New Mexico State Library’s Tribal Libraries Program

Program Overview

Since 1997, the New Mexico State Library’s Tribal Libraries Program (TLP) has supported Tribal library professionals in communities located across the state. The TLP provides specialized training and development services to 24 Tribal libraries serving 23 Federally recognized Tribes, including 19 Pueblos. These Tribal libraries expand access to information and cultivate information literacy in their communities with the TLP’s assistance.

Cassandra Osterloh (Cherokee Nation) is the TLP’s program coordinator. Cassandra shared insights from her experience working with Tribal libraries located throughout New Mexico.  

Community Needs

What communities does the TLP serve?

The TLP supports libraries that serve 23 Federally recognized Tribes, including 19 Pueblos, that share geography with New Mexico. These Tribes range in size from 83 to 6,200 Tribal members. We have an outreach coordinator who works directly with the Navajo Nation, which has 50 chapters in our state. More than two-thirds of the Tribal libraries we serve are in rural communities with fewer than 3,000 residents. Some of these Tribal Communities are located near Albuquerque — the largest metropolitan area in New Mexico.

It’s important to remember that these Tribal Communities are sovereign nations with their own languages, cultures, and systems of government. Each library may work differently or collaborate with their community differently. For example, some libraries are within their Tribe’s education department, while others report directly to Tribal administration.

What needs does the TLP address?

I work directly with Tribal library staff, so that they have somebody they can turn to for anything within the library world. Many library staff are learning on the job — often learning from librarians who have been doing this work for a long time. When new staff members come into a library, I offer support by helping them learn about what the library needs on the administrative side and the public service side.  

When it comes to developing information literacy programs for Tribal members, financial literacy has recently come up as a community need. Tribal librarians who are part of our program have collaborated with community members who work with banks or other financial institutions to put together financial literacy classes for their patrons. Our previous outreach coordinator, who’s now retired, worked with the Navajo Nation Chapters to provide basic computer and database training to Elders in the community. We are now working to determine what the Navajo communities want and need to build on that basic training.

How have Tribal libraries’ needs shifted over the past few years?

When we were going through the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect community members, many Tribal Communities put curfews and travel restrictions in place. It was a very difficult time to work through because you just couldn’t be out and about. As we came out of the pandemic, many libraries were just trying to get people in the door after being closed for so long. They are now beginning to see more people coming through those doors.

Additionally, I think Tribal libraries are seeing shifts in both their collection needs and their programming needs. For example, some libraries have gotten rid of their DVDs because most people in their communities now have streaming services. And some libraries are turning back to more traditional programming and language classes, which are different from what we might typically think of as library programming. But library programming isn’t typical anymore — no matter where you are. There’s a different focus for many.

How do you tailor your approach to meet the needs of different libraries?

Tribal library staff are central to their communities. I have conversations with staff to collaboratively determine what each community’s needs are, and then I try to provide resources that can help staff meet those needs. We have frequent meetings among Tribal library directors and staff to keep the conversation open. We’ve also done basic surveys, asking open-ended questions to learn about the libraries’ needs and challenges they are facing.

Funding and Partnerships

How are the Tribal libraries funded?

Each year, the TLP provides state-allocated funding to eligible Tribal public libraries from the following sources:  

• State Grants in Aid program (approximately $12,000)
• Tribal Libraries Program grant ($4,000 to $6,000)
• Rural Libraries Endowment funds
• General Obligation Bonds 

Additionally, libraries receive funding from their respective Tribal administrations. Many also apply for grants such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (IMLS) Native American Library Services Basic Grant ($6,000 to $10,000) and Native American Library Services Enhancement Grant ($10,000 to $150,000).

How does the TLP promote knowledge sharing among libraries located throughout the state?

A lot of the Tribal library professionals we work with are solo librarians, so they just need someone else to talk to! Sometimes they’ll send me questions about how to handle specific situations. I’ll ask their permission to share their questions with other Tribal librarians for input, or I’ll give them the names of a few people they can contact directly. I also provide professional development opportunities, in person and online, to the Tribal libraries determined by their needs and wants.

We also implement many other activities to support knowledge sharing, like:

• Maintaining a listserv for Tribal libraries located across the state
• Working with Arizona’s Tribal libraries program to develop a conference for Tribal libraries
• Participating in a Tribal libraries consultant group, where we share ideas and lessons learned 

Does the TLP work with any partner organizations?

To help librarians foster health literacy in their communities, we partnered with the University of New Mexico’s (UNM’s) Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center. I worked with UNM’s outreach librarian to coordinate an all-day field trip. Tribal librarians visited the university’s library for a full day of training on resources like PubMed, MedlinePlus, and the Native Health Database. They also learned about university programs like the UNM Health Center for Development and Disability.  

I planned a similar field trip to our state’s supreme court law library. Tribal librarians took a tour of the law library and learned about resources available to New Mexico residents, as well as resources that the libraries could buy for their collections. In addition to those field trips, a couple of librarians have taken a training as part of AARP’s Senior Planet program. We’re talking with AARP to plan more programming for Elders in Tribal Communities.

Program Impact

What is the impact of the TLP? How have you measured and evaluated success?

The TLP does not have a formal evaluation process, but we know our program is successful when a newer librarian, who may have been feeling frustrated and unsure in their role, is thriving and enjoying their job. Other signs of success include increases in the number of people coming into the library, the number of programs the library can offer, and the number of people attending library programs.  

For the TLP, success means that everybody is thriving and communicating with each other. People are excited to share what they’re doing. They look to each other to ask questions and get advice from others who are working through similar challenges.  

The New Mexico State Library (NMSL) participates in the national Public Libraries Survey (PLS) operated by IMLS with data collection support from the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Recognized New Mexico public and Tribal public libraries complete and submit the PLS to the NMSL, reflecting financials, services, and acquisitions data each fiscal year. The data collected can be used by local, state, and federal agencies for planning, evaluating, and budgeting. 

Network, Collaborate, and Share

What advice would you give to someone implementing a similar community-based program?

I always ask people, “What does your community need and what do they want?” That should be your focus. Communication is key for any community, but it’s especially important when you’re working with Tribal Communities. When you’re coming from outside the community, you cannot make assumptions about the community, what community members need, or what work is already being done.  

Ask questions, like “What are the goals of your program?” and “How can we work together?” Listen to people who are part of the community and show that you respect them. It’s important to have that back and forth — and be very open minded.

How can people learn more about the TLP?

To learn more about the TLP, visit the program’s webpage on NMStateLibrary.org.