Zuni Public Library Serves Community With Just Two Staff Members

Two people keep the Zuni Public Library running, and for the roughly 6,300 residents of the Pueblo of Zuni, that is more than enough reason to show up.

The library serves a population of 6,302 residents spread across a reservation that is nestled in a scenic valley surrounded by mesas, located in McKinley and Cibola counties in the western part of New Mexico. Without the library, a trip for computer access or a children's program would mean a 45-minute drive to Gallup and back, an entire afternoon swallowed by a commute that many families cannot afford to make routinely.

The library's footprint belies its reach. Its collection holds 16,516 volumes, and the library circulates 12,023 items per year. That circulation figure, maintained by a staff of just two, points to a facility working well above its weight. The director of the library is Cordelia Hooee.

The Zuni Public Library came into being in 1974 as part of a project to establish tribal libraries in New Mexico, headed by Dr. Lotsee Patterson and Mr. Ben Wakashige. Through their efforts, the Zuni Tribal Council, and the New Mexico State Library, the library began serving the community in 1975. More than five decades later, it remains one of the most essential institutions on the pueblo.

Oversight of the library is provided by the New Mexico State Library, Zuni Tribal Council, the Library Board, and the Librarian. It is funded primarily by the Tribal General Fund and supplemented by funds from the New Mexico State Library and other grants.

The library's stated mission is to provide a broad selection of educational, recreational, and culturally related materials of interest to all ages of the Zuni community. Children's programming and public computer terminals are among the services that make the difference for families who would otherwise face that long highway stretch into Gallup for equivalent resources.

The library's story recently drew broader attention through New Mexico In Depth's Indigenously Positive series. Indigenously Positive is a collaborative series from New Mexico In Depth and New Mexico PBS focused on telling stories of Native joy and empowerment. The collaboration between NMPBS and nonprofit news organization New Mexico In Depth seeks to change common narratives about Native American people and communities in the news media. The Zuni Public Library, operating on lean resources with an outsized community impact, fits squarely within that frame.

The library is located at 27 E. Chavez Circle in Zuni, NM 87327, and can be reached at (505) 782-4575.