Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 39 - LIBRARIES, ARTS, ARCHIVES AND HISTORY (§§ 39-1-1 — 39-41-1) › Chapter 3 - LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY COMMISSION (§§ 39-3-1 — 39-3-369) › Article 1 - LIBRARIES (§§ 39-3-1 — 39-3-25) › Section 39-3-15 - Library boards of trustees; qualifications, appointment, terms of office and compensation of members

(1)
(a)
The management and control of a county or municipal public library shall be vested in a board of five (5) trustees, who shall be appointed by the governing authorities of the county or municipality. The first appointments shall be for the terms of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4) and five (5) years respectively, and thereafter, a trustee shall be appointed to serve five (5) years.
(b)
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1)(a) of this section, the board of supervisors of any county that borders on the Gulf of Mexico, in which Interstate 10 intersects U.S. Highway 49 and that operates a county library system may appoint, in its discretion, six (6) trustees to the county public library board. If the board of supervisors of any such county elects to appoint six (6) members to the board of trustees, the first appointments shall be for the terms of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4), five (5) and six (6) years respectively, and thereafter a trustee shall be appointed to serve six (6) years.
(2)
When five (5) counties support a regional public library system, the management and control of the regional public library system shall be vested in a board of five (5) trustees. The trustees shall be appointed by the governing authorities of the counties that support the regional public library system.
(3)
In a regional public library system supported by less than five (5) counties, the distribution of the membership on the board of trustees shall be determined by agreement among the counties that support the regional public library system.
(4)
In a regional public library system of more than five (5) counties, one (1) member of the board of trustees shall be appointed by the governing authority of each county supporting the regional public library system. In the first appointments to the regional public library system board of trustees, five (5) members shall be appointed for terms of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4) and five (5) years respectively, and any number of trustees above five (5) shall be appointed for terms of one (1) year. Thereafter, all trustees shall be appointed annually to serve five (5) years.
(5)
The management and control of a city-county public library system shall be vested in a board of trustees, the number of which shall be agreed upon by the board of trustees of the governing body of the municipality, or municipalities, and with the consent of the board of supervisors which have contracted with each other or among themselves, to create, maintain and support a joint city-county library system. The term of each trustee shall be for a period of five (5) years. Initial appointments to the city-county board shall be made in a manner determined by the counties and municipalities involved so that terms expire on a staggered basis.
(6)
Each trustee shall be a resident and qualified elector of the municipality, county or region represented by said trustee. Trustees shall be limited to two (2) consecutive terms of office in counties of over twenty thousand (20,000) population; however, there shall be no limit on the number of terms served by a trustee. In counties of less than twenty thousand (20,000) population, there shall be no limit on the number of terms served by any trustee holding office on July 1, 1988; provided, that said limitation shall be applicable to new trustees appointed subsequent to July 1, 1988. Vacancies on the board of trustees of a county public library, municipal public library, regional public library system or city-county public library system shall be filled for unexpired terms in the same manner in which members of the board were first appointed. Any trustee who shall not attend four (4) consecutive meetings of the board shall be subject to removal by the governing authority. No trustee shall receive a salary or other compensation for his service; provided, however, that all trustees shall be reimbursed for their necessary traveling expenses and mileage incident to their attendance upon the business of the board, as provided in Section
25-3-41
, Mississippi Code of 1972.
Codes, 1942, § 6205; Laws, 1938, ch. 289; Laws, 1952, ch. 207; Laws, 1977, ch. 312; Laws, 1986, ch. 514; Laws, 1988, ch. 589, § 16; Laws, 1994, ch. 364, § 1, eff. 7/1/1994.