New Mexico State Library

The Spirit of Sharing at New Mexico's Libraries

As you plan your holiday season, there is one destination you should be sure not to miss: your local public library. The New Mexico State Library supports over 120 libraries across the state, each making the season warmer through a spirit of sharing. From craft activities to winter reading programs, families will find a wealth of opportunities to celebrate together.

Community Celebrations
For children, teens, and adults libraries offer special events for holiday fun. In Portales, the library hosts movie parties with hot cocoa and popcorn. In Corrales, teens take over the library for a Friday evening and dance salsa, break dance, eat pizza and tons of “yummies.” The New Mexico State Library’s Bookmobiles brave sleet and snow to reach our rural communities, arriving with open doors to welcome patrons in to help with seasonal decorating.

Craft Programs
From ornaments to gingerbread houses, holiday crafts made at the library make great gifts for parents and grandparents. Better yet, according to librarian Beth Nieman at Carlsbad Public Library, “families really enjoy making a holiday memory together.”

Winter Readers
Of course, libraries also are about books and reading. When it’s cold outside, what better activity to keep families warm together? Around the fire is a great place to read up on holidays in the Land of Enchantment: the State Library’s Southwest Collection features books that highlight the holiday heritage of our state– recounting everything from farolitos to the Matachines dance. And every library will have books for all ages with winter stories and traditions from around the world.

Many libraries offer winter reading programs to keep school children engaged during the winter break.  Farmington Public Library’s program, “Warm Up with a Good Book,” begins the day after Thanksgiving and encourages kids to read throughout the holidays. The Santa Fe Public Library provides kids with an added incentive: “Just bring in your reading log showing the books that you have read,” advises Children’s Librarian, Rebecca Abbott, “and at the end of each week, you get a prize!”

The best part of including the public libraries in your holiday activities? It’s absolutely free.