Creation of "The Philippines Library"

May 20, 1909

ACT NO. 1935

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF ALL LIBRARIES BELONGING TO ANY BRANCH OF THE PHILIPPINE INSULAR GOVERNMENT FOR THE CREATION OF "THE PHILIPPINES LIBRARY," AND FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND REGULATION OF THE SAME, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. A board of five members is hereby constituted consisting of the Secretary of Public Instruction, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Finance and Justice, and two other members to be appointed annually by the Governor-General, which shall be known as "The Philippines Library Board." aITDAE

SECTION 2. All libraries of every kind and character belonging to the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, or to any Department, Bureau, or subdivision of the same shall be consolidated under the general management of the Board created by section one of this Act, as hereinafter provided, and shall collectively be known as "The Philippines Library."

SECTION 3. The Philippines Library Board shall divide the Library into such divisions as are necessary and proper for the correct and advantageous classification of the books, papers, periodicals, and documents belonging to such library, having among other divisions, a division of Filipiniana, a law division, a scientific division, and a circulating division, in which latter shall be included the present American Circulating Library. The scientific division shall be housed in the building of the Bureau of Science, the law division shall be housed in such place as the Supreme Court may direct, and other divisions shall be consolidated and housed in one place so far as possible, but this shall not be done if, in the judgment of such Library Board, the purposes of the library can better be served by having one or more of such divisions located in another place than at the place of the main library. When a division is located in some other place than at the place of the main library, property responsibility for the custody of the books shall rest upon the Bureau or Office in which it is located, and the employees occupied in cataloguing and caring for the books shall be employees of such Bureau or Office. As soon as practicable there shall be prepared and housed in the main library a complete catalogue of all books and publications belonging to the Philippines Library and each of its divisions. No purchases of books or publications shall be made for any section or division of such library except by such Library Board, and such Board shall avoid, as far as is consistent with the needs of the library, the duplication of purchases, by bringing to the attention of the proper Secretary of Department or of the Governor-General, as the case may be, orders involving such duplication. Appropriations for the purchase of books shall hereafter be made for the several divisions of the Philippines Library as provided by law or established by the Library Board. Requisitions for the purchase of books for any division shall be signed by the Chief of the Bureau or Office having custody of the books of said division, and, after approval by the Secretary of the proper Department or the Governor-General, as the case may be, shall be transmitted to the Library Board, which shall examine the same with a view of avoiding, so far as is consistent with the needs of the library, the duplication of purchases, and said Board shall purchase the books of all the divisions of the library in such manner and in such quantities as will reduce the price of purchases to the minimum; and all books, papers, periodicals, documents, and other reading matter required for the uses and purposes of the Philippines Library may be ordered and purchased by said Library Board without the intervention of the Purchasing Agent: Provided, That books for which requisition is made by any Bureau or Office shall be paid for out of the funds, if any, appropriated for such purpose for such Bureau or Office.

SECTION 4. The said Library Board shall give particular attention to the making available of said library, in all its parts, for the use of teachers and students of either public or private schools, by the establishment of suitable reading rooms, and the opening of said library and reading rooms for such use, and for the use of the public, under proper regulations, at all times, including holidays and evenings, and the said Board is empowered to make all rules and regulations for the use of such library. Such Board shall also make provision for the temporary placing of books in the high school and in other public schools, or with Bureaus which may desire to use certain books at certain times. DCcHAa

SECTION 5. Said Philippines Library Board shall serve without pay, and no appropriation is made for the enforcement of this Act. All appropriations heretofore made for library purposes which are left unexpended and all appropriations which shall be made for library purposes in the appropriation bill for the fiscal year nineteen hundred and ten for any Bureau or Office whatever are hereby made available for the uses of the said Philippines Library.

SECTION 6. All officers and employees of the main library shall be appointed by the Secretary of Public Instruction, with the approval of the Library Board, and for administrative purposes, shall be under the control of the Secretary of Public Instruction, and all officers and employees of the Philippine Government now engaged in duties or work in connection with any one of the libraries now in existence which under this Act is transferred to and housed with the main library, may be continued in the service of the Philippines Library, and shall be paid from any funds which have been appropriated for the payment of their salaries, or, in case of a vacancy, the place may be filled by the said Philippines Library Board, providing that the salary or wages in any case is not greater than that provided by law.

SECTION 7. The Philippines Library is authorized to receive and accept gifts, donations, bequests, and transfers of property, money, or books for the use and benefit of said Philippines Library. ISaTCD

SECTION 8. The Philippines Library Board shall make a special effort within the means at its disposal to procure and preserve from time to time all books, papers, documents, and periodicals of every kind or class which relate to the history of the Philippine Islands or to the Filipino people, and to provide a chief of the division of Filipiniana with proper qualifications to classify and arrange said historical collection.

SECTION 9. It shall be the duty of the said Board at the end of each fiscal year to make a complete report of its operations, which report shall be addressed to the Legislature, and to make such recommendations as to it may seem wise as to the betterment of the said Library and as to the methods for increasing the efficiency of the same. HAaDcS

SECTION 10. All Acts and parts of Acts inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.

SECTION 11. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

Enacted, May 20, 1909.