Co-op News
N.M. Co-ops Help Rural Bookmobiles
The New Mexico statewide is helping keep the state’s 50-year-old rural bookmobile stocked with fresh reading material by donating dozens of books amassed by its magazine’s staff.
The New Mexico statewide’s Patricia Romero (r) and Joy Poole, the state’s deputy librarian, display some of the book donations. (Photo By: NMRECA)
Each month, the book editor at enchantment, published monthly by the New Mexico Rural Electric Co-op Association, reviews four books on topics ranging from New Mexico history and nature to poetry. During a two-year period, that amounts to a lot of books piling up around the office: 160, to be exact.
“Instead of keeping the books in our office, we decided to donate them to the rural bookmobiles that travel throughout our state’s rural areas,” said Susan Espinoza, the magazine’s editor.
With federal, state and local support, the New Mexico state library system runs three bookmobiles that travel through vast stretches of the state, bringing books and other reading material to rural and underserved regions, many of them in co-op territory. The bookmobiles, which resemble extra-large buses, travel about 750 miles per week, three weeks per month.
“These are small communities that don’t have libraries, and many people have to travel 10 to 20 miles to visit the library,” said Espinoza.
Budget cuts have reduced the service from four to three bookmobiles, so the donations help stretch the library system’s dollars, said a library official.
“Book donations are important to the rural services bookmobile program, since they augment our operating budget and provide a wider selection of books the librarians can offer rural patrons,” said Joy Poole, deputy state librarian.
And, thanks to New Mexico’s co-ops, more books could be on the way. A recent article in enchantment about the donations has prompted calls from consumers and others looking to unload some books. In 2008, the statewide, based in Santa Fe, donated 115 books to its 16 member systems.
“We’ve gotten so much feedback just from our brief article,” said Patricia Romero, the statewide’s marketing and advertising specialist. “It’s been a real boost to the bookmobiles, and our customers now are aware that if they have extra books they, too, can donate them to the bookmobiles.”