Public Library Overview
New Mexico has a total of 96 public libraries (excluding branches).
- 77 are public libraries
- 19 are tribal public libraries
- 10 public libraries have branches
o 32 public libraries are located in cities
o 20 public libraries are located in villages
o 9 public libraries are located in towns (tribal publics not included)
o 15 public libraries are non-profit (county or village serves as fiscal agent)
New Mexico has 4 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). 7 of the state's 33 counties are classified as metropolitan by the United States Census Bureau.
- Albuquerque MSA
o Bernalillo County - 19 libraries (18 publics and 1 tribal publics)
o Sandoval County - 14 libraries (7 publics and 7 tribal publics)
o Torrance County - 3 public libraries
o Valencia County - 3 public libraries
- Farmington MSA
o San Juan County - 3 public libraries
- Las Cruces MSA
o Doña Ana County - 4 public libraries
- Santa Fe MSA
o Santa Fe County - 6 libraries (3 publics and 3 tribal publics)
- 2 county-wide systems
o Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System
o Los Alamos County Library System
- 8 counties have only one library within the county.
o Union
o San Miguel
o Curry
o De Baca
o Chaves
o Quay
o Roosevelt
o Los Alamos
Populations Served - Legal Service Areas (LSAs)
- 58 libraries (includes 41 publics and 17 tribal publics) serve populations less than 5,000
- 70 libraries serve populations less than 10,000
- 19 libraries serve populations between 10,000 and 50,000
- 5 libraries serve populations between 50,000 and 120,000
- 1 library serves more than 120,000 (ABQ = 660,000)
Got a burning question about Zozobra? Wondering what in the world is a wikiup? Curious about Chaco Canyon? Ask a librarian! The New Mexico State Library E-mail Reference Desk responds to questions within 2 business days or less. Post your puzzles using