Freedom to Read New Mexico Endorses the 2026 GO Bond for Libraries and the Rural Library Endowment Fund 2026 Request
Freedom to Read New Mexico (FTRNM) endorses both the 2026 New Mexico General Obligation (GO) Bond for Libraries and the continued investment in the Rural Library Endowment Fund. Together, these initiatives demonstrate that the freedom to read relies on a healthy, well-funded, and interdependent library ecosystem.
Our coalition was formed to protect the First Amendment, civil rights, and the right of every New Mexican to access books and information in public, school, academic, tribal, and rural libraries. That mission necessarily includes not only policies that protect access from censorship, but also public investments that make access possible in the first place.
Endorsing the 2026 GOBond for Libraries
The New Mexico GOBond for Libraries is one of the most effective and trusted tools the state has for supporting libraries of all types. Libraries that receive Bond funds manage and utilize them with a high degree of integrity and in strict adherence to the intended outcomes approved by voters and lawmakers.
As the New Mexico State Legislature considers the funding level for the two-year 2026 GOBond for Libraries, FTRNM urges legislators to authorize the bond at the level recommended in the New Mexico Library Association’s unified funding request of $24 million, up from the $19 million provided in 2024. Voters approved the 2024 Library GOBond by 67.2%, demonstrating broad, bipartisan statewide public support. This investment is especially critical at a time when federal funding for education, libraries, and social systems is being reduced or curtailed. State leadership is essential to ensure that New Mexico’s libraries can continue to serve their communities today and into the future.
Supporting the Rural Library Endowment Fund
FTRNM also endorses the goals and continued funding of the Rural Library Endowment Fund, supported by the New Mexico Rural Library Initiative. Rural and tribal libraries are often the only public infrastructure in the communities they serve. Since its creation in 2019, the Legislature has appropriated $30.5 million toward the endowment. There are now 60 eligible libraries, and several more potential emerging libraries, so they are asking for an additional $29.5 million. This would create a fund of $1 million per library, allowing for annual disbursements of approximately $45,000 per library, enough to keep doors open even in areas where no other funding exists. This funding would be provided in perpetuity, creating long-term stability while also supporting the establishment of libraries in communities that currently lack them.