Presentation to the Waukesha County Municipal Executives Committee
October 2004
Waukesha County Federated Library Ststem Director Tom Hennen
Waukesha Public Library Director Jane Ameel

Table 2. Features of Consolidation Types


1. Consolidated County (or System)
  • A county board establishes a consolidated county library. (Note that a consolidated SYSTEM as opposed to a consolidated county would have the same features as listed here except that it would also handle state funds and enforce state required programs.)
  • Consolidated County Libraries are governed by a 7 or 9 member library board appointed by the county executive with the approval of the county board
  • The county board may “take over and acquire any libraries already established, by consent of the authorities controlling those libraries”
  • Municipal or joint libraries may still operate in a county with a consolidated county library and may qualify for exemption from the county library levy. (See footnote 2)
  • Legislation is pending that would require county board and county library board approval before an independent library could be established in a county with a county library.
    2. Joint City County Libraries
  • Joint libraries may be established by a county and one or more municipalities located in the county.
  • Joint Libraries are governed by a library board appointed by the participants in the joint library, representative of the populations of the participants.
  • A joint library agreement among the participants must contain provisions necessary to appoint the library board, carry out library board duties, and own and operate the library facilities.
  • Joint library funding is established by the agreement and may or may not provide for a uniform library levy.
    3. County Library Services
  • A county library service could be set up to provide library services to the 86,000 residents of the county without their own libraries. Such agencies usually provide bookmobile or books by mail services in rural areas as well as reimbursement to existing libraries for service. They are rarely appropriate for dense urban areas. Nevertheless, Dane County established a county library service many years ago and still operates one.
    4. District Libraries
  • WLA supports the enactment of legislation that would permit, but not require, the creation of public library districts in Wisconsin. Currently 19 other states allow for the district form of public library organization and governance.
  • Features under consideration for Wisconsin’s legislation include:
         o Establishment and initial tax support requires approval by referendum;
         o Autonomous governance by a nine member elected board of trustees;
         o Authority to levy a tax only with approval by referendum;
         o A minimum population of 4,000;
         o District boundaries are determined by referendum and may include one or more contiguous municipalities in their entirety and/or an entire county.


    2 Library communities are allowed by law to qualify for exemption from the county library levy and remain independent if their governing body chooses. However, the county would not be required to compensate those libraries for use made of them by other library communities as it does at present.

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