Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library
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The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library is the
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
system serving greater
Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, United States. It includes seventeen branch libraries as well as the
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
Main Library.


History

The Albuquerque Public Library opened on May 1, 1901, replacing the Ladies' Library Association which had operated sporadically since 1883. The new library was located in Perkins Hall, a three-story brick building at the intersection of Central and Edith which had previously housed the first Albuquerque Academy and the
University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...
. The building was purchased and donated to the city by local businessman Joshua Raynolds for the purpose of establishing a public library. The library opened with 2,382 books, many of which were donated by local businesspeople. By 1920 the library had outgrown its old facility, and planning began for a new building on the same site. Perkins hall was torn down, and the new library opened on March 26, 1925. Designed by Arthur Rossiter, the building was a fine example of Pueblo Revival architecture with its buttresses, towers, irregular parapet, and exposed wooden beams. Interior decorations were by Santa Fe artist Gustave Baumann. The Main Library was enlarged in 1947 and 1951. In 1948 the city was bequeathed the former
home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
of
war correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...
Ernie Pyle Ernest Taylor Pyle (August 3, 1900 – April 18, 1945) was an American journalist and war correspondent who is best known for his stories about ordinary American soldiers during World War II. Pyle is also notable for the Columnist#Newspaper and ...
and turned it into Albuquerque's first branch library. The Old Main Library became the Special Collections branch in 1978 after a new facility was built downtown.


Libraries


Old Main Library

The
Pueblo Revival The Pueblo Revival style or Santa Fe style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States, which draws its inspiration from Santa Fe de Nuevo México's traditional Pueblo architecture, the Spanish missions, and Territor ...
style Old Main Library served as the city's main public library from 1925 to 1975 and now houses the Special Collections branch. It was designed by Arthur Rossiter, with interior decorations by Santa Fe artist Gustave Baumann, and opened to the public on March 23, 1925. It is listed on the
New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural ...
and is also an Albuquerque Historic Landmark.


Main Library

The current Main Library, opened in 1975, is located at the intersection of Fifth and Copper in
downtown Albuquerque Downtown Albuquerque is the central business district of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is where a significant number of the city's highrise buildings are located, and is the center of government and business for the Greater Alb ...
. It was designed by local architect George Pearl, whose striking modern interpretation of traditional southwest architecture received a design award from the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
. Pearl considered it one of his "three or four most important" designs. The library received a $1.8 million renovation in 2006 which included the addition of a new glass atrium and lobby, a coffee shop, and an expansion of the used book shop on the lower level. The space that was developed for a coffee shop in 2006, the ABQ Coffee Connection, officially opened on May 3, 2010. In 2013, the restaurant Al's Other Half replaced the former coffee shop. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2019.


Branches

In addition to the Main Library, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library system operates nineteen branch libraries throughout the Albuquerque metropolitan area:
Alamosa - Robert L. Murphy Library
(opened September 24, 2001) The City of Albuquerque officially named the Alamosa - Robert L. Murphy Library after community leader Robert L. Murphy in October 2001. Robert L. Murphy, a military policeman and fire department officer, moved to Albuquerque in 1954. He served 27 years with the Fire Department and was involved in Boy Scouts, church, and school. Murphy contributed to the Alamosa community, including the construction of Santuario de San Martin Church and Alamosa Multi-Service Center. *Central & Unser Library (opened April 18, 2015) *Cherry Hills Library (opened June 24, 1998)
The Cherry Hills Branch Library
is a 15,000 square foot vibrant library hub located within the heart of a residential area in northeast Albuquerque. It was established in 1998 and showcases a captivating varicolored brick facade that seamlessly blends with its surroundings. A neighborhood coalition helped get 2.5 acres of donated land for the project by lobbying the city, county, and state officials to get funding for the project. The strategic location of Cherry Hills within a family-centric neighborhood renders it a bustling haven, witnessing a constant flow of foot traffic, particularly during the summer months. Renowned for its engaging Summer Reading Program (SRP), the branch has seen a remarkable turnout, with approximately 2,000 enthusiastic participants signing up, solidifying its status as one of the busiest SRPs within the Albuquerque system. The Cherry Hills Library won the "Best Storytime" competition in the Albuquerque, the Magazine “2018 Best of the City Awards.” *East Mountain Library, Tijeras (opened October 1994) *Erna Fergusson Library (opened 1966, current library built in 2003) * Ernie Pyle Library (opened 1948) *International District Library (opened 2022) *Juan Tabo Library (opened 1983) *Lomas Tramway Library (opened 1987) *Los Griegos Library (opened 1954) *North Valley Library (opened 1994) *San Pedro Library (opened 1967) *South Broadway Library (opened 1974, current library built in 1994) *South Valley Library (opened 1958) * Special Collections Library (opened 1925, Special Collections since 1978) *Taylor Ranch Library (opened 1989) *Tony Hillerman Library (formerly the Wyoming Library, opened 1957) *Westgate Library (opened March 21, 1998)


Former branches

*Esperanza Library (replaced by Alamosa Library in 2001) *Esther Bone Library,
Rio Rancho Rio Rancho () is the largest and most populous city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It is the third ...
(now part of the Rio Rancho system)


References


External links


Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library System County library systems in the United States Education in Albuquerque, New Mexico Education in Bernalillo County, New Mexico Public libraries in New Mexico Buildings and structures in Bernalillo County, New Mexico