As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings, unless the context otherwise indicates or unless specific exception is made:

(a) “Academic library” means a library established and maintained by a college or university to meet the needs of its students and faculty, and others by agreement.

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(b) “Act” means the California Library Services Act.

(c) “Cooperative library system” means a public library system that consists of two or more jurisdictions entering into a written agreement to implement a regional program in accordance with this chapter, and that, as of the effective date of this chapter, was designated a library system under the Public Library Services Act of 1963 or was a successor to that library system.

(d) “Direct loan” means the lending of a book or other item directly to a borrower.

(e) “Equal access” means the right of the residents of jurisdictions that are members of a cooperative library system to use on an equal basis with one another the services and loan privileges of any and all other members of the same system.

(f) “Independent public library” means a public library that is not a member of a system.

(g) “Interlibrary loan” means the lending of a book or other item from one library to another as the result of a user request for the item.

(h) “Jurisdiction” means a county, city and county, city, or any district that is authorized by law to provide public library services and that operates a public library.

(i) “Libraries for institutionalized persons” means libraries maintained by institutions for the purpose of serving their resident populations.

(j) “Public library” means a library, or two or more libraries, that is operated by a single public jurisdiction and that serves its residents free of charge.

(k) “School library” means an organized collection of printed and audiovisual materials that satisfies all of the following criteria:

(1) Is administered as a unit.

(2) Is located in a designated place.

(3) Makes printed, audiovisual, and other materials as well as necessary equipment and services of a staff accessible to elementary and secondary school pupils and teachers.

(l) “Special library” means one maintained by an association, government service, research institution, learned society, professional association, museum, business firm, industrial enterprise, chamber of commerce, or other organized group and the greater part of their collections being in a specific field or subject, such as natural sciences, economics, engineering, law, and history.

(m) “Special Services Programs” means a project establishing or improving service to the underserved of all ages.

(n) “State board” means the California Library Services Board.

(o) “System” means a cooperative library system.

(p) “Underserved” means any population segment with exceptional service needs not adequately met by traditional library service patterns, including, but not limited to, those persons who are geographically isolated, economically disadvantaged, functionally illiterate, of non-English-speaking or limited-English-speaking ability, homebound, or institutionalized, or who are persons with disabilities.

(q) “Universal borrowing” means the extension by a public library of its direct loan privileges to the eligible borrowers of all other public libraries.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 24, Sec. 3. (AB 1602) Effective June 27, 2016.)