Article 6. Distribution Of State Publications of California Government Code >> Division 3. >> Title 2. >> Part 5.5. >> Chapter 7. >> Article 6.

It is the policy of the State of California to make freely available to its inhabitants all state publications by distribution to libraries throughout the state, subject to the assumption by such libraries of the responsibilities of keeping such documents readily accessible for use, and of rendering assistance in their use to qualified patrons without charge.

To the end that the policy specified in Section 14900 may be effectively carried out, the State Printer shall print a sufficient number of copies of each state publication as determined by the State Librarian in accordance with Sections 14901, 14903, 14904, 14905.1, and 14907, not to exceed three hundred fifty (350), unless the Department of General Services with the advice of the State Librarian determines that a greater number is necessary in order to meet the requirements for deposit in a "library stockroom" (to be maintained by the State Printer for that purpose) for distribution to libraries as hereinafter provided, except that of legislative bills, daily journals, and daily or weekly histories, not more than one hundred fifty (150) copies shall be printed for such deposit and distribution, and of publications not printed by the State Printer, the department, commission or other agency concerned shall print one hundred (100) copies for such distribution. An additional two (2) copies of each state publication as selected by the State Archivist shall be printed and delivered to the State Archivist by the State Printer or the department, commission, or other agency concerned, and all remaining copies in excess of two (2) copies heretofore received shall be distributed to interested parties without charge or destroyed. The cost of printing, publishing, and distributing such copies shall be fixed and charged pursuant to Section 14866.

"State publication" or "publication" as herein employed is defined to include any document, compilation, journal, law, resolution, Blue Book, statute, code, register, pamphlet, list, book, report, memorandum, hearing, legislative bill, leaflet, order, regulation, directory, periodical or magazine issued by the state, the Legislature, constitutional officers, or any department, commission or other agency thereof or prepared for the state by private individual or organization and issued in print, and "print" is defined to include all forms of duplicating other than by the use of carbon paper. The publications of the University of California, however, and intraoffice or interoffice publications and forms shall not be included.

As soon as practicable after deposit of the copies in the library stockroom, the State Printer shall forward of each publication other than the legislative bills, daily journals and daily or weekly histories, 50 copies to the State Library at Sacramento, 25 copies each to the University of California libraries at Berkeley and Los Angeles, and 50 copies to the California State University, to be allocated among the libraries thereof as directed by the Trustees of the California State University. Those copies in excess of the number required for the institutions themselves may be used for exchanges with other institutions or with agencies of other states and countries.

The copies remaining in the library stockroom, including the legislative bills, daily journals, and daily or weekly histories, shall be distributed as soon as practicable by the State Printer first one copy each to the libraries which are on his mailing list as "complete depositories," second one copy each to the libraries which are on his mailing list as "selective depositories," and third the balance to any libraries which may write for a copy or copies. Publications not printed by the State Printer shall be distributed by the issuing department, commission or other agency as soon as practicable after printing, first to all "complete depositories," and second to "selective depositories," designated by the Department of General Services.

To be placed on the mailing list as a "complete depository" or as a "selective depository," a library must contract with the Department of General Services to provide adequate facilities for the storage and use of the publications, and must agree to render reasonable service without charge to qualified patrons in the use of the publications. A library designated as a "complete depository" shall be sent one copy of every state publication, while a library designated as a "selective depository" shall be sent one copy of each publication of the type or issuing agency it selects.

The California State Library may enter into agreements with the appropriate state agencies of each of the 49 other states of the United States of America, to establish a program for the exchange of publications of legislative service agencies, other than publications of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The California legislative reports to be exchanged shall be selected by the State Librarian after consultation with, and subject to the approval of, the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization. The legislative research reports received from other states in exchange shall be made available by the California State Library to the California Legislature. Prior to designation as an exchange agency, the state agency shall agree to provide adequate facilities for the storage and use of the publications, and must agree to render reasonable service in the use of the publications without charge to the legislature of that state and other qualified patrons. The California State Library shall notify the appropriate state agency of each of the other states of the provisions of this section. The additional number of copies of publications, not to exceed 100, needed to implement the program shall be printed or otherwise duplicated. The State Printer and the state legislative agencies upon notification of the need shall provide the designated number of publications.

Any municipal or county free library, any state college or state university library, the library of any incorporated college or university in this state, the library of any public community college in this state, and the State Library, may contract as above provided. Applications are to be considered in the order of their receipt by the Department of General Services.

Upon application, county law libraries, the law libraries of any law school approved by the State Bar of California, the Supreme Court Library, the law libraries of the courts of appeal, and the law libraries of the Department of Justice and the law library of the Continuing Education of the Bar of the University of California Extension may contract as provided in Section 14905 to become a selective or complete depository library.

Because of the specialized service rendered the citizens of this state through assistance in the administration of justice, proximity to another depository library shall be disregarded in the selection of a law library as a depository of legal materials.

Maintenance of basic general documents shall not be required of law library depositories, but basic legal documents shall be maintained by them. Such basic legal documents shall include legislative bills, legislative committee hearings and reports, legislative journals, statutes, administrative reports, California Administrative Code and Register, annual reports of state agencies and other legal materials published by the state, where obtainable through the agency preparing same.

To facilitate the distribution of state publications, the State Library shall issue monthly or quarterly a complete list of state publications issued during the immediately preceding month or quarter, such lists to be cumulated and printed at the end of each calendar year. All state departments, commissions and other agencies shall, upon request, supply information to the State Library for the preparation of the monthly or quarterly lists and the annual cumulative lists.

Whenever any state agency maintains a mailing list of public officials or other persons to whom publications or other printed matter is sent without charge, the state agency shall correct its mailing list and verify its accuracy at least once each year. This shall be done by addressing an appropriate post card or letter to each person on the mailing list. The name of any person who does not respond to such letter or post card, or who indicates that he does not desire to receive such publications or printed matter, shall be removed from the mailing lists. The responses of those desiring to be on the mailing list shall be retained by these agencies for one year.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the number of copies of statutes distributed to an authorized recipient shall not exceed the number requested by such recipient, or the number authorized by this article, whichever is the lesser.