Two Libraries, One Bond, and Why It Reaches All of Eddy County | Community Forum

Library directors Samantha Hardin of Southeast New Mexico College and Sarah Jones of the Carlsbad Public Library joined Johnny Chandler and Hattie Quinn on Community Forum to talk about General Obligation Bond 2, the statewide library bond that will be on the November 3 ballot. The bond authorizes up to $19,324,188 for library resources at academic, public, and tribal libraries, and every county votes on it.

Hardin described shared research databases that nursing programs need for accreditation, along with plans to digitize college archives dating back to 1950. Jones covered what public libraries offer beyond books, including laptops, hotspots, and test-prep resources that patrons borrow for free, and how rural libraries have become after-school care, food access points, and a place to get legal forms for custody cases or traffic court. Quinn asked whether the bond matters more in rural counties with fewer resources, which led to some of the most useful answers of the hour.

Read every question on the ballot, and read the constitutional amendments closely before you vote.

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