About

This website is maintained by the New Mexico Library Association (NMLA) Bonds for Libraries Special Interest Group (SIG) for the purpose of keeping New Mexico librarians and citizens informed of the library GO Bond issue.

The SIG also engaged in activities to encourage approval of GO Bonds in 2012.

The original website was established by the 2010 Political Action Committee (PAC), Bonds for Libraries. The officers were Dr. David Giltrow (independent consultant), and Omar Durant (retired from APS), co-chairs; Dr. Kitty Sherlock (retired senior staff member PED), vice-chair; Linda O’Connell (retired public librarian, former contract administrator NMLA), secretary-treasurer; and Joe Sabatini, Legislation Committee Co-Chair,  NMLA liaison. Unlike many conventional PACs, Bonds for Libraries did not contribute to individual legislators, have any employees, or adopt any partisan bias.   Further, the PAC was not heavily engaged during the legislative session, leaving passage of the GO bond issue legislation to librarians.

Upon the governor’s signature, the campaign for passing the bond issue began in earnest.  The PAC gathered data which librarians could use to inform their communities about the bond issue, especially the amount individual libraries can expect to receive if the bond issue passes, tax implications for property owners and any special conditions placed on the spending of the bond funds.

There were also active PAC’s for approval of GO Bonds in 1988, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.