By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
Octavia Fellin Public Library Director Tammi Moe moved to Gallup in April 2017 with one goal in mind: building an archive, which would be beneficial to the Octavia Fellin Library. She told her husband she would only be gone for two years.
Now, eight years after she initially arrived in Gallup, she said she stays because she fell in love with the community.
“It is a sacrifice I make because I know what I’m doing truly makes a difference to the people who live here,” she said in front of the Gallup City Council during their May 27 meeting. “I have seen tragic things happen here, but I’ve also experienced so many beautiful things, and that is what compels me to be here tonight on a Tuesday evening. I’m pitching for a dream, a dream for this community.”
That dream? A new regional public library for the community.
Moe explained that the Gallup community outgrew its library over 20 years ago.
In 2003, the OFPL outgrew its 15,000 square-foot main facility. The City of Gallup offered up a solution that was only meant to be temporary: Relocate the Children & Youth branch to a repurposed 11,000 square-foot bank.
Moe explained that this quick solution only created more problems.
“[Moving the Children & Youth branch] created a layer of complexity for our users,” she said. “The burden was shifted to the community, and in particular the families who must visit two locations to utilize the needed resources.”
The City of Gallup knew something needed to be done, so they completed a feasibility study in 2013 to assess the current library’s problems and possible sites for a new state-of-the-art building. The city council approved a location for the new building, just north of the railroad tracks and south of Maxwell, between Second and Third Streets, in January 2021. And in 2022, an architect was hired to design the new building.
OFPL’S PROBLEMS
Limited space isn’t OFPL’s only problem.
Moe presented a long list of problems for the city council.
There is no fire suppression system in either OFPL’s main building or the Children & Youth branch.
There are no dedicated spaces for independent or group study.
The library meeting rooms are reserved 90% of the available time.For every item added to the collection, an item must be removed due to space limitations.
There are only 16 public computers available, which creates long waiting periods for the library’s patrons.Despite the library’s large variety of exciting programs, attendance is limited due to space restrictions.
There’s no outdoor space for programs.
There’s no room to house the additional staff or volunteers needed to meet service demands.
From 2020 to 2024, library visits grew from almost 9,500 to just over 119,000 annually, with over 41,000 registered users and nearly 700 public programs offered. OFPL is a vital hub for community engagement, technology access, economic development, and cultural preservation.
OFPL also serves as an education hub for the community. Gallup-McKinley County Schools district serves over 12,000 students with only one school librarian. OFPL helps bridge critical literacy and educational gaps, supporting underserved youth through programming, collections, safe spaces, and specialized services.
As a municipal library, OFPL serves the entire McKinley County population of approximately 70,000, despite being funded solely to serve a legal service area of just under 22,000.
INITIATING A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Moe is ready to solve the two-decades long problem.
During the May 27 city council meeting she presented a capital campaign with the goal of raising $25 million to support the construction of the new 45,000 square-foot regional library.
At an earlier city council meeting Moe requested that an additional two members join the Library Advisory Board. In an interview with the Sun she explained that the additional members will help with fundraising efforts for the capital campaign.
Whereas before the LAB kept track of the library’s statistics and revenue balance, they will now spend most of their time working on fundraising efforts. They also used to meet once a month, but have now cut their meetings to quarterly meetings so that they can spend more time working on fundraising.
Moe explained that the first step in the capital campaign is conducting a planning study. The planning study will help the library identify what aspects of the project would be most appealing to funders. They’re also going to work on pinning down possible donors. Moe said she will be looking into federal foundations and also talking to lawmakers.
“Right now is a really good time [to ask for funds] because of what’s happening at the federal level,” she said. “There’s a lot of what I would call ‘shadow investors’ [who] are coming out to kind of counter what’s happening on the federal level with the cuts. … It’s no longer about wining and dining; it’s really about aligning with what these funders are looking for.”
The library’s funding goal of $25 million will only cover half of the $49 million price tag for the new library. Moe said she hopes the city will be able to match the library’s fundraising amount through the use of state and federal grants.
She said she is expecting the capital campaign to last a total of five years, with it wrapping up in 2029.
The council was extremely optimistic about the proposed project.
“It seems to me that the whole reason we keep having an issue is funding,” Councilor Sarah Piano, Dist. 3, said. “Everything seems to come down to funding and just not having the money. So my hope is that you are successful [in your fundraising efforts].”
Councilor Linda Garcia, Dist. 1, praised Moe for her hard work and dedication to the library.
“You have made a tremendous difference to Gallup and that library since you moved here,” she said. “I want to thank you for your passion, your loyalty, your professionalism, and your dedication. I know this project is going to come to fruition because of you.”
Councilor Ron Molina, Dist. 4, also acknowledged Moe’s hard work.
“Tammi’s undertaking a big project,” he said. “My hat’s off to you.”
The councilors gave the library permission to initiate the capital campaign with a unanimous vote.
