Friends of the Library outlines growth, requests Sunday hours and bilingual librarian

Joan Marshall, president of the Friends of the Library, told the Santa Fe Quality of Life Committee on Dec. 3 that the volunteer nonprofit has supported library programming since 1974 and now contributes roughly $200,000 a year to programs across the library system.

Marshall said Friends funding grew from about $7,000 in 1974 to more than $200,000 today and underpins nearly all programming at the city’s three library branches. She listed performance metrics showing substantial recent growth: between fiscal years 2022 and 2024 circulation rose 42%, children and teen program attendance increased 87%, adult program attendance rose to about 20,000 and computer use and in-person visits also climbed.

Marshall said the Friends are supporting initiatives that aim to expand access for underserved residents, including free busing for third-grade classes and donations of books to help families build home libraries. She urged the council to consider reopening library branches on Sundays — after Sunday hours were not reinstated following the pandemic — and to hire a librarian dedicated to bilingual services, noting the city’s large Hispanic population.

Margaret Neal, library division director, confirmed the city does not fund programming dollars and said the Friends contribute “approximately, on average, about $200,000 a year,” with last year closer to $175,000. A budget official explained that an accounting-methodology change made the FY26 budget appear larger (from $4.5 million to $5.5 million) but that much of that increase reflected salary and benefit adjustments and transfers to other funds rather than added program capacity.

Councilors and staff discussed staffing and capacity constraints, including trade-offs involved in expanding hours or opening a new large branch (referred to in the meeting as the Fogelson project). Committee members asked staff to explore how library activities intersect with other departments and whether interdepartmental funding or partnerships could expand services without creating unsustainable staffing burdens.

Separately, city staff announced the departure of Maria Sanchez Tucker in January; a going-away event for Tucker is scheduled for Dec. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. at 119 East Marcy, Suite 101.

Marshall and library staff framed the presentation as evidence that the library’s programs have broad reach and that modest additional staffing and policy changes could increase access, especially for families and Spanish-speaking residents.