Embudo Valley Library and Community Center
🏢 Independent Community Library · Dixon, New Mexico
Embudo Valley Library and Community Center
Born from a single rented room and 50 checked-out books in 1992, this 2015 National Medal-winning library now anchors a 1.5-acre campus in the Rio Embudo Valley — the only free computer, fax, and notary hub within 20 miles, with a seed library, KLDK 96.5 FM community radio station, and oral history archive documenting acequia culture.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 11am–5pm |
| Tuesday | 11am–5pm |
| Wednesday | 11am–5pm |
| Thursday | 11am–5pm |
| Friday | 11am–5pm |
| Saturday | 11am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 217A Highway 75, Dixon, NM 87527
Phone: (505) 579-9181
Website: embudovalleylibrary.org
Plus Code: 858P54W7+R6 (Dixon, NM)
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Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Embudo Valley Library and Community Center
Embudo Valley Library and Community Center began in 1992 when eight Dixon-area residents launched a volunteer library in a rented room of the old Dixon post office, checking out 50 books on opening day. By 2002 the organization purchased its current 1.5-acre campus — which now hosts the Dixon Cooperative Market, a heritage orchard, a pollinator garden, and a community stage — and in February 2014 moved into a purpose-built 3,000-square-foot library constructed for $600,000 through community fundraising. The library is the only provider of free internet, public computers, printing, fax, and notary services within a 20-mile radius, drawing over 7,500 visitors annually from communities stretching from Velarde to Vadito in Rio Arriba and Taos Counties. It was recognized as one of America's Star Libraries by Library Journal (2012) and received the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service — the nation's highest honor for museums and libraries — with First Lady Michelle Obama presenting the award at the White House.
⭐ What makes this library special
- 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service (IMLS), presented at the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama — the highest national honor for libraries
- Only free public internet, computer, printing, fax, and notary services within a 20-mile radius of Dixon
- Seed library lending heirloom, landrace, and heritage open-pollinated seeds — borrowers return seeds from their own harvest
- KLDK-LP 96.5 FM, a 50-watt all-volunteer community radio station broadcasting 24/7 from the library campus
- Three dedicated oral history collections documenting Embudo Valley and acequia culture, including StoryCorps: Nuestras Historias (2015)
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Dixon cardholders borrow, stream, and research free through the library's own resources and New Mexico's statewide network:
📚 Services
- Seven public computers with productivity and design software
- Free 24/7 Wi-Fi on campus
- Printing, copying, faxing, and notary services
- Voter registration assistance
- Reference and research assistance
- Community center and stage rentals (nonprofits, educational groups, acequia associations)
- Seed library: up to 10 heirloom/open-pollinated seed packets per season free with library card
- La Segunda thrift shop (Wed–Sat 10am–4pm; revenue supports library operations)
- Southwest collection and Nuclear Worker's Support collection
- Fiscal sponsorship for local community initiatives
🎸 Programs
- Caterpillar Club early literacy (Wednesdays 10–11:30am, ages 0–5): storytime, music, fingerplays, crafts, snacks
- Afterschool Program (Mon–Thu 3–5:30pm, K–6): homework, enrichment, nutrition — the only afterschool program in the community
- Saturday STEAM (periodic Saturdays 10:30am–noon, drop-in): 3D printing, circuitry, and robotics
- Summer Reading Program: two months of STEAM, arts, bilingual storytimes, opera nights, and author visits
- KLDK-LP 96.5 FM volunteer community radio (Democracy Now!, local programming, 24/7)
- Rio Arriba Imagination Library (free monthly books for ages 0–5)
- Annual Fiesta de Santa Rosa (last weekend of August, on campus)
- Farmer's market (June–September on campus)
📍 Nearby Libraries in Northern New Mexico
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Embudo Valley Library different from a typical rural library?
The library operates an entire community campus: alongside 17,000+ books and 8,000 digital titles it hosts a seed library for heirloom and landrace varieties, an all-volunteer FM radio station (KLDK 96.5), a heritage orchard, a pollinator garden, a cooperative grocery store, and La Segunda thrift shop. It is also the only place within a 20-mile radius of Dixon offering free public computers, printing, fax, and notary services — earning it the 2015 IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
How does the seed library work, and what kinds of seeds can I borrow?
With a valid library card you can check out up to 10 seed packets per season at no charge. The collection focuses on open-pollinated, non-hybrid, non-GMO varieties — including heirloom, landrace, and heritage seeds adapted to the high-desert climate of the Rio Embudo Valley. Borrowers agree to return seeds from their own harvest, cleaned and labeled, helping the collection grow over time.
Does the library preserve local history, and how can I access those materials?
Yes. The library holds three oral history collections: Voices of Dixon (14 interviews recorded 2002–2004 by local farmer Harvey Frauenglass), StoryCorps: Nuestras Historias (18 interviews from 2015 donated as part of the National Medal recognition), and Nuestras Acequias (interviews with lifelong acequieros from the Embudo Valley). The library also maintains an online Rio Embudo Watershed Archaeological Exhibit and is a partner in the Manitos Community Memory Project at archive.manitos.net.
Is the Embudo Valley Library part of a larger county or state library system?
No — it is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not a branch of a county or municipal system. It is a member of New Mexico Library To Go (the statewide OverDrive consortium), giving cardholders access to thousands of e-books and downloadable audiobooks at nm.overdrive.com. Governance and funding are entirely community-based, sustained by donations, grants, and revenue from La Segunda thrift shop.
📋 This library offers notary services. See what a library notary can do — what to bring, fees and appointments — and find other libraries with a notary notary services by state.
🎨 This library lends museum passes. See how library museum passes work and find other libraries that lend passes museum passes by state.
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