Last week, State Librarian Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer and I visited the Jemez Springs Public Library. Nestled in the mountains, in Jemez Valley, this beautiful library is set along a running river — and next door to a historic bath house fed by hot springs. We were able to meet with the director, the staff — and a slew of community members, including Suzette Walker, Village Trustee, James Cooper, President of the Library Board; the president & vice-president of the Friends; and Bob Wilson, Mayor. We enjoyed our day there — a beautiful town with a well-supported library!
Name
Jemez Springs Public Library, 30 Jemez Springs Plaza, Jemez Springs, NM 87025
Number of Staff & Volunteers
One full time and one half time employee; 40+ volunteers including 7 regular volunteers
Number of Library Card Holders
1671
Years in Service
50!!
Most Popular Program (past or present)
Tri-Cultural Authors Symposium 2002 featuring N. Scott Momaday, Rudolfo Anaya, and Tony Hillerman
Greatest Challenge
Keeping pace with our rapidly changing demographics from families with young children to many more retirees and developing appropriate resources, programs and services.
What are you reading?
Librarian: Arcadia by Lauren Groff;
Library Staff: This Changes Everything: Climate vs Capitalism by Naomi Klein
A great patron moment
We had an adult program component for summer reading and gave away a Samsung Nook Tablet as the grand prize. Of course, the winner was a patron sworn to never read anything but a ‘real book’. But after becoming a bit acquainted with her new prize, she thought she’d give our OverDrive downloadables a try. Happiness! She is a huge reader and can now read as voluminously as she likes without having to travel miles on dirt roads. She has visited library staff many times for pointers and is not without some frustration but in the end is absolutely thrilled with her new found and instantly accessible library. I loved seeing her face when she successfully downloaded and started reading her first book!
Something interesting you would like others to know about your library
We have a hot spring right under our library!
