In Belén, New Mexico, 25% of the community’s residents under the age of 65 have a disability, and 17.7% of the population is over the age 65. That’s according to Kathleen Pickering, director of Belén Public Library (BPL) and its Harvey House Museum branch. The statistics reflect a “significant number of people who need assistance of one sort or another,” she says..
In 2023 and 2024, BPL was awarded two rounds of grant funding via the American Library Association’s (ALA) Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative. Those dollars went a long way toward reaching the library’s goal of becoming a safe place for everyone—including those with mobility disabilities, low vision or blindness, hearing loss, and those who are neurodivergent.
Pickering, who has served as the library’s director for more than seven years, recalled that the library was already aware of other LTC programs before applying. BPL was also in the process of investigating ways “to improve (general) access in the library,” she says..
That interest, she says, played a significant role in how the library considered approaching and applying for the grant.
Pickering explained that the first grant, awarded in 2023, was used to improve general ADA compliance. After an architect provided the library with information about improvements that might address that concern, Pickering says the library next learned that it wasn’t so much about “inches and square feet.” It was instead a matter of fostering relationships with those in the region’s disability community.
“It snowballed from there,” Pickering says.
Once patrons and the community at large became aware that BPL was invested in studying and planning improvements, the library made sure their input was welcome, with library staff asking patrons if they would like to be on an advisory group or advise the library in some capacity. Once that process was initiated, Pickering says getting that feedback began to feel “very organic.”
Today, the library offers adjustable-height tables, accessible cubicles and chairs, weighted lap pads, grip aids, C-Pens (which can assist those with dyslexia), LED-activated magnifying lenses, software updates, and a wide-ranging span of other products and services.
The LTC grant has also made it possible for BPL staff to take advantage of other professional development opportunities.
After completing a training course, Jessica Rodgers, BPL’s lead librarian and teen librarian, began regularly scheduling “sensory days” for neurodivergent teens. On these days, Rodgers communicates rules (for example, “keep voices to a whisper”) on a whiteboard, dims the lights, and uses a combination of visual materials (including posters) to gather information about the types of programs patrons want. Here too, the library is seeing increased usage. Before the grant only a few teens would come to the library most afternoons. Now, the average is closer to 20.
Some of the library’s new programs have come about through partnerships. Connections with the Adelante Development Center, which runs a day program for people with disabilities, have led BPL to host a variety of musical programs every month. One example of this is Tony DeNardo’s PopUpShow, which offers underserved residents in Belén and the surrounding area opportunities to witness “the intrinsic magic of live music.” During these events, Pickering passes out shakers to participants who are not partnered up dancing, and she even takes a spin herself. Speaking to the importance of coming together to enjoy live music, one participant says that “the library is essential for our community.”
The success of BPL’s LTC-related work has rippled through the community and led other area entities to consider ways to better serve the differently abled community. Pickering proudly points out that Belén now offers “more comfort and willingness to integrate people with disabilities” in all aspects of city life, not just at the library.
“There’s been general improvement overall, once people realized, ‘This is something we care about,’” she says. “It’s something that touches almost every household.”
Pickering says the improvements and opportunities that have grown from the LTC grant experience have truly changed the community and brought it closer together.
“We all breathe so much more easily now, because we know how everyone would like to be included, and we know how to work towards their goals,” she explains. “Creating that relationship with the nonprofits and the families that are working with disability challenges … I think of so many partnerships that we didn’t have before, or were very light, and now we’re very engaged,” Pickering says. “It makes a world of difference.”
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Feature photo: Tony DeNardo’s PopUpShow at Belén Public Library, credit: Eric Williams Photography.
