The purpose of this act¹ is to foster and promote the establishment, maintenance and operation of city-county library systems in order to give all of the citizens of the counties affected hereby equal access to comprehensive library collections. It is the policy of the state to encourage the formation of such cooperative library systems to the end of avoiding unnecessary duplication in the maintenance and operation of public libraries and to stimulate the use of books and other library materials.

In order to make adequate library services available to the residents of the more densely populated counties of this state, to provide for the most efficient development of library facilities within such counties and to provide for each of such counties a city-county library system, there is hereby created in each of such counties which avails itself of the provisions of this act a metropolitan library commission, with the powers and duties set out in this act.