Hello, library land! Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit about myself and the Friends of the Albuquerque Public Library.
I’m Kit Kopec, the recently elected President of the Friends. I moved to Albuquerque in 2022 from Chicago with my wife, Ann, and our chihuahua-papillon, Minnie. We added our beloved senior kitty, Chevy, to our family in 2023 courtesy of the city’s Eastside Shelter.
I currently work as a consultant with the American Library Association, primarily in the publishing department. Previously, I was employed directly by ALA as an Operations Manager, and before that, I managed Girls Rock! Chicago.
I’ve also worked in public health policy and housing advocacy, and I hold a Master’s of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
The Library Advisory Board is a 15 member all-volunteer advisory board appointed by the Albuquerque City Council & Bernalillo County Commission.
Nine members reside in and represent a specific Council district, two are at-large city residents, and four are at-large Bernalillo County residents.
As chairperson, I lead the formal meetings. More importantly, I encourage each LAB members to use their individual interests and skills along with network of friends, family, and colleagues to gather information about the Library system.
By ordinance, the Board is to "encourage the greatest use of library facilities & programs," be informed of library needs, be a "forum for discussion," and recommend policies for facility development and financing to the Mayor, City Council, and County Commission.
Input from community members on any topic or program is always welcome and can be sent by contacting: Kate Alderete, Library Director.
By Phil Morehart JULY 9, 2025
American Library Association
Congratulations to librarian Mychal Threets for being named to the Time100 Creators: Most Influential Digital Voices list for 2025, Time’s inaugural celebration of the digital creators who have emerged to shape our culture. “They are changing what we watch, how we spend our time, what we buy, and how we vote,” says the magazine.
Threets, a recipient of the American Library Association’s I Love My Librarian Award in 2024, has found well-deserved fame as “the internet’s librarian.”
APLF has partnered with New Mexico United for a library fundraiser on September 13, 2025. Each ticket purchased via our special ticket link donates $5 to APLF.
This means you get to attend a soccer game with your family, a group of friends, or co-workers for team building and support your local library!
Additional details are on the attached flyer. Feel free to print the flyer and pass it around. We hope to see you there!
It’s planting season. Which means it’s the perfect time to visit the Seed Library at South Broadway Library located at 1025 Broadway SE.
The library is located inside the South Broadway Cultural Center. The seed garden consists of an assortment of vegetable, herb and flower seeds.
Each patron with a library card in good standing can check-out 30 packets of seeds to grow in a home garden!
APLF sponsors the Community Garden at the Main Library. In our April issue of BOOKISH we introduced you to Clayton Roberts, Community Service Specialist for the Public Library.
He took the time out of his busy schedule to provide us with an update. Read the update and see pictures.
Open to All: A Century of Access at the Special Collections Library is an exhibition at the Albuquerque Museum now through November 2, 2025.
The exhibition explores the history of the building and recognizes the people who provided access to a world of learning for thousands of Albuquerque residents through books, ephemera, art, and photographs. The exhibition also places Special Collections in a broader context of libraries across the nation as they face challenges with providing open, free access to everyone regardless of gender, age, ability, citizenship, or housing status. This exhibition is organized by the Albuquerque Museum in collaboration with the Public Library of Albuquerque-Bernalillo County.
Bentley has made a full circle return to the Albuquerque neighborhood where she previously lived right across the street from the San Pedro Library!
She knows this neighborhood well and understands the unique challenges that it offers to serve its library patrons.
Now, as recently appointed Branch Librarian at San Pedro, Bentley is quite excited about the challenges and changes ahead. Bentley sees San Pedro Library not being as being a repository of books, primarily but as a living space for community growth.
Much to the delight of children and their grownups, APLF recently purchased this colorful rug for the newly reorganized children’s area at San Pedro.
From colors to counting to sitting on circles for Storytime, this welcoming learning spot has been met with great enthusiasm.
APLF donors made this gift possible.
This is part of a much larger project in the branch to analyze the existing collection and how to re-calibrate the interior of the branch to make more space for patrons.
The questions she and her staff of talented library paraprofessionals continually ask are:
To that end, together they began with re-structuring the children and young adult section. Come take a look!
In our April issue of BOOKISH we introduced you to Drew Lauderdale, Science Coordinator for the Public Library.
He’s been very busy the past few months. Read about the different events around the system.
APLF has partnered with New Mexico United for a library fundraiser on September 13, 2025. Each ticket purchased via our special ticket link donates $5 to APLF.
This means you get to attend a soccer game with your family, a group of friends, or co-workers for team building and support your local library!
Additional details on the attached flyer. Feel free to print the flyer and pass it around. We hope to see you there!
Kate comes to our library system from the New Mexico State Library where she served as the Deputy State Librarian.
She oversaw a wide range of library services, including a statewide bookmobile program, a books-by-mail program for rural and homebound residents, and a statewide public library delivery network that connects all 119 public and 23 tribal libraries in the State of New Mexico.
Prior to her role as Deputy State Librarian, Kate served as the Library Director in Taos, New Mexico.
NOTE: And yes, that is Kate’s daughter. Mother and daughter will be relocating from Santa Fe at the end of the school year.
What are your first impressions of our libraries?
My first impressions are very positive. I’m struck by the dedication of the staff and the evident community engagement. I have spent some time in a few of our branches and noticed the vibrant children’s area at Juan Tabo, and the amazing Seed Garden at South Broadway.
What kind of vision do you have for our library system going forward?
My vision for this library system is to continue to grow as a dynamic and essential community hub. I envision a library that is not just a repository of books, but a center for lifelong learning, creativity, and connection.
I want to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration among staff, expand our digital literacy initiatives, create more collaborative spaces, and strengthen our partnerships with local organizations.
I want to make sure that the library is accessible to all members of the community, regardless of their background or circumstances. Ultimately, I want to ensure that our libraries are seen as places where everyone in Albuquerque can learn, grow, and thrive.
What type of programs would you like to see implemented and / or expanded in our public libraries?
I’d like to see programs that address the diverse needs of our community. This includes expanding our digital literacy workshops, offering more programs for seniors, and creating more opportunities for early childhood literacy.
I’m also interested in developing programs that celebrate our community’s cultural diversity, such as language learning classes, cultural events, and storytelling sessions. I think it would be beneficial to expand programs that help with job skill training and resume writing.
In August of last year, he submitted a proposal for an urban container garden. This culminated in, several weeks ago, Clayton introducing a small group to Bucket and Bale Gardening 101. Last week, he covered The Wonders of Worm Poop, much to the delight of all.
We invite you to come and discover the birth of a brand-new urban vegetable garden and watch it grow from the beginning. You will find this experiment in container gardening on the lower level of the Main Downtown Library - right off the children’s section - outside on the patio.
Clayton has designed and built the special wooden framework that holds the numerous five-gallon buckets that will be used for container gardening. Clayton drilled every drainage hole in both the buckets and the recycled plastic boxes from the Library he is creatively turning into little worm farms.
As the growing season continues, more types plants of plants and vegetables will be added. Bring the kids and see what’s growing!
Drew has a Bachelors from Missouri State University, and comes to us from Explora, where he was a science educator, and the New York Hall of Science, where he worked as the Design Lab Coordinator.
He is developing curriculum for the numerous science-based programs offered throughout the library system with supportive funding for materials and supplies from APLF donors.
Drew has a passion for hiking, biking, and the outdoors, but also spends his time learning to code to create new, retro-style video games.
In partnership with the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation and AMP Concerts, Bookworks is delighted to welcome Joe Abercrombie on tour for his new book, The Devils.
Mr. Abercrombie will be in conversation with George R.R. Martin at the KiMo Theatre on Thursday, May 15th.
Doors open at 5pm, event starts at 6pm. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation.
Don’t delay! Get your tickets now. We expect this will be a sold-out event.
We recently learned about this organization and thought our readers might be interested.
ETHOS LITERACY is a community based adult education program that offers 1 on 1 or small group tutoring with a trained volunteer. One of the unique benefits of their program is that instead of classes, they work with the student’s location and schedule to meet throughout the city and reduce barriers to access-- mainly meeting at library branches throughout the city.
ETHOS offers support in basic literacy skills, math, pre-GED/Hiset & GED/HiSet, as well as ESL and digital literacy. They create individualized programs for each student based on their needs and learning goals.
ETHOS is always in need of volunteer tutors, a commitment of 2 hrs a week. No teaching experience is needed and they provide all the training. Information can be found at www.ethosliteracy.org.
You are cordially invited to celebrate our historic milestone as we remember the past, honor the present and grow the future!
Saturday, March 22, 2025
3:00pm – 5:00pm
The original Main Library opened its doors in 1901 on the northwest corner of Edith Boulevard and Central Avenue. Joshua Reynolds was the library’s first benefactor. He purchased the property and gifted it to the City of Albuquerque, stipulating the land was theirs as long as a library remained on the site.
Built in 1925 with brick from the original Main Library, Frank Kimball, a City of Albuquerque engineer, designed the library in the regional architectural style of the time. Special Collections actually pre-dates anything done in the Spanish-Pueblo Revival style done by John Gaw Meem.
According to Teri Reynoso, Branch Librarian for Special Collections, "We like to say that Gaw Meem got the idea from us for Zimmerman Library on the UNM campus (1936-38)". The 1951 addition to the library was done by Gordon Ferguson of Ferguson, Stevens, and Associates. George Pearl did the 1977-78 renovation.
Gustave Bauman (1881-1971) created the interior painting throughout. Baumann was an American printmaker and painter and one of the leading figures of the color woodcut revival in America. His works have been shown at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and the New Mexico Museum of Art.
Since 1978, the formerly named Main Library, now known as the Special Collections Library, has grown its archival collection to over 100,000 materials that focus on local, state, and regional history and culture.
The 1925 Pueblo/Spanish Revival-style building is a registered Albuquerque landmark in the historic Huning Highlands neighborhood and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The research collections are available for in-house use only. Researchers must have a library card in good standing to access some materials.
Come and celebrate one of Albuquerque’s architectural treasures!
One of the joys in interviewing library staff for the readers of BOOKISH is having the pleasure of meeting library professionals in love with the libraries they represent. Teri Reynoso is no exception.
Teri started as a volunteer at Special Collections in 2012 and instantly fell in love with this unique neighborhood library. She has served as a temp Librarian at Main Library downtown, a Library Paraprofessional at South Broadway Library, and the Youth Services Librarian at the South Valley Library.
Teri completed her Master’s of Library and Information Science through San Jose State University in California. She was recently promoted to Branch Librarian at Special Collections in August, 2024 after being on staff there for a number of years. Her love of local, state, and regional New Mexico history is evident when she shares the list of current research projects she is working on. Teri is the very proud mother of Olivia (19) and Violet (15). Come say hello!
Desiderya "Desi" Costello is a Library Paraprofessional at the San Pedro Library. Desi is also the leader of the Navajo/English baby toddler story time at the San Pedro branch and strives to teach the younger generations about Navajo culture through library programming.
Desi is from To’Hajiilee, New Mexico and is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. Her clans are the Mexican Clan, Waters Edge, Big Water, and Within His Cover.
You can see Desi peeking around one of the APLF Welcome Boards purchased with funds raised during our Spring Campaign. Desi has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Pre-Law from Fort Lewis College.
The San Pedro Library is located in a residential area on the SW corner of San Pedro Drive and Trumbull SE.
Book Stacks in Main Library, 1949, gelatin silver print
May 24 – November 2, 2025
Albuquerque Museum
The exhibition explores the history of the building and recognizes the people who provided access to a world of learning for thousands of Albuquerque residents through books, ephemera, art, and photographs.
The exhibition places Special Collections in the broader context of libraries across the nation as they face challenges with providing open, free access to everyone regardless of gender, age, ability, citizenship, or housing status.
This exhibition is organized by the Albuquerque Museum in collaboration with the Public Library of Albuquerque-Bernalillo County.
We have a regular three-year-old patron named Otto. On Tuesday, Otto and his dad were crammed in the old play area for a while. I told them to join us Thursday afternoon because we were expecting a new rug for our brand-new play area.
Today, Otto came roaring in asking if the new rug was ready. (His dad said he was asking about it as they pulled into the parking lot.) Otto ran around the new rug, checked out the rearranged toys, and declared "I like it!"
Crystal played a game of "jump on a [color] circle!" with him, and he was tickled silly! I think this improvement will prove very popular. (If nothing else, we are officially Otto-approved!)
Bentley Clark, Branch Manager, San Pedro Library
Reading books was a part of my life from an early age. Because my mother worked and my two older siblings were in school, my grandfather, who lived with us, read to me constantly. When I was just over two years old, he invited the neighbors over to watch me read “The Three Little Kittens.” Of course, I wasn’t really reading, but had memorized the book as he read it to me and knew when to turn the pages.
In time, he did teach me to read, and when I discovered the public library in our tiny, rural town, it was a turning point in my life. The treasures it held opened the world to me. I could re-experience the night the Titanic went down, solve mysteries with Nancy Drew, face danger with Gunga Din, and slip through the wardrobe into Narnia with Lucy.
As my life progressed, public libraries continued to foster my love of books, and reading about history became a passion. In time, it turned into my profession. Libraries furnished routes for my research and continued to open the world to me.
All this was possible because Andrew Carnegie, who, in the late 19th century, began to establish a system of free libraries around the world and in the United States. The endowment from his fortune ultimately allowed for almost 1700 libraries in the U.S. to be built.
One of those free public libraries was in my small town, without which Narnia, India, and invincible women would not have been an early part of my life. I know I’m not the only one who experienced the joy and wonder of this opportunity. Given that, why wouldn’t I want to support public libraries in every way I can?
Whatever one might think of the rich Robber Barons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Carnegie was responsible for the concept of a free library system tied to the community. The optimum words in this concept were “free” and “community.”
In a very real sense, libraries are the community. They not only provide a sanctuary for those who seek books and knowledge but also have become, as one librarian put it, “where the rubber meets the road.” Needs are met. Cultural ideas are shared.
As community hubs, libraries foster community engagement. And even in the modern technological age, libraries and librarians have proved to be adaptable in harnessing those pursuits to community needs, with early literacy and school readiness programs, free computer and Wi-Fi access, and digital literacy programs.
And all of this for free? Yes, libraries are freely accessible to all. There are no requirements for using them other than holding a library card and respecting the institution.
As enticing as that sounds, there is a hitch. Essential services, librarians, staff and equipment are not free. Government funding, tax dollars, bonds, and public donations are necessary.
I am proud to add my support to this effort through giving and working with the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation.
Because I believe in the concepts of “free” and “community,” why wouldn’t I?
You are invited! Please help us in celebrating our community and bulding in the Downtown area for 50 years!
Where: Downtown Public Library
501 Coper NW 87102
When: Saturday, Feburary 22, 10am – 4pm
11am – 12pm: Celebratory speech and proclamation
12pm: Tour of the brutalist building
2pm: Concert performer
10am – 4pm: Community resource fair, activites, and refreshments
"Fake news” is not news you disagree with. The ability to tell accurate news from fake news is an important skill that you'll use your entire life. This guide will give you valuable insight in telling fact from fiction online, plus a chance to exercise your newfound skills. Remember to always read beyond the headline. What’s the whole story? You'll find more great information at the TEEN ZONE!
Did you know the Library has its very own YouTube account? Come see all your favorite story time videos, STEM activity videos, and more, all in one place! Great resources for parents!
PO Box 25792, Albuquerque, NM 87125
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