Bond Issue "C" Would Provide $16 Million Statewide for Libraries

Date: 10/4/2002
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
Reporter: Shane Brown

PORTALES – If General Obligation Bond Issue "C" passes in the Nov. 5 general election, Eastern New Mexico University's Golden Library would receive $144,541, the Portales Public Library would receive $48,886, and libraries at the Portales Municipal Schools would receive $77,619.

Statewide, Bond Issue "C" would provide:
$7.7 million for 770 public school libraries in all of New Mexico's 89 school districts.
$4.9 million for 75 public and community libraries plus bookmobiles serving all 33 counties.
$3.4 million for 25 publicly supported colleges and universities libraries in 22 counties.

Melveta Walker, director of ENMU's Golden Library, says, "Several departments need journals for accreditation; the departments must spend all of their library money on those expensive journals. This leaves little or no money for books in their area of study. This means that we rely on bond issues to buy books."

According to Ms. Walker, the books are not cheap. "In 1982, the average cost of an academic book was $29. Now the average is $53."