Navajo Nation launches independent library system with ByWater contract

Apache County residents who depend on Navajo Nation libraries are about to see a shift in who controls their books, records and digital access. President Buu Nygren signed a $193,768 services contract with ByWater Solutions, LLC on June 15 to launch the Nation’s independent public library catalog system, replacing the old arrangement with the Navajo County Library District.

The change is bigger than a software swap. The new setup puts circulation, cataloging, patron records, reporting and digital resources under Navajo Nation control, with Koha Integrated Library System and Aspen Discovery as the core platforms. The project includes data migration, system configuration, hosting, staff training, testing environments and ongoing support, and it is expected to add about 250,000 metadata records and 20,000 digital titles. Officials said the goal is to have the system fully operational by June 30, 2026, so patrons do not face a gap in service.

For the Navajo Nation Library, the stakes are practical as well as symbolic. The system serves about 5,000 registered cardholders and manages up to 45,000 titles, a reach that matters in Apache County, where the 2020 census counted 66,021 people and most of the land is occupied by parts of the Navajo Nation and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. In a region where libraries often provide internet access, school resources and public information as much as books, local control over the catalog can affect how quickly families and students find what they need.

The Navajo Nation Library says its mission is to provide free, equitable access and services that combine Diné traditional knowledge with library and information services. It currently operates three branch libraries, the Window Rock Main Library, the Kayenta Branch Library and the Torreon Branch Library, along with community libraries at chapter houses that are coming soon. The Main Library is housed within the Navajo Nation Museum, Library and Visitor Center next to the Navajo Nation Zoo, and the library also offers a Digital Branch Library and online account access features.

The service is part of a longer infrastructure story. The Window Rock Public Library began in 1941 as a volunteer library run by the Window Rock Homemakers Club, then moved in 1962 to the former Recreation Hall location in Window Rock. The Navajo Nation Tribal Consortium was established in 2020 to pursue Schools & Libraries funding through the Universal Service Administrative Company for fiber and internet service, showing that the catalog overhaul sits alongside broader work to build digital capacity. ByWater Solutions says Koha is a free and open-source library management system and Aspen Discovery is designed for patrons and staff, a model that gives the Nation more control over its own information systems and the public services built on them.