RBMS Security Committee: State Laws

This section of the RBMS Web site contains texts of individual state laws pertaining to thefts of and damage done to library materials. Such laws vary widely in their coverage and applicability, and several states appear to have none. This information is provided in the hope that it will assist librarians in knowing what provisions their particular states have made for dealing with those serious problems.

Several categories of laws pertaining to those problems have not been included. Almost all states, for example, have laws pertaining specifically to state libraries, state archives, and local law libraries. Almost every local jurisdiction (e.g., a county or city) will also have rules and regulations pertaining to those problems. Many states also have enabling laws allowing local jurisdictions to set up library rules. Such items have not been included.

The material found here has been compiled by the RBMS Security Committee. Although the committee has attempted to be careful and precise in its work, it cannot guarantee that the information found here is accurate and complete. Usually, the only law text that can be considered official is that found in the printed volumes for each state. Comments, corrections, etc., can be sent to the RBMS Security Committee chair, whose name and address can be found in the RBMS Security Committee roster elsewhere on this site. The committee does intend to revisit each state's statutes annually to check for new laws, amendments, etc.

To view the laws for any particular state, click on the appropriate link in the list below. Any state that appears not to have any relevant laws is surrounded by brackets [], and is not linked to any sub-page.