The library activity is a social activity the duty of which is to increase the general educational level through the help of the book and other library material; To fulfil continuously the cultural needs of the working people and citizens and also to develop the scientific, professional work and to develop the economy, education, science, culture and other activities.

The library activity in accordance with this law includes the collection, saving, elaboration and utilisation of the books, brochures, magazines, newspapers articles, musical works, reproductions of the artistic photographs, drawings, geographical maps, atlases of all kinds, urban plans, gramophone disc, films and tapes, as well as handwritings, memorial subjects and other material that was created by man in the field of arts, literature and science.

The library activity has a significant social interest.

The library activity includes especially: selection, insurance, collection, classification, documentation, elaboration with professional library methods, saving of the editions and giving for use the book and other library material.

The book and the library material are on the public disposal for its use.

Working people and the ordinary citizens can use the books and other library material equally.

The usage of the book and other library material is more closely specified in general act in accordance with this Law.

The books and other library material are protected in accordance with this law.

For the unique books and other library material that have the importance of the monuments of culture, having special values are applied the dispositions for the protection of cultural monuments.

For the realisation of the goals of the library activities, the library workers co-operate with each other, with the citizens, other organisations and users of library services, making accords and working together on projects for the development and progress of the library activity.

Libraries are organisations of the labour union that carry out library activities.

The joint labour organisation, government organisations, so called BVI and other organisations and unions can found special units for library activities.

In the library activity are engaged regional labour organisations, government organisations and other organisations that fulfil the conditions in accordance with this law.

The library activities from the paragraph of this article are realised by the library workers.

A library can be founded from political-social unions, so called BVIs, regional organisations, and other organisations.

The library can be founded by more than one founder.

If two or more founders found a library, their rights and obligations are specified through special accords.

The library or the constituent library can be established if this conditions are met:

Newly founded library or that in ongoing founding process can start working when the regional organ of the competent administration for cultural matters confirms that the above mentioned libraries fulfil the conditions to perform the duties of library activity.

The library is suppressed if the conditions established by this law are not met or there are no conditions to carry out its activity.

If the library stops meeting the conditions to carry out its activity, the regional administration organ competent for cultural matters will give a date in which the library is obliged to meet these conditions and inform the main library and the regional council in the territory where it is located.

If the library does not achieve to meet these conditions, the organ from this paragraph stops its activity and proposes the founder to take the resolution on its suppression.

Before the resolution is adopted the founder is obliged to take the opinion of the library which they propose to be suppressed, if the library is not the founder.

The library has its statute.

With this statute are fixed: internal organisation/management, library work, basic relations, types of organs, containment and the field of the activity of these organs and other management matters for library activity.

The regional council gives the agreement for the statute dispositions.

The regional council decides on the statute dispositions concerning the maters with a special social interest. For The Council of the Autonomous Socialist Province of Kosova decides the statute dispositions in the third paragraph of this article decides

For the development of the library and its collaboration with other organisations the library can be unified in library unions or other forms of unification.

In order to offer the users the books, the library organises book expositions, lectures, publish professional publications, establishes reading rooms and help the users organising moving reading rooms.

The library depending on they structure, aim and duties can be general, special and school libraries.

General libraries are: National and scientific libraries.

National libraries are dedicated to improve the general and professional educational level and to fulfil the needs of the citizens.

Scientific libraries are dedicated to all or some fields of science.

Special libraries are dedicated to the needs of some scientific branches or agencies like college organisations, scientific research organisations, and government organisations; And also to a special kind of readers like library for blind people.

School libraries are dedicated to students and teachers of a certain school and are used to help the students to make their schoolwork, and improve the process of education.

The library can change its activity in accordance with its founder.

For fulltime organisation and systematic work in development and progress of the library activity, certain libraries make support service for the main library in the given territory/ region. (Further on Main library)

The services of the main library are:

The National and University Library of Kosova carries out the duties of the main library in the territory of the Autonomous Socialist Province of Kosova.

The National and University library, except the duties described in the 25 article of this law carries out these duties:

The libraries and their branches are obliged to send to the National University Library the bibliographical and other useful information for the management of the main bibliographical catalogue, and other information needed to carry out the activities from the article 25 and 27 of this law.

The national and University library determines the way this information is distributed from the libraries from this paragraph of this law.

For the progress of the scientific work and the successful usage of the book the scientific library, college libraries, and libraries of other institutions co-operate with National University Library, co-ordinate the book buying, exchange of the scientific and professional literature and the borrowing of the foreign literature.

The libraries are obliged to save the books, book collections and other library material and take measures for their conservation.

The usage of the book and other library material can be limited in accordance with the library statute if they are amortised from the utilisation or other conditions.

The libraries the material of which has been amortised or destroyed can register them off if the council of the National University Library decides so.

If the central labour union organisation, the government organ, BVI and the community decide to close a library, the books and other library material have to be delivered to the main library.

If the main library does not accept the offered books and library material, it has to inform the National University Library.

The main libraries have the priority to buy the books and the other library material.

The other labour union organisations that carry out publishing activity, organisations that deal with book distribution circulation, government organs and other organisations that want to sell or put out of use their books and other library material are obliged to offer them for sale first to the regional main library with the price they think to sell them.

If the main regional library does not accept the offer it is obliged without waste of time to inform the National University Library.

If the National University Library within the period of 30 days from the receiving of the notification from the regional main library does not declare itself if it accepts the offer or not, the one who offers this material can sell to the other person with the same price and conditions.

The libraries in principle can give or borrow reciprocally and in solidarity their material and exchange the library material with other libraries and other organisations.

The senior regional administrator competent for cultural matters adopts the more detailed dispositions on the saving and protection measures.

The book and the other library material with cultural monument importance or special values for the cultural wellbeing according to the dispositions of this law are given a special protection.

The values according to this paragraph has the old, unique book or handwriting, handwritings and unique copies of the library material that represent the cultural heritage of the people in the socialist autonomous province of Kosova.

The possessor of the library material, books, etc. from the article 37 of this law is obliged:

The possessor of the books and library material with the values given in the article 37 of this law is obliged to inform the regional main library for its possession.

The possessor or the user of the library material having the values given in the article 37 of this law is not allowed to use the library material for the needs, which do not correspond to its importance or in the way, which could affect in damaging and destroying their integrity.

If the possessor of the library material with the values given in the article 37 of this law does not take the given measures or does not act in accordance with the article 38 of this law, the regional administration organ competent for cultural matters is obliged on the basis of the main library proposal to determine that this material will be given to the National University library with a reasonable compensation, with the exception when the possessor is confiscated the material which was intended to be destroyed, replaced/changed or to be sent outside the country.

The library workers that have necessary professional qualifications and meet the conditions determined by the law with the statute and other acts of the joint labour organisation carry out professional duties of the library activities.

The persons having the titles data entry clerk, senior data clerk, librarian, senior librarian and library advisor carry out the professional work of the library activity.

To do the job of the data entry clerk, senior data entry clerk and of the librarian, the workers are given the preparatory professional training for one year. The workers are obliged to enter the professional exam in three years.

If the workers do not take the professional exam, according to this paragraph cannot do this job.

The person who has a high school degree and the professional exam for data entry clerk has the title of the data entry clerk

The person who has a two-year college degree and the professional exam for senior data entry clerk has the title of the senior data entry clerk.

The person who has a university degree and the professional exam for librarian has the title of the librarian.

The person who after taking the professional exam has at least five-year experience as a librarian has the title of the senior librarian can take.

Library advisor can be the person who after taking the professional exam for librarian has at least ten years of experience as a librarian and that has published scientific and professional works in the field of library activities and that from his qualifications is considered the most appropriate person to do more sophisticated work of the library activity.

A data entry clerk, senior data entry clerk and a librarian without a professional exam can be employed if within a period of three years after they get recruited they take the professional exam for the given title.

The program, method of the professional exam is established by the executive officer of the provincial administration organ competent for cultural matters.

Incomes for the work of independent libraries are provided by Municipal Department of Culture.

Incomes for the work of the National and University Library are provided by Provincial Department of Culture.

Incomes from paragraph 1 and 2 of this article are obtained according to the self-governance agreement and programs of duties, which are contracted between libraries and Department of Culture, other interested organizations and enterprises. Incomes also can be obtained by compensation for exercising library activities and from the incomes, which can be realized directly through other ways.

The representatives of so called BVI of culture, the founder and the municipality where the library is located supervises the issues of the special social interest in the library.

The library statute establishes the number of the representatives of the social unions.

The duties of special social interest according as given in the article 49 are:

On the had of the work managing INOKOS organ can be named the person who has a university degree and is known as social, cultural and public personality.

The special conditions for naming the INOKOS organ are established by the library statute.

On the head of the INOKOS organ of the National University Library can be named the person who meets the conditions of this article paragraph and has published scientific and professional works.

The INOKOS organ is named on the basis of the public announcement by the recruitment commission.

The INOKOS organ’s mandate is four years. When its mandate comes to an end, the INOKOS organ can be renamed for the same function.

The regional council where the library is situated decides for INOKOS organ.

The council of the socialist autonomous province of Kosova decides for the INOKOS organ of the National University library.

VII. Supervision

The regional administrative organ competent for cultural issues supervises the legal work of libraries in a territory where are situated.

VIII. Penal dispositions

If a library does not give the information to the National University Library as given in the article 28 of this law is given a 10.000 to 20.000 dinars fine.

The responsible person according to this paragraph is given a 1.000 dinars fine.

If the publishing organisations and those that deal with book selling and circulation do not offer to the regional library the unregistered books and other library material (article 34) is given a 10.000 to 50.000 dinar fine.

The responsible person from the paragraph of this article is given a 1000 to 5000 dinars fine.

The possessor of the library material that does not act according to the article 38 of this law is given the fine of 1000 to 10000 dinars.

IX. Transitional and final dispositions

General acts of the libraries, other joint labour organisations, BVIs, government organs and the unions where the libraries take part will be harmonised with the dispositions of this law within a one period from the moment when this law is adopted.

The workers that do not have the professional exam are obliged to take the exam within a period of maximum 3 years from the moment when this law is adopted.

The workers that do not take the professional exam within the period of three years according to this paragraph cannot work anymore in the library.

The workers that have 10-year library working experience before this law is adopted are not obliged to take the professional exam.

The workers that have taken the library professional exam the day this law is adopted, the exam is recognised as a professional exam according to the dispositions of this law.

The day this law is adopted, the dispositions of the Law on Libraries ("official notebook of the Socialist Republic of Serbia" no 16/65 and 19/66) are ruled out and applied, according to the article 1 and 2 of the Law on disposition application of the republican law in the field of culture and science. The article 4 of the constitutional declaration for the application of the constitutional amendments from IX to XVI of the constitution of socialist republic of Serbia determines the ruling out on December 31 1972 (official notebook of socialist autonomous province of Kosova.

This law is enforced the day it is promulgated in the official newsletter of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosova.