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We were generously welcomed into the by Cassandra Zamora, a solo librarian who has built an extraordinary library for the 800 tribal members who live in Rebahene, Ranchitos, and Chicale on the Tamaya Indian Reservation. A colorful children’s area hosts storytimes and crafting, a robust collection of board games circulates to the community, and twenty sewing machines can be checked out or used in one of the many sewing classes offered by the library. , a renowned fabric artist, teaches some of these classes. She is also an avid user of the library. When we asked her how many times she visits the library in a month, she laughed, counting on her fingers until she got to five times a week.

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Like many tribal members, Pino lives just a few minutes away from the library. Sharing space with other educational programs, the library is at the heart of this community. Aaron Montoya, a GIS specialist whose office is in a neighboring building, visits for a quiet moment or a chat with Zamora during his workdays. He has collaborated with the library to develop a cycling program that brings tribal members closer to their own land. “When you see a place by car, you see it quickly,” he tells us. “When you go by bicycle, you can get closer, stop, take your time.”

The cycling program is just one of Zamora’s extensive and ever-changing public programs. She also offers trivia nights, hiking clubs, fishing trips, video game tournaments, storytimes, and more. It’s a lot for just one person to handle, Zamora acknowledged, echoing what we’ve heard in libraries along the entire tour. With more resources, libraries can do even more for their communities.

With so much to see and to say, we closed down the library, talking with Zamora until she needed to leave for her daughter’s volleyball game. We each took a box of homemade biscochitos, grateful for her generosity and hospitality.

Mileage: 46

Soundtrack: Sewing machine

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