The Southwest Research Center
of Northern New Mexico

The Southwest Research Center of Northern New Mexico operates as the library for Taos Historic Museums, which includes the Ernest Blumenschein Home and Museum and the Hacienda de los Martinez. This research and resource center is the repository for thousands of books, documents, photographs, and other materials relating to the history and culture of Taos, northern New Mexico, and the American Southwest. Scholars interested in the wide spectrum of northern New Mexico's art, history and culture now have a unique resource at their disposal.

History

In 1997 the Institute of Museum and Library Services created a new, comprehensive funding program called National Leadership Grants. One category, Model Programs of Library and Museum Cooperation, challenged institutions to create collaborative projects to expand their service to the public with emphasis on how the community is served, technology is used, or education is enhanced. A grant of $103,833, awarded in October 1998, allowed formation of a unique partnership of the Taos Historic Museums, the Harwood Museum of Art, and Millicent Rogers Museum with the University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library to combine staff, collections, and resources to create the Southwest Research Center.  In 2007, Taos Historic Museums, whose collection comprised approximately seventy percent of the Center’s holdings, took over full responsibility for the Southwest Research Center. 

Resources

The Southwest Research Center makes available to the public thousands of publications that focus on the art history, history, ethnology, and archaeology of the Southwest. The Research Center contains several unique historic collections, such as those relating to the American Fur Trade, the adjudication of water rights in New Mexico, and the anthropological and archaeological library of Dr. John James Bodine.

The Southwest Research Center contains the following resources:

  • An extensive Native American collection

  • The D. H. Lawrence Collection (many bearing the bookplate of Mabel Dodge Lujan)

  • American fur trade documents

  • Judicial documents involving water rights issues and New Mexico land grants

  • Area genealogy records, including Census records since 1795, as well as Taos County baptismal, marriage, and burial records since 1701 (prior to 1860 Taos County included most of present northern New Mexico west to California)

  • Biographical information regarding New Mexican historical figures, including "Kit" Carson

  • Original issues of the "Laughing Horse," a newspaper which contained the stories and sketches published by  Spud Johnson during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s

  • Hundreds of historic maps of northern New Mexico and the region

  • Numerous private collections of publications donated by people who include anthropologist John James Bodine (who wrote about Taos Pueblo) and Victor Westphall (who built the Vietnam Memorial located at Angel Fire, New Mexico)

  • Thousands of books, including first edition books and others which are autographed by Taos writers and persons who wrote about Taos 

LIBROS

LIBROS (LIBROS <http://libros.unm.edu>) is an on-line cataloguing project offered through project partner, University of New Mexico Zimmerman Library. This resource helps national and international researchers locate rare and out-of-print publications before traveling to use them at this non-lending library.

Fees

The Southwest Research Center of Northern New Mexico is a non-lending library. Researchers and the general public may utilize its resources during business hours. There is no research fee charged to those doing their own research.

Off-site researchers, however, requesting information will be charged a fee of $10 per hour for extensive research conducted by the librarian.

The following charges for photocopied material will be assessed:
  • 10 cents for 8 ½ x 11
  • 15 cents for 8 ½ x 14
  • 25 cents for 11 x 17
Shipping and mailing fees may apply.

Donations

The Research Center gratefully accepts donations of books, photographs or archival materials related to northern New Mexico and the greater Southwest, as well as contributions to support the Center's operations. To arrange for bequests, memorial donations, and gifts, please contact Nita Murphy at (505) 758-5440.

Location: 246D Ledoux Street Taos NM 87571
Hours: Tuesday 9-5, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 1-5
Mailing address: 222 Ledoux Street, Taos NM 87571
Phone: 505-758-5440
FAX: 505-758-0330
Librarian: Nita Murphy
e-mail: nitkit@taosnet.com
LIBROS: http://libros.unm.edu

Related Links

De Golyer Library <http://www.smu.edu/cul/degolyer/>
New Mexico Genealogical Archive <http://www.everton.com/usa/nm.htm>
New Mexico State University Library <http://lib.nmsu.edu>
Online Archive on New Mexico <http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/>
Taos Public Library <http://www.taoslibrary.org/>
University of Colorado Libraries <http://libraries.colorado.edu/search/t>
University of New Mexico <http://www.unm.edu/research.html>
University of New Mexico Archives <http://www.unm.edu/~unmarchv/unmarchv.html>
UNM/Taos Library <http://taos.unm.edu/library/>