April 10th is Take Action for Libraries Day, a day defined by the American Library Association as “a day to rally advocates to support libraries, stand with your community to defend the freedom to read, and celebrate what makes libraries essential.”
The Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC) at the University of New Mexico wants to recognize the significant actions taken by the voters of New Mexico on the recent Public Libraries Bond Issue, which passed with a 67% majority in November 2024. By approving a continuing tax of $0.82 per $100,000 of property value over 10 years, New Mexico voters appropriated $19.3 million for public libraries throughout the state, including $6 million for academic libraries. With an annual average cost of less than the price of a latte per year, New Mexicans have decisively chosen to “Take Action for Libraries.”
HSLIC is the only publicly accessible academic health sciences library in the state. Our essential role is providing health information access and health literacy skills and training for our community. Bond funding allows HSLIC to continue providing access to proprietary health databases and ejournals for clinical research and scholarship, and access to critical resources that educate New Mexico’s next generation of healthcare providers.
We are grateful to the voters of New Mexico for their trust and overwhelming support for academic libraries. This funding provision ensures that HSLIC remains at the forefront of academic excellence and innovation in the health sciences.
For a full listing of public library projects and programs funded by the Public Libraries Bond, go to https://ballotpedia.org/New_Mexico_Bond_Question_2,_Public_Libraries_Bond_Issue_(2024)