1. Statement of policy. The Legislature declares that it is the policy of the State that cooperation among Maine libraries of all types should be fostered and encouraged. The sharing of library holdings and of library-developed tools for obtaining electronic information from networked resources enriches the economic, educational and cultural life of each Maine community. Citizen access to materials purchased with public dollars in an era of widespread access to electronic information networks requires that materials be identifiable by title and physical location. It is in the public interest that the Maine State Library promote and assist access by recording information about resources available through Maine libraries and maintaining them in an always-current, immediately accessible electronic form readily available to every citizen through a variety of telephone and network connections.

2. Legislative intent. Recognizing the value of broad citizen access to information, the State assigns to the Maine State Library the responsibility of providing electronic access to information resources including: the creation of an online catalog of the holdings of libraries and other governmental units throughout the State; the provision of online indexing, full text and document delivery of newspaper, periodical and journal articles; the maintenance of a gateway to the Internet and its vast array of electronic resources; the coordination of an effective and efficient means of transporting physical materials among libraries; and the development of a program to teach citizens of the State to successfully locate, retrieve and use the information contained within various computer systems. It is the intent of the Legislature to provide the Maine State Library with the resources necessary to carry out this section.