Article 6. Statewide Services of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 11. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 6.

The state board shall establish and administer two or more state reference centers. The centers shall be responsible for answering reference requests that cannot be met by systems and libraries participating in the programs authorized by this chapter.

Each reference center established by the state shall provide statewide service. Such service shall include the handling of reference requests that cannot be met locally and regionally.

Each reference center established pursuant to Section 18760 may enter into reciprocal or contractual agreements with libraries or any other information source for the purpose of making available their materials and informational services for the benefit of the library users of this state. Each California public library participating in any program under this chapter shall make materials and services available, as needed, to state reference centers.

The budget of any reference center established pursuant to Section 18760 may include funds for the general operations of such centers, including funds for collection development and use.

The state board shall designate one or more of the reference centers established pursuant to Section 18760 as a repository for collections specially relevant to economically disadvantaged persons and non-English-speaki ng persons.

Each California library eligible to be reimbursed under this section for participation in the statewide interlibrary loan program shall be reimbursed according to the allocation formula developed pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 18724 to cover the handling costs of each interlibrary loan whenever the borrowing library is a public library, except for the interlibrary loans made between members of a cooperative library system as provided in Section 18744. Libraries eligible for interlibrary loan reimbursement under this section shall include public libraries, libraries operated by public schools or school districts, libraries operated by public colleges or universities, libraries operated by public agencies for institutionalized persons, and libraries operated by nonprofit private educational or research institutions. Loans to eligible libraries by public libraries shall also be reimbursed according to the allocation formula developed pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 18724.

The state board shall establish and maintain a statewide communications and delivery network between and among systems, state reference centers, independent public libraries and all other libraries participating in the programs authorized by this act.

The state board shall establish and maintain a computerized data base of bibliographic records and locations of all materials acquired by public libraries in this state, for the purpose of carrying out the legislative policy of enabling libraries to share resources efficiently.