Recently, staff from the Development Bureau (myself & Carmelita, State Data Coordinator) toured the Gila. It was a beautiful, late summer drive through the mountains, which took us to libraries in Reserve, Glenwood, Gila Valley, Silver City, and Bayard. Here is a profile of a library from our trip.
Thank you, libraries of the Gila, for hosting us. We love your blue skies!
Library Name & Location
Bayard Public Library in Bayard, NM.
Library Staff & Volunteers
Director, Sonya Dixon and Assistant, Marivel Medel
and two volunteers, Pat, an amazing, loyal volunteer and Charles, our newest addition
Number of Cardholders
2705 card holders
Years in Service
Over 25 years, with complete renovation in 2011. We went from one room, one computer space to a 5,070 sq. foot building and a lab with 17 computers.
Most Popular Program
Our 2015 Summer Reading Program was the most popular that we have witnessed during our reign, due to the amazing and energetic program leader we had and the participants; guests and children. We put an enormous amount of effort into making it successful and most of all, fun.
Greatest Challenge
The Library, being in a very rural location faces many challenges. The most obvious, is access to the library. While fairly close to the center of the town, it is still quite a walk from the schools, stores and other commerce. Beyond that is encouraging teens to access the library.
What are the library director & staff reading?
Sonya is reading (again) Confederacy of Dunces by John Thomas O’ Toole as well as All the Wrong Places by Phillip Connors, a local author.
Marivel is reading the Manga Narato and for her required reading in school is reading the Romantic English poets such as Keats and Shelly.
Most Famous Visitor
Ralph Bakshi cartoonist and illustrator of works such as The Wizards and Lord of the Rings, was the most famous person to grace our library. Mr. David Blain couldn’t make it.
Library Pet
We have an inflatable T-Rex named Quasimodo that sits in the entrance of the library.
Great Patron Moment
Like most libraries, we feel like our patrons are decidedly unique but one thing for certain is that they are an integral part of our library family.
Something interesting you’d like your community to know about your library
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