In New Mexico, public libraries are funded by municipalities. That means, if you live in an unincorporated town, there’s no funding stream for a local public library. That isn’t the case everywhere. Some states, like Colorado, have library districts -- like school districts – that fund libraries in rural as well as urban areas. Nevertheless, in northern New Mexico, residents in several towns have joined together to create independent libraries that have transformed their communities.
Lucia Duncan brings us the story as part of KSFR's Solutions Journalism Network grant initiative.