The Saeima¹ has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following law:

Library Law

Section 1. Terms Used in the Law

The following terms are used in the Law:

1) database - a specially organised collection of data which includes information on documents, their contents, features, and interrelations and which is accessible to library users;

2) depository library - a library which accepts for storage little-used printed publications and other documents from libraries;

3) document - written information which in the process of documentation may be considered as one unit, regardless of its physical form and characteristic features;

4) electronic publication - information that is recorded by means of audio recording, video recording or computer recording which is duplicated on cassettes, computer disks, compact disks and which, with the aid of appropriate equipment and software, is accessible to users;

5) printed publication - a self-contained publication, editorially processed by a publishing house or another publishing agency, produced and duplicated as a polygraphically printed or off-printed publication, brochure, publication for the visually impaired, cartographic publication, newspaper, technical publication, printed music or similar publication;

6) information system - the whole of the equipment, procedures, and personnel which is developed, operated, and maintained in order to gather, process, store, and use information;

7) information technology - all of the methods of information collection, processing, storage, and conversion used in data processing and communication systems;

8) [8 December 2005];

9) legal deposit copy of publication - a copy of a printed publication or electronic publication which, in accordance with the procedures set out by the law regulating the provision of a legal deposit copy of publications, shall be received by the National Library of Latvia and other libraries;

10) interlibrary loan - a form of library co-operation pursuant to which any library, for a time, receives from or lends to another library printed publications or other documents, or document copies to meet the needs of library users;

11) international interlibrary loan - a form of international library co-operation pursuant to which any library, for a time, receives from or lends to another library printed publications or other documents, or document copies to meet the needs of library users;

12) library - an educational, informative, and cultural institution or a structural unit thereof which performs the functions specified in this Law and is registered in accordance with the procedures laid down in this Law;

13) library collection - the entirety of the documents in a library.

[8 December 2005]

Section 2. Purpose and Operation of the Law

(1) The purpose of this Law is to specify public relationships in the field of libraries in order to ensure the operation of libraries and to facilitate the preservation and development of Latvia's cultural heritage.

(2) This law applies to all libraries which directly or indirectly receive funds from the State budget and local government budgets or State budget or local governments budgets as well as to registered private libraries.

[8 December 2005]

Section 3. Library Functions

A library shall perform the following functions:

1) collection, systematisation, cataloguing, bibliographic classification, and storage of cultural heritage of the world, i.e. printed publications, electronic publications, manuscripts, and other documents;

2) ensuring public access to the library collection and its use and the provision of library services.

[8 December 2005]

Section 4. Legal Basis of the Operations of Libraries

(1) The legal basis of the operations of libraries shall be this Law, the law On the National Library of Latvia, other laws and regulations as well as library by-laws (articles of association).

(2) The by-laws (articles of association) of a library are approved by its founder.

Section 5. General Principles of the Operations of Libraries

(1) Printed publications, electronic publications, manuscripts, and other documents in library collections, regardless of their author's political, ideological, religious or other type of orientation or of information which is contained in them, shall be accessible to everyone in accordance with the prescribed procedures of the library.

(2) In relation to the formation of collections, the libraries are independent. They may not be restricted on the basis of political, ideological or religious reasons. Restrictions on the formation of library collections may be set only by law.

(3) The provision of services to users of State and local government libraries and the use of library information systems shall be free of charge. Those library services for which charges apply shall be laid down in the by-laws (articles of association) of the library and in the regulations for the use of a library. The types of paid services provided by State libraries and the methodology for the determination of rates shall be determined by the Cabinet, but for the types of paid services provided by local government libraries and the amount of payment shall be determined by the relevant local government council.

[8 December 2005; 13 November 2008]

Section 6. Founding, Reorganisation, and Liquidation of Libraries

(1) A State library shall be founded, reorganised, and liquidated by the Cabinet on the basis of a recommendation from the minister to which the library is subordinated as well as the relevant derived legal person governed by public law (except for local governments).

(2) In the event of liquidation of a State library, the Cabinet or the relevant derived legal person governed by public law shall ensure that the library collection is retained as property of the State and shall determine the procedures for its further storage and use, taking into account the recommendation of the Latvian Library Council.

(3) A local government library shall be founded, reorganised, and liquidated by the local government concerned, taking into account the recommendation of the Latvian Library Council.

(4) In the event of liquidation of a local government library, the regional, i.e. municipality or city, main library (hereinafter - the regional main library) shall organise the transfer of the library collection to other interested libraries, coordinating it with the respective local government.

(5) Private libraries shall be founded, reorganised, and liquidated by natural persons or legal persons governed by private law.

[8 December 2005; 13 November 2008; 31 March 2022]

Section 7. Legal Status of Libraries

(1) A State library is an institution established by the Cabinet or a structural unit thereof as well as an institution (agency) established by a derived legal person governed by public law (except for local governments) or a structural unit thereof in the possession of which is the library collection.

(2) A local government library is an institution established by a local government or the structural unit thereof in the possession of which is the library collection.

(3) A private library is a legal person governed by private law in the ownership or possession of which is the library collection. Its founder shall determine the legal status of a private library.

[8 December 2005]

Section 8. Registration of Libraries and the Documents Necessary for Registration

(1) Every library shall be registered at the Ministry of Culture within a month of its founding.

(2) The registration of a library shall be ensured by its founder. A submission to the Ministry of Culture for the registration of a library shall be submitted by the authorised representative of the founder and it shall include the following information:

1) the name of the library, its legal address;

2) the founder of the library, its legal status;

3) a copy of the library's founding documents;

4) the size of the library collection;

5) the number of employees of the library;

6) the area of the premises of the library, technical facilities;

7) the sources and procedures for financing the library.

(3) The by-laws (articles of association) for the operations of the library which have been approved by the founder of the library shall be appended to the submission for the registration of a library.

(4) Within a month from the date of submission of the documents referred to in Paragraphs two and three of this Section, the library shall be entered in the Library Register and shall be issued a certificate of registration.

(5) [8 December 2005]

[6 June 2002; 8 December 2005]

Section 9. Accreditation of Libraries

(1) A library founded by the State or local governments has an obligation to become accredited in accordance with the procedures and within the time period stipulated by the Cabinet. Accreditation is not mandatory for private libraries.

(2) A library shall be accredited if it meets the following conditions:

1) it has approved by-laws (regulations, articles of association);

2) it has an organised collection of printed publications and other types of documents (the registration of the collection has been performed, the library's information system has been developed);

3) it has the necessary premises, equipment, security systems, and other property for the preservation and systematisation of the library collection and for its operations in accordance with the provisions of Section 18 of this Law;

4) it has ensured permanent financing in accordance with the provisions of Section 17 of this Law;

5) it has employees whose qualifications conform to the nature of operations of the library and the status gained as a result of accreditation;

6) user access to the library collection has been ensured;

7) regulations for the use of a library have been formulated in accordance with the by-laws (articles of association) of the library;

8) it fully conforms to the provisions of Section 11, 12, or 13 of this Law.

(3) The accreditation of libraries shall be carried out once every five years in accordance with the accreditation regulations issued by the Cabinet. Accreditation shall be conducted and accreditation documents shall be issued by the Ministry of Culture, taking into account the recommendation of the Latvian Library Council.

(4) If a State or local government library does not receive accreditation, it must resubmit the necessary documents for accreditation within a year from the date it was refused accreditation. If the library is refused accreditation again, it shall be liquidated in accordance with the provisions of Section 6 of this Law and shall be excluded from the Library Register.

[6 June 2002; 8 December 2005]

Section 10. Status of Accredited Libraries

As a result of accreditation, libraries shall acquire the status of official State-level libraries, regional main libraries or official local-level libraries.

Section 11. Official State-level Library

A library may be accredited as an official State-level library if, in addition to the conditions referred to in Section 9, Paragraph two of this Law, it conforms to the following conditions:

1) [8 December 2005];

2) its collection is general or is specialised in a specific field of science or several fields of science and is a significant component of the national library collection;

3) it ensures every user with access to its collection, databases, and information systems as well as to the collections of other libraries within the State or outside it, using interlibrary loan services;

4) it ensures the development of databases and information systems in the respective field and access for every library to it;

5) it provides methodological assistance to every library in compliance with the direction of its operations;

6) it ensures that acquisitions for library collections are co-ordinated;

7) it performs scientific research work.

[8 December 2005]

Section 12. Regional Main Library

(1) A library may be accredited as a regional main library if, in addition to the conditions referred to in Section 9, Paragraph two of this Law, it conforms to the following conditions:

1) [8 December 2005];

2) its collection is general and is formed in compliance with the development interests of the administrative territory concerned;

3) it ensures every user with access to its collection, databases, and information systems as well as to the collections of other libraries, using interlibrary loan services;

4) it has developed a union catalogue of the collections of the libraries in the respective administrative territory and ensures access to the catalogue for each of these libraries;

5) it ensures that acquisitions for the library collections of the administrative territory concerned are co-ordinated;

6) in co-operation with children's libraries, it performs the functions of a main library for children in the administrative territory concerned;

7) it provides consultative and methodological assistance to all libraries in the administrative territory concerned and popularises their work;

8) it performs the functions of a depository library;

9) it provides the library users with information prepared and published by State and local government authorities in the respective administrative territory.

(2) The municipality council and city council shall, upon mutual agreement and taking into account recommendations of the Latvian Library Council, nominate one of the libraries in the respective territory for the status of the main library, specifying its tasks and ensuring the financial resources necessary for the operation thereof.

[8 December 2005; 13 November 2008; 31 March 2022]

Section 13. Official Local-level Library

A library may be accredited as an official local-level library if, in addition to the conditions referred to in Section 9, Paragraph two of this Law, it conforms to the following conditions:

1) it ensures library services to users in close proximity to their place of residence, workplace, school, recreation facilities, and other places;

2) it collects and systematises printed publications of a general or specialised nature and other types of documents which satisfy the requirements of the users of the library concerned;

3) it is able to satisfy the demands of library users for printed publications and other types of documents and information with the assistance of other libraries (by informing of the availability of the requested document at other libraries, by ordering the required document from another library, etc.).

Section 14. Lists of Accredited Libraries

[8 December 2005]

Section 15. Obligations of Libraries

(1) Every library has an obligation:

1) to comply with the laws governing the operations of libraries and other laws and regulations as well as the by-laws (articles of association) for its operations;

2) to ensure the acquisition of printed publications and other documents necessary for the library;

3) to carry out the organisation of the library collection (systematisation, cataloguing, and bibliographic classification) and its supplementation;

4) to ensure free access to the national library collection and information systems;

5) to provide fast and high quality library services to library users;

6) to organise regular training of library employees;

7) to provide the National Union Catalogue with the necessary information on the library collection;

8) to provide opportunities for library users to use the library services regardless of their gender, age, race, nationality, physical status, place of residence and location, and other factors as well as to develop appropriate equipment for the use of the library by persons with reduced mobility and visual impairments;

9) to participate in the national interlibrary loan system and the international interlibrary loan system;

10) to familiarise library users with the regulations for the use of a library;

11) to ensure the conservation and other types of preservation and also restoration of the rare books, manuscripts, antique prints in the library collection in accordance with the provisions of Section 19 of this Law;

12) to ensure the introduction of new information technologies in the library;

13) to perform the work processes of the library in compliance with the national standards for library work developed by the Latvian National Standardisation and Metrology Centre.

(2) State and local government libraries have special obligations:

1) to ensure that the information prepared and published by State and local government authorities is accessible to library users;

2) to ensure public access to the library's public annual report;

3) to provide free of charge, for a time period, printed publications and other documents and their compilations at the request of other libraries;

4) to ensure library users with free-of-charge access to the Internet and generally available electronic information resources as well as to ensure the possibility of using computers free of charge. The procedures for the free-of-charge use of computers shall be determined in the regulations for the use of a library.

(3) Libraries which provide services to children and young people have the obligation to pay special attention to improving the quality of the library collection, to introducing new information technologies in order to encourage the inclination of children and young people to read and to improve their skills in mastering information technology and resources.

[8 December 2005 / Paragraph two, Clause 4 shall come into force on 1 January 2007. See Transitional Provisions]

Section 16. Rights of Libraries

(1) A library has the right:

1) to independently perform the operations provided for in its by-laws (articles of association) and to determine the direction of these operations and procedures for the use of the library;

2) in accordance with the procedures laid down in the by-laws (articles of association) of the library, to develop the structure of the library and to establish divisions and branches;

3) to receive the resources necessary to the operations of a library specified in Section 17 of this Law from the State budget or local government budget or financial resources from the founder of the library and to use them;

4) to receive donations and gifts from legal and natural persons as well as donations and gifts that are to be used in accordance with the instructions of the donor or giver;

5) to receive from the State budget resources which are specially provided for the implementation of projects and programmes related to the development of libraries;

6) in accordance with the procedures laid down in the by-laws (articles of association) of the library, to provide paid services to the library users and to determine the fees for these services provided;

7) in accordance with the procedures laid down in the by-laws (articles of association) of the library, to determine late fees, evaluate losses, and receive compensation for printed publications and other documents which have been loaned to the library users and damaged, not returned when due or not returned at all;

8) to perform economic activities for the development of the operations of the library;

9) to use the resources from paid services, donations or gifts as well as resources gained as a result of economic activities for the development of the operations of the library - to improve the professional knowledge of employees, to ensure scientific research work, to supplement the library collection, to provide material incentives for employees, and to improve work procedures;

10) to enter into civil transactions to ensure the preservation and supplementation of the library collection, the raising of the qualifications of employees, the provision of services to users, and the performance of other obligations specified in Section 15 of this Law;

11) to join together in associations, unions, foundations, and other voluntary organisations;

12) to make copies of publications in compliance with the requirements of the Copyright Law;

13) to maintain interlibrary loan connections, to exchange printed publications and other documents with libraries in the Republic of Latvia and in foreign countries, and with other legal and natural persons;

14) to receive methodological assistance in matters pertaining to professional activities;

15) to send, for a time period, printed publications and other documents from the collection of the library to foreign countries in compliance with the requirements of this Law and the law On Protection of Cultural Monuments;

16) [8 December 2005];

17) [8 December 2005];

18) to independently co-operate with libraries in foreign countries, to join international library organisations, and to take part in their activities.

(2) Libraries which are specified in the law regulating the provision of a legal deposit copy of publications have the right to receive from the publishers mandatory, free-of-charge copies of printed publications and other types of publications in the quantities specified.

[8 December 2005]

Section 17. Financing of Libraries

(1) State library financial resources are formed by a grant from the State budget, income from the paid services provided, and from other own income, donations, gifts, and foreign financial assistance resources. Local government libraries are funded by an appropriation from the local government budget made in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Law on Budget and Financial Management and the law On Local Government Budgets in conformity with the funds approved for this purpose by the council.

(2) The State and local governments shall finance those libraries which they own and ensure resources for:

1) the organisation of library collections, their supplementation, restoration, conservation, and other kind of preservation, as well as their physical security (guarding, protection, fire-safety and other equipment) in accordance with the Cabinet regulations on the national library collection;

2) maintenance of library buildings, premises, equipment, technical facilities, introduction and maintenance of new information technologies;

3) rent for library premises, public utility payments, taxes, and land lease payments;

4) ensuring public access to library collections;

5) library co-operation, also international co-operation;

6) capital investments for construction and reconstruction of library buildings;

7) salaries for library employees;

8) raising the level of qualifications of the employees of libraries;

9) popularising the operations of libraries;

10) ensuring public access to computers, Internet, and generally available electronic information resources.

(3) State and local government libraries may receive supplementary financial resources:

1) in the form of donations and gifts;

2) by providing paid services in the cases provided for in the by-laws (articles of association) of the library;

3) from other income.

(4) The financial resources referred to in Paragraph three of this Section shall be paid into a special budget account of the library concerned and shall be used only for the development of the operations of a library.

(5) The financial resources of a regional main library shall be formed by:

1) financial resources of the founder;

2) in the form of a State earmarked grant;

3) financial resources which are granted by local governments that have taken a co-ordinated decision to nominate the respective library for the status of the main library of the region and intended for the performance of specific tasks according to a mutual agreement.

(6) The Cabinet shall determine the necessary funding standards for the operations of libraries.

(7) Private libraries shall be financed in accordance with the procedures laid down in the by-laws (articles of association) thereof.

(8) Libraries may also receive those financial resources from the State budget or local government budgets which are intended for the implementation of special programmes and projects connected with the operations, development, and scientific research of libraries. Public access to computers, Internet, and generally accessible electronic information resources at local government libraries shall be ensured, using co-financing from the State budget. The procedures by which the abovementioned co-financing from the State budget shall be granted to local government libraries shall be determined by the Cabinet.

[8 December 2005; 13 November 2008; 28 February 2013; 29 May 2014 / Amendments to Paragraph eight shall come into force on 1 January 2015. See Paragraph 11 of Transitional Provisions]

Section 18. Material and Technical Basis of Libraries

Library buildings, premises, equipment, security systems, and other property shall form the material and technical basis of a library. The material and technical basis shall be formed and ensured by the founder of the library in compliance with the standards stipulated by the Cabinet. A library shall develop its own material and technical basis using the resources granted by its founder and additional financial sources.

Section 19. National Library Collection

(1) The national library collection is the aggregate of all the accredited library collections which is organised in accordance with specific principles and is included in the National Union Catalogue of printed publications and other documents.

(2) The national library collection is part of the wealth of the nation and shall be under protection of the State.

(3) Printed publications and other documents in the national library collection which, at the same time, are also included in the national archival collection or are recognised as cultural monuments are recorded, stored and used, as well as transactions with respect to them performed in accordance with this Law, the Archives Law, and the law On Protection of Cultural Monuments.

(4) Restoration and conservation of antique prints, rare books, manuscripts, and other cultural monuments that are in the national library collection shall be performed by the National Library of Latvia.

(5) Preservation (digitalisation, copying, microfilming, etc.) of antique prints, rare books, manuscripts, and other cultural monuments that are in the national library collection shall be performed by the National Library of Latvia and other official State-level libraries.

(6) The national library collection may be supplemented:

1) by libraries receiving legal deposit copies of publications in accordance with the procedures laid down in law;

2) as a result of entering into civil transactions;

3) by receiving donations and gifts.

(6¹) It is prohibited to include such printed works and other documents in the national library collection which have been obtained illegally, including stolen in another country or brought out in violation of the legal acts of the country which has classified, defined, or specifically recognised them as a cultural value in accordance with the international commitments of the Republic of Latvia. Prior to the inclusion of a printed work or other document in the national library collection, the library shall examine, as far as possible, publicly available registers of stolen cultural objects to verify whether such printed work or other document has not been obtained illegally.

(7) Rarely used printed publications and other documents from the national library collection shall be transferred for storage to depository libraries.

(8) It is prohibited to place the national library collection in the buildings and premises which do not conform to the Cabinet regulations regarding the necessary material and technical basis for the operations of libraries and the national library collection.

(9) The Cabinet shall issue regulations regarding the national library collection in which the procedures for formation, supplementation, maintenance, recording, storage as well as the procedures for restoring and conserving antique prints, rare books, manuscripts, and other cultural monuments of the collection shall be determined.

[5 May 2011; 31 March 2022]

Section 19.¹ Specially Protected National Library Collection Documents

Specially protected national library collection documents are the following: antique prints issued in Latvian until 1855 and in other languages until 1850, parts of library special stocks until 1950 (including diaspora publications), single copies (including both analogue and born-digital (handwritten) manuscripts, photographs, audiovisual materials, drawings, sketches, blueprints, photograph negatives, graphics, music sheets, cartographic materials, and other publications), archival copies (including digital ones), copies with unique autographs and other manual entries, unique bindings, bookplates, and stamps.

[31 March 2022]

Section 19.² Action with Specially Protected National Library Collection Documents

(1) It is prohibited to damage, destroy, illegally move, including transfer, specially protected national library collection documents.

(2) It is prohibited to alienate and also to purchase or otherwise acquire illegally acquired specially protected national library collection documents.

(3) A specially protected national library collection document may be alienated if the owner has notified the competent State institution of his or her intention to alienate.

(4) The National Library of Latvia has the right of first refusal in relation to a specially protected national library collection document.

(5) It is prohibited to bring specially protected national library collection documents outside the Republic of Latvia if a permit of a competent State institution has not been received. Specially protected national library collection documents may only be brought out of the Republic of Latvia for exhibition, restoration, research or other purposes related to the preservation and popularisation of the document.

(6) The authority storing a specially protected national library collection document which has entered into illegal circulation or has disappeared shall immediately notify the competent State institution thereof.

[31 March 2022]

Section 20. National Union Catalogue

(1) The National Union Catalogue is a compendium of information on all State accredited library collections of printed publications and other documents.

(2) The National Union Catalogue shall be developed by the National Library of Latvia.

(3) Every accredited library shall participate in the development of the National Union Catalogue, regularly providing information free of charge on printed publications and other documents in their collections and changes which have occurred in them.

(4) The scope of information to be included in the National Union Catalogue and the procedures for the development and use of the catalogue shall be determined by the Cabinet.

Section 21. Regulations for the Use of a Library

(1) Regulations for the use of a library shall regulate the procedures as to how the services of the library are to be provided, how printed publications and other documents are to be issued to users and used, determine which library services shall be free of charge and which are to be paid for, the eligible users of the library, their rights and obligations, the value of printed publications and other documents, the amount of compensation for losses and late fees, and the procedures for determining compensation for loaned printed publications or other documents that have been damaged or lost and in other cases, as well as other matters related to the use of a library.

(2) Regulations for the use of a library shall be formulated in compliance with this Law and other laws and regulations. The founder of the library shall approve them. Regulations for the use of a State library shall be approved by the minister to which the library is subordinated. Regulations for the use of libraries established by derived legal persons governed by public law shall be approved by the relevant derived legal person governed by public law.

(3) Every user of the library shall be informed of the regulations for the use of a library. They shall be located in library premises which are accessible to library users.

[8 December 2005]

Section 22. Library Users

The library user is any legal or natural person who uses the services of a library.

Section 23. Rights of Library Users

(1) The library users shall have the following rights:

1) to use a library collection and information system without any restrictions;

2) to receive complete information concerning the library collection and information system;

3) to receive for reading printed publications and other documents or their copies from the library collection or to receive them from the collections of other libraries, including the collections of foreign libraries, if the library concerned does not have the requested documents;

4) to use other services offered by a library;

5) to be informed of the regulations for the use of a library;

6) to participate in the solving of organisational matters of library work and in the work of professional organisations of librarians.

(2) If the users of State or local government libraries are persons with disability with reduced mobility, visual and other impairments, they have the right to receive library services at their place of residence.

(3) Users of State or local government libraries have the right to use publicly accessible computers as well as Internet and generally accessible electronic resources free of charge.

[8 December 2005 / Paragraph three shall come into force on 1 January 2007. See Transitional Provisions]

Section 24. Obligations of Library Users

The library users shall have the following obligations:

1) to comply with the regulations for the use of a library as well as to treat with care printed publications or other documents provided for use;

2) if a printed publication or another document provided for use is damaged, not returned in due time or not returned to the library at all, to reimburse the library for losses incurred or to pay late fees in the amount and in the manner prescribed by the regulations for use of a library.

Section 25. Library Employees

(1) The management of the work of a library and the operations of a library shall be the responsibility of the head (director) of the library who is appointed to office and removed from office and whose rights and obligations are determined by the founder of the library.

(2) The head (director) of a library may be a person who has gained experience in library work and who has an appropriate education:

1) the head (director) of an official State-level library - a higher academic or higher vocational education;

2) the head (director) of a regional main library - a higher academic, higher vocational or specialised secondary education in the field of librarianship;

3) the head (director) of an official local-level library - a higher academic, higher vocational, specialised secondary education in the field of librarianship or a certificate for the completion of a continuing education course in the field of librarianship.

(3) The number of employees necessary for the work of a library as well as the positions for which it is necessary to have a particular academic or vocational education or a certificate for the completion of a continuing education course in the field of librarianship, depending on the status, structure, scope of work and obligations of the library, shall be determined by the Cabinet.

Section 26. Ministry of Culture

The Ministry of Culture shall develop the State policy in the field of libraries in conformity with the national concepts and State programmes for the development of libraries as well as shall organise the implementation thereof.

[6 June 2002]

Section 27. Latvian Library Council

(1) The Latvian Library Council is a public consultative institution which shall participate in the formulation of a national strategy in the field of libraries, facilitate library development and co-operation, as well as the decision-making on matters which pertain to the operations of libraries.

(1¹) The Latvian Library Council shall consist of specialists invited by the Minister for Culture, representing libraries, non-governmental organisations of the library sector, and State administration authorities associated with the library sector. The Council shall consist of 17 members - four representatives of official State-level libraries, six representatives of regional main libraries, three representatives of non-governmental organisations of the library sector, one representative of the educational institutions of the library sector, one representative of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments, one representative of the State administration authority associated with the library sector, and one representative of the Ministry of Culture.

(1²) The composition and by-laws of the Latvian Library Council shall be approved by the Minister for Culture. The composition of the Latvian Library Council shall be approved for a period of three years.

(2) [8 December 2005]

(3) [8 December 2005]

(4) The work of the Latvian Library Council shall be ensured by the Ministry of Culture.

[6 June 2002; 8 December 2005; 31 March 2022]

Section 28. Competence of the Latvian Library Council

(1) The Latvian Library Council shall:

1) participate in the formulation of the draft national concept for library development and co-operation;

2) provide recommendations to the Cabinet and local governments on the draft State budget and the draft local government budgets concerning the financing of libraries as well as other matters related to the operations of libraries;

3) provide recommendations on the foundation, reorganisation or liquidation of State and local government libraries;

4) provide recommendations on the conformity of libraries with accreditation requirements;

5) provide recommendations on matters concerning the National Union Catalogue and the formation and storage of the national library collection;

6) provide recommendations on scientific research work in the field of library and information science;

7) provide recommendations on matters concerning library co-operation and development as well as on international co-operation;

8) provide recommendations on matters concerning the vocational education and continuing education of library employees;

9) provide recommendations on draft laws and regulations concerning library operations.

(2) The recommendations of the Latvian Library Council shall be accessible to any interested person.

(3) [8 December 2005]

[8 December 2005]

Section 29. Tasks of the State and Local Governments in the Field of Libraries

(1) The State and local governments shall ensure that the library shall be the repository of the cultural heritage of the world, the main provider of information, and shall ensure the protection and maintenance of the training centres for library employees and facilitate their development.

(2) The State shall ensure the possibility, from State budget funds, to acquire higher academic or higher vocational education, specialised secondary education, and continuing education in the field of librarianship.

(3) The State shall ensure the participation and representation of voluntary librarian organisations (Library Association of Latvia, Association of Latvian Academic Libraries, and Association of Latvian School Librarians) in international voluntary organisations of libraries.

(4) Every local government shall ensure, within its administrative territory, that the inhabitants have access to librarian services in compliance with the Cabinet regulations regarding the official local-level library network and its operation in the territory of local governments.

Section 30. International Co-operation of Libraries

Libraries shall co-operate with foreign libraries, international library and librarian organisations, participate in the activities of these organisations as well as co-operate with foreign legal and natural persons.

Transitional Provisions

1. Within a year after coming into force of this Law, the Cabinet shall issue the necessary regulatory enactments for ensuring the operation of this Law.

2. Within four months following the coming into force of this Law, the Cabinet shall approve the by-laws of the Latvian Library Council and its composition. The Minister for Culture shall nominate the candidates for membership of the Latvian Library Council - four representatives from the largest scientific libraries, four representatives from municipality and city libraries, three representatives from public organisations of librarians, and one representative from librarian education.

[6 June 2002]

3. [6 June 2002]

4. The provisions of Section 25, Paragraph two, Clause 3 of this Law in respect to the education of heads (directors) of libraries shall come into force on 1 January 2005.

5. The funding standards necessary for the work of libraries referred to in Section 17, Paragraphs six and seven of this Law shall come into force on 1 January 2006. Up to 31 December 2005, the State and local governments shall fund the libraries under the supervision thereof in accordance with the annual State budget law and the law On Local Government Budgets.

[6 June 2002]

6. Amendments to Section 16, Paragraph one of this Law regarding the deletion of Clauses 16 and 17 thereof shall come into force on 1 January 2007.

[8 December 2005]

7. Section 15, Paragraph two, Clause 4, Section 17, Paragraph two, Clause 10, and Section 23, Paragraph three of this Law shall come into force on 1 January 2007 if earmarked grants are provided for in the State budget in conformity with local government requests for the implementation of these norms for subscriptions to Internet connections for local government libraries and rural libraries.

[8 December 2005]

8. Up to 1 January 2007, the founder shall, within the scope of budgetary resources, ensure for each State and local government library at least one computer workstation with free-of-charge access to the Internet and generally accessible electronic information resources.

[8 December 2005]

9. The local government libraries which are accredited until 1 July 2009 shall continue their operation in the status indicated in the accreditation certificate of the respective library until expiry of the term of accreditation.

[13 November 2008]

10. Municipality councils and a city council shall, in accordance with the procedures laid down in Section 12, Paragraph two of this Law, nominate a library for the status of the regional main library after the term of accreditation of the respective main library of the region accredited until 1 July 2009 has expired.

[13 November 2008]

11. Amendment to Section 17, Paragraph eight of this Law regarding the supplementation thereof with the third sentence shall come into force on 1 January 2015. The Cabinet shall, by 31 December 2014, issue the regulations referred to in the third sentence of Section 17, Paragraph eight of this Law.

[29 May 2014]

The Law has been adopted by the Saeima on 21 May 1998.

President G. Ulmanis

Rīga, 9 June 1998

¹ The Parliament of the Republic of Latvia

Translation © 2023 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)