Section 45-52-82 - Law Library(a) The governing body of Morgan County, Alabama, shall hereafter establish and maintain a public law library in the county and, to accomplish that purpose, shall from time to time expend such public funds of the county as are hereinafter provided for that purpose and shall provide suitable housing quarters, furniture, fixtures, and equipment therefor, shall keep the same in a good state of maintenance and repair, from time to time shall enlarge, expand, and improve such facilities and equipment, and shall pay such expenses and salaries as may be necessary and proper to operate the same out of such special fund hereinafter provided as hereinafter set forth.(b) To provide revenue for the establishment, maintenance, operation, and financing of the library, there shall be taxed as costs the sum of two dollars ($2) in each civil or quasi civil action at law, criminal case, quasi criminal proceedings, or forfeited bail bond proceedings or proceedings on a forfeited bond given in connection with an appeal from a judgment or conviction in any district court or municipal court to the Morgan County Court of Morgan County, Alabama, or the Circuit Court of Morgan County, Alabama, which costs shall be collected upon such suit or case filed in, arising in, or brought by appeal, certiorari, or otherwise to the Circuit Court of Morgan County, Alabama, or the Morgan County Court of Morgan County, Alabama, which costs shall be collected as other costs in such cases are collected by the clerk of the court or the register in chancery thereof, as the case may be, and shall be paid to the Treasurer of Morgan County, Alabama, which shall be kept by him or her in a separate fund designated as Morgan County Law Library Fund and shall be expended by the Morgan County Library Management Commit-tee hereinafter created on warrants of the chair of the committee drawn on the Treasurer of Morgan County for expenditures as hereinafter provided with the warrants bearing the notation of the funds against which the same are drawn. In all proceedings of the district court, there shall be taxed as costs the sum of two dollars ($2) to be collected as are other costs and paid to the Treasurer of Morgan County, Alabama, to be placed in the Morgan County Law Library Fund and expended in the manner as hereinabove prescribed for other monies placed in such fund. (c) The management of the law library is vested in the Morgan County Library Management Committee which shall consist of the Circuit Judges of the Circuit Court of Morgan County, Alabama, the Judge of the Morgan County Court of Morgan County, Alabama, the President of the Morgan County Bar Association, and the Secretary-Treasurer of the Morgan County Bar Association. The presiding Judge of the Circuit Court of Morgan County, Alabama, shall be the Chair of the Morgan County Library Management Committee, and such committee shall have full and complete authority to purchase such books and periodicals as may in the opinion of the committee be advisable, and the committee may from time to time sell or exchange any books, reports, periodicals, and personal property for other books or may apply the proceeds of the sale thereof upon the purchase of other books, reports, periodicals, and personal property for use in the library, and the committee may accept any gifts and loans of any such books, reports, periodicals, and personal property for use in the library upon such terms and conditions as may be agreeable to the committee and to the donor or lender thereof. The committee may employ or use such personnel as may be necessary and proper to operate the library and may designate any employee of the court or may employ other court officials to operate the same or to assist therein.(d) The Morgan County Library Management Committee shall have full authority to execute and enter into contracts in connection with the operation and maintenance of the law library and may purchase such books and periodicals on such terms as it may deem expedient and in the best interest of the law library in order to carry out the purposes and intent of this section, and any and all such contracts shall be a proper charge against the law library fund of Morgan County only and shall not be a general obligation of the county or an obligation of the committee as individuals. The committee shall have the authority to purchase such personal property as may be necessary to operate the library.(e) The items of costs above taxed and referred to shall be designated in the costs as Law Library Fee and when any costs in such case or proceedings shall have been paid, the amount necessary for the payment of the fee shall be applied thereto, except that in the case of a part payment of any cost bill in any case or proceedings a proportionate amount of the fee shall be paid in proportion to the relation the fee bears to the total cost bill; the clerks of the respective courts and the register in chancery shall pay to the county treasurer the amounts collected for law library fees on or before the 10th day of each month following their collection.(f) All books, periodicals, reports, and personal property of the Morgan County Law Library shall be the property of Morgan County, Alabama.(g) The Secretary of State shall furnish to the committee two sets of each code adopted by the State of Alabama and two copies of each supplement thereto as the same are adopted or published.Ala. Code § 45-52-82 (1975)
Acts 1959, No. 280, p. 842, §§ 1-6, 7a; Act 80-302, p. 420, § 1.