Did you know?
- The New Mexico State Library has over 137 books about Billy the Kid. Find one here.
- Coronado never found gold but you can still try. We have books on how to pan for gold today and the US West’s first gold rush in the Ortiz Mountains.
- There are more than 400 ghost towns in New Mexico. You can find trails and tips to all of them in guidebooks from our collection.
The Southwest Collection is a rich source for information on the state of New Mexico and the southwest. Most of our materials can be borrowed in person or via interlibrary loan.
To find a book in the Southwest Collection, visit the Library’s online catalog.
The library is open to the public from 1:00 to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday and free parking is available. Computers, microfilm readers, and free wireless are available in the building. If you cannot visit, email us at Reference@state.nm.us or call 505-476-9702 during business hours.
Click on the links below to find books on some of our most popular research topics
- New Mexico Genealogy
- Railroad history
- Mines and mining
- New Mexican writers
- Land grants
- Neighborhoods, buildings and the histories of towns around the state
- Native peoples, communities and histories
- Farming and ranching
What is in the collection?
- Non-fiction and fiction books
- Newspapers – on paper, microfiche and online
- Genealogy books including Catholic Church extractions
- Free access to Ancestry Library Edition, Family Search Affiliate Library, and Fold 3 in the state library
- Bureau of Indian Affairs treaties, census, school records and correspondence
- Census Records
- Colonial and land grant records
- Directories of towns and cities in New Mexico