League of Women Voters, Libraries Launch Countywide Read to Spotlight Public Service

The League of Women Voters of Dolores County teamed with the Cortez, Dolores and Mancos public libraries, the Sunflower Theatre and the LOR Foundation to launch a countywide community reading program on January 24, 2026. The effort uses literature to put a human face on careers in public service and to encourage residents to engage with the institutions that serve them.

The selected book, Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service, edited by Michael Lewis, will circulate at participating libraries and is available through the Libby e-audio and e-book app. The program is designed to foster local conversations about motivation, challenges and the day-to-day realities of federal and other public employees who deliver programs essential to rural communities.

Program activities will include library-led group discussions and will culminate in a public panel at the Sunflower Theatre on Friday, May 1, 2026. The panel will feature current and retired federal employees talking about motivations for joining public service and the challenges they encounter. Local author Chuck Greaves will help facilitate the Sunflower event. The LOR Foundation and partner libraries are underwriting outreach to make copies available and to ensure broad participation across Dolores County.

For residents of Cortez, Dolores and Mancos, the initiative offers more than a shared book choice. It creates opportunities to learn how government work, from social services and public health to land management and postal operations, affects daily life in a rural county. Public employees are often the first responders in health crises, the caseworkers who connect families to benefits, and the planners who shape local infrastructure; giving those roles greater visibility may strengthen trust and improve service uptake.

The read also arrives at a time when many rural public agencies face recruitment and retention pressures. By centering personal stories and practical realities, the program aims to demystify career paths in the public sector and to highlight structural issues such as workforce shortages and limited local resources. Libraries, as neutral community hubs, are positioning themselves to host fact-based conversation that can translate into informed civic participation and volunteer interest.

Participation is open to library patrons who can borrow copies at the Cortez, Dolores and Mancos libraries or access the title on Libby. The May 1 panel at the Sunflower Theatre will be the program’s capstone and a chance for residents to hear directly from public servants and to ask questions about services that matter to families across the county.

The initiative offers a practical next step for readers: borrow the book, attend a discussion at your local library, and mark the Sunflower Theatre event on May 1, 2026. By turning pages into public conversation, Dolores County organizers hope to deepen civic knowledge and strengthen local ties between residents and the public workers who serve them.