Library Stories: Books on the Backroads
LIBRARY STORIES: BOOKS ON THE BACKROADS is an hour-long documentary by Mary Lance and Ben Daitz, focusing on the libraries in the rural New Mexico communities of Abiquiu, Datil, Dixon, El Rito, Glenwood, Jemez Pueblo, and Magdalena. Rural libraries mean books, but so much more.
55 minutes. Released 2023
Produced & Directed by Mary Lance and Ben Daitz
They offer free internet access in areas that have no service. They provide GED, STEM, coding, tutoring, and after school programs. Rural libraries host community events and meetings, help folks with computer access for jobs, health insurance, voter registration, citizenship applications, and to arrange medical appointments during the pandemic.
They have seed libraries, genealogical records, and they even sponsor archaeological digs. LIBRARY STORIES profiles small libraries that make home deliveries of books, encourage tribal children to speak their native language, provide landline access to those with no cell service, delve into their communities' cultural histories, and host a local radio station.
