Palau Congress Library Information Paper

Brief history of the Library

The Palau Congress Library was founded and established on August 18, 1981. A copy of its enactment is attached at the end of this paper. Our Constitutional Government was newly installed on January 1, 1981, and this prompted the idea to create and establish our Congress Library.

I do not know if this will be seen as the major developmental period in the short history of our library, but we have been able to develop and maintain all the Public Laws committee reports, journals and legislative history on all Public Laws enacted by the Palau National Congress.

Setting of the Library

The Palau Legislature consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Delegates. Fourteen (14) Senators are elected by reapportionment based on population and sixteen (16) Delegates are elected each representing one of the sixteen States established by our National Constitution. Our Congress is structured under a Presidential system. In the Senate, we have the Senate President, the Senate Vice President, the Senate Floor Leader and the Chairman of each standing committee established by the Rules of Procedure of the Senate. In the House of Delegates, we have the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the Vice Speaker of the House of Delegates, the Floor Leader of the House of Delegates and the Chairman of each standing committee based on the Rules of Procedure of the House of Delegates. In each House the position of Presiding Officer is gained by forming coalitions to gain a majority of elected members. A coalition must have at least two thirds of the elected members to win the leadership of each house.

The Congress Library is organized as one of the Joint Programs under the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates. All reports and other matters pertaining to the Congress Library have to be approved by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates.

Besides our Congress Library, there is also a National Court Library. We do have some arrangement of sharing information with each other. There is no special relationship with other Parliamentary Libraries in the region, but we do provide information from time to time upon their request.

Organization and staffing of the Congress Library

There is no organizational chart of the Congress Library, but you can get some ideas from the attached copy of the enacted Law that created the Congress Library.

Actually our Congress Library is small and there are only two units. One unit is where we maintain all the hard cover US statutes, regulations and other legal materials that still have some force and authority over our governmental system. The other unit is where we maintain all the local Laws that are passed by our Congress and approved by our President to become our Public Laws.

We have only two staff in the Congress Library to administer its operation. We do not have any training in the Congress Library.

We do not have any lawyers or economists in the Congress Library. The two Congress Library staff do the research and analysis.

Library collections and other resources

Our Congress Library is very small compared to an average Congress Library. At the present, we have about 5,000 volumes. We do not have subscriptions to the major newspapers, but we would like to start subscribing in the near future.

We have no audiotapes, videotapes and other forms of information, but we may consider acquiring these in the future.

There are two reading rooms in the Congress building. One is located in the Senate Chamber and the other one is located in the House of Delegates Chamber. The closest reading room to the Chamber is about thirty feet away.

Services and products

Our services in the Congress Library consist of maintaining its materials and up-dating the collection and doing all the legal researches and analysis requested by the members of the Congress.

We conduct research on particular proposed Laws that may be introduced at the first reading on the floor of either House.

Due to the relatively small size of our islands, people generally know our line of service so they can call us or stop by to obtain information and other services they need.

We do not measure our workload, but we generally feel that it is an average workload for the service we provide to the members of our Congress and the general public.

As a bicameral Congress, we serve all the members and the general staff of both Houses, but we only report directly to both the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates.

Developments in Automation

PCs are not available in our Library. Our Congress Library is not connected to any networking system. We are in the process of purchasing CD-ROMs. It is much more convenient. We are at the planning stage of automating all the services in the Congress Library.

Important development in the Library

There are no recent trends in our Congress Library to report on. We have no new products or services in the Library. We still maintain our usual management structure. At this time, we have no other items of interest. We might have in the future, but not at this time. We would like to expand our interest toward other parts of Asia to establish a good working relationship in sharing information.

FIRST OLBIIL ERA KELULAU
Third Regular Session, July 1981 - RPPL NO. /-8
(Introduced as SE No. 10, SDI)

To establish the National Congress Library, and for other purposes.

THE PEOPLE OF PALAU REPRESENTED IN THE OLBIIL ERA KELULAU DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1

Congress Library created. There is hereby established a National Congress Library, herein referred to as the "Library".

Section 2

Purpose of Library. The Library shall provide a comprehensive research and reference service on legislative problems and shall secure reports of various officers, ministers, bureaus, and agencies of the national and state governments of the Republic of Palau whenever necessary and of other countries and nations and such other materials, periodicals or books as will furnish the fullest information practicable upon matters pertaining to current or proposed legislation and to legislative and administrative problems.

Section 3

Title to Library property. The title to any and all library property shall be in the National Government of the Republic of Palau.

Section 4

Use of the Library. The Library shall be available for the use of citizens of the Republic of Palau in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth by the Librarian with the approval of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates.

Section 5

Congress Librarian. The Librarian of the Library shall be appointed by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates, solely on the basis of merit and fitness to perform the duties of the office. The Librarian shall be responsible to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates for the administration and operation of the Library, its organization, property, and personnel. The Librarian, with the approval of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates, shall prepare rules and regulations for the governing of the Library and its departments. The Librarian shall make an annual report to both Houses of the Olbiil Era Kelulau at the end of each year, with respect to the activities, financial status, conditions of the Library, and recommendations as to future operations.

Section 6

Donations to Library. The Librarian is hereby authorized to accept on behalf and in the name of the Library, from any government, agency, individual, or any other source, advisory services, grants-in-aid, gifts and donations of money and other property for the benefit of the Library; provided that any grant in aid, donation, or other form of assistance involving an obligation on the part of the Library shall require the approval of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates.

Section 7

Library building. The President of the Republic of Palau, upon prior consultation with the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates, is empowered and authorized to set aside a parcel of public lands upon which to build a permanent building for the Library. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates shall approve the final design for the construction of the Library building.

Section 8

Authorization of funds. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury such sums as shall be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Section 9

Effective date. This Act shall take effect upon its approval by the President of the Republic, or upon its becoming law without such approval, except as otherwise provided by law.

Approved this 18 day of August, 1981

Haruo I. Remeliik
President
Republic of Palau