ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – On November 5, the polls will be opened for election day and along with casting ballots for national and local leaders, voters will get to choose where to send additional funding to certain departments.
This election, in Bernalillo County, there will be six General Obligation (GO) Bonds for people to vote on. One of these GO Bonds could send $2.5 million in funding to public libraries in and around Albuquerque.
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“It’s not only having the refreshed materials that’s important and getting everybody’s favorite authors every year, making sure that we have up to date book on legal self help, medical self help, doing your taxes,” ABQ/BernCo Public Libraries Digital & Material Services Manager Eileen O’Connell said. “We have a lot of customers who have made the digital shift. We’re also buying audiobooks that you access through an app, and e-books that you access through an app, and are free to you with a library card.”
These funds aren’t just used for the items you can find on the shelves. They are also used for the shelves themselves. There are 19 libraries within Bernalillo County, many in older buildings with aging infrastructure. “We want to have things in the building to borrow, that’s what we do. But, we also want buildings that are safe and comfortable to use,” O’Connell said.
The funding for these GO Bonds comes from state and federal grants and will not increase taxes. Early absentee voting for Bernalillo County began October 8.
