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CONTACT:
Joy Poole
Director of Public Services
New Mexico State Library
505-476-9712
jpoole@stlib.state.nm.us
FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATE
“LASTING IMPRESSIONS: A LIBRARY LEGACY” EXHIBIT OPENS
JUNE 7 AT THE STATE LIBRARY IN SANTA FE
SANTA FE, NM — “Lasting Impressions: A Library Legacy” opens in the Southwest Room of the New Mexico State Library on June 7, 2005. The library’s “mini-exhibition” is presented in conjunction with the major simultaneous exhibition at the Palace of the Governors, “Lasting Impressions: The Private Presses of New Mexico.” The State Library’s exhibit will be open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free and plenty of parking is available.
Just as the museum exhibition features the creative output of two centuries of small presses in the state, the New Mexico State Library collections contain many volumes produced on local, hand-operated presses. The Library was able to draw upon and highlight the significant threads of the history of the private presses and further illustrate the story with examples from its own collections. The result is “Lasting Impressions: A Library Legacy.” As with the Palace exhibit, the Library’s selected works will be showcased for two years and will feature fine examples of custom printing and book making found among its stacks. The curator of the exhibit is JoAnne Jager, recently retired as the reference librarian who managed the Southwest Collection at the State Library.
The New Mexico State Library, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, traces its roots to a traveling library service of the Museum of New Mexico (of which the Palace of the Governors is still part). The traveling service was officially established as the State Library Extension Service in 1929, and in 1961 the extension service was reorganized and renamed the New Mexico State Library.
The core of the State Library’s Southwest Collections, which dates to those early 20th century developments, has since been enhanced by numerous gifts and bequests from fans of regional literature and also by the wise purchases of state librarians. Such rare collected works are at the heart of the exhibition at the Palace of the Governors.
Complementing the display in the Southwest Room is a browsing collection of reference works, illustrated portfolios, and general reading materials about the subjects and theme of both “Lasting Impressions” exhibits. Topical sub-themes are:
- New Mexico’s First Printing Presses
- The Art & Craft of Printing
- A Library’s Legacy, which will be changing display of art and small press works, privately printed works, typography styles, illustration techniques, binding techniques, and handmade books, all with emphasis on literature of the Southwest.
The Library and Palace efforts have support and funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for their exhibitions and educational programming that will reach throughout New Mexico. The IMLS, a federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities.
The New Mexico State Library is responsible for planning and developing statewide library service, administering federal and state aid to public libraries, and serving the information needs of state government and the citizens of New Mexico. It is located at 1209 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM.
