Doña Ana County commissioners move to operationalize Chaparral library after community push

Doña Ana County commissioners and staff on May 27 heard multiple public comments urging the county to accept donated shelving and speed the opening of the Chaparral library at the Dolores Wright Center.

The county heard from volunteers and residents who said the library has more than 100 boxes of books and insufficient shelving and equipment, and who asked the commission to approve a donation of bookshelves valued at $2,160. "This donation would come at no cost to the county," retired librarian Ida Garcia told the commission, asking members to "please approve this donation." Volunteers also described having only one desktop computer on site while six computer cubicles remain empty.

County Health and Human Services Director Jamie Michael said the building was constructed with a state appropriation and "it was never part of the County's strategic plan," which has left the county without dedicated library staffing. She outlined immediate steps staff are taking: purchase and deployment of the Library World catalog system, a volunteer onboarding process via HR (application, background check and orientation) for anyone working as a county agent, and a plan to put desktop computers into community centers after the fiscal-year start. "There will be computers for the public to use," Michael said, and the county has scheduled a major equipment order for July 1.

IT Director Ken (Kent) English told the commission donated IT equipment raises security and support issues: donated devices must meet county security standards and be supportable. English said the county will order standard-configured desktop computers from its usual vendor beginning July 1; those units typically arrive within about two weeks and require another week for configuration.

County staff and several commissioners pressed to expedite volunteer onboarding. Michael said one volunteer has already completed the HR process, four retired librarians have volunteered to help with cataloging, and about 10 volunteers have expressed interest. Commission members asked staff to print and provide HR applications at the meeting and to meet with volunteers before they left. County Manager Andrews also agreed to visit the Chaparral site with staff to assess outstanding needs and to help coordinate next steps.

On donations, staff said they do not oppose in principle accepting donated printers or supplies; during the meeting legal staff indicated an individual donation of a printer or supplies would be permissible. Staff said the county is cautious about public-facing printers and copy machines because a policy is needed for public use and payment handling.

Why it matters: Chaparral residents, several of them Spanish-speaking parents and retired librarians, told the commission the community lacks library access and that a working local library would provide reading resources, literacy programs and a safe space for children and seniors. Commissioners repeatedly urged staff to remove procedural barriers so volunteers can get started and the facility can host public programs.

What’s next: Staff committed to help volunteers complete HR steps before they leave the meeting, to confirm existing computer/printer connectivity, to finalize Library World cataloging, and to place a planned IT order at the start of the new fiscal year. County Manager Andrews said he would schedule an on‑site visit later the same week or early the following week to coordinate outstanding tasks.

Ending: County staff listed immediate constraints — the need for HR onboarding for volunteers, county policies for public use of equipment, and IT security standards for donated devices — and set a short series of next steps the commission expects to see advanced before the July budget finalization cycle.