicant library.
  • NSLA shall provide a summary report of waivers requested and whether approved or denied to State Council of Libraries and Literacy at the first meeting of the year subsequent to February 28.
  • A Request for Waiver will be evaluated by the NSLA Administrator on a good faith basis: has the applicant library presented a plan to come into compliance with the applicable standard(s) that is achievable within a defined period of time.