DIXON — Nestled between the scrub brush-topped hills of the Embudo Valley is Dixon, population 1,551. In the late afternoon, the town’s mostly sleepy, save for the rush of school kids eagerly crossing the street headed to the public library.

Libraries like the one in this northern New Mexico community are the lifeblood of small towns, many of which are seeing other communal spaces, such as bars and restaurants, close, said Shel Neymark, director of the Rural Libraries Initiative and co-founder of the Embudo Valley Library in Dixon. But these libraries often have next-to-no tax revenue to fund themselves, Neymark said, and rely on state grant funding and volunteers to keep the lights on.

That’s why the Rural Library Initiative is asking for $29.5 million from the Legislature to help fund libraries in small towns, villages and pueblos, just like the one in Dixon.

Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, in January introduced Senate Bill 209, a proposal that would nearly double the size of the Rural Libraries Endowment fund and ensure these little libraries have a steady funding flow for the foreseeable future. The bill made it out of the Indian, Rural and Culture Affairs Committee with a “do pass” recommendation and is one of many bills sitting in the Senate Finance Committee, sidelined as the committee members focus on the annual budget, the largest and often most laborious piece of legislation.

Campos expects the legislation to pass, saying the bill has “a lot of support” from legislators.

Former Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino introduced the original bill, Senate Bill 264, in 2019, which was passed with unanimous support in the House and endorsed by all but six members of the Senate. It was signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, establishing the Rural Libraries Endowment. When Ortiz y Pino retired last year, he turned the page to Campos. “I gladly said yes,” the longtime senator said.

Money matters

The endowment stands at $33.5 million, according to the State Investment Council, which manages the fund. Each year, recipients get a small percentage of the fund’s total earnings. In 2024, 58 libraries received $15,363 each in grant funding for upkeep, according to State Librarian Eli Guinnee. A quarter of those libraries are in pueblos or reservations across the state. Five towns also got money to build their own libraries, according to grant documents. These towns, villages, or tribal communities had fewer than 3,000 residents and no preexisting public library.

According to estimates from the State Investment Council, in one year the additional appropriations from SB209 could up the annual disbursement by more than $1 million, meaning libraries could expect to receive twice as much funding. With that money, rural libraries, some of which are volunteer-only, could hire full-time staff and pay them a living wage, Neymark said.

“They could get more money flipping burgers (right now),” Neymark said.

At Embudo Valley Library, there are more than 30 children in its after-school program and two staff members to corral them all.

“Luckily, they’ve never shown up all at once,” said Sage Vogel as he herded the children across the street, a stop sign held high.

Vogel is the after-school program coordinator, although he wears many hats — crossing guard, tutor, physical education teacher and snack distributor. He has one assistant who helps him keep the rambunctious bunch entertained and moving after a day of learning.

A place to gather

“The thing about rural libraries is they provide some of the only services in their towns,” Neymark said.

During natural disasters, people go to the library for shelter and information, he said. In Dixon, people regularly fill up water tanks at the spigot outside, but the most coveted resource of all is the internet.

Many of these small towns are cellular dead zones, where internet and phone service is costly. Tommy Valdes visits almost every day to use the library computer because he said paying for service at home costs “Just too much, que no?”

People come to Embudo Valley Library from nearby communities, including Trampas, Velarde, Pilar and Peñasco, to check out books, use the internet and meet people.

Libraries also are often the only early childhood care, tutoring and enrichment opportunity for kids in rural communities, Neymark said.

Neymark attributes Dixon Elementary’s high test scores to the library’s after-school program. Dixon Elementary has the highest language proficiency test scores in the Española school district at 45%, according to Public Education Department 2024 data. That’s more than 7% higher than the state average.

Ellie Lucero, 9, hair tinsel twinkling as she leaned over her homework— is one of those students.

Without the library, she said, “I’d be so bored.”

Follow Gillian Barkhurst on X and Bluesky.This story was published in the Albuquerque Journal as part of a collaboration between the Albuquerque Journal and UNM’s Statehouse Reporting Project.

Gillian Barkhurst

Gillian Barkhurst is a student at the University of New Mexico pursuing a Bachelor of the Arts in Multimedia Journalism and Mass Communication, with a minor in Spanish. Her work has been published in the Albuquerque Journal, Limina: UNM Non-Fiction Review, the Daily Lobo and New Mexico News Port. Gillian is currently a staff writer at the Albuquerque Journal.