RELEASE: Award-winning author Hampton Sides keynote speaker as New Mexico State Library celebrates volunteers
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
View this email in your browser
May 11, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT Christina Claassen 505-946-7149 christina.claassen@dca.nm.gov
SANTA FE, NM – Volunteers who provided more than 1,800 hours of their time over the last year and brought books and resources to life for New Mexicans with visual disabilities were celebrated with an appreciation luncheon featuring keynote speaker Hampton Sides on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
Sides, an award-winning author known for his books on historical subjects, spoke about his career and particularly connected with volunteers by speaking about his own experience recording the commercial audio edition of his book Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin . He also treated those in attendance with an excerpt reading from his yet untitled upcoming book about the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado.
The volunteer luncheon was held to show appreciation and gratitude to volunteers who serve the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD). A Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Tracy Kerr for her tireless reviewing work.
“Without the valuable time and effort contributed by our volunteers over the past quarter century, hundreds upon hundreds of audiobooks would never have been produced,” said Yavar Moradi, Collection Development Coordinator for LBPD.
Volunteers are an integral part of providing resources for LBPD, contributing 35 hours a week, or about 1,800 hours a year. The program currently has 16 volunteers who record and narrate audio books in the library’s recording studio, review and correct errors in narration, and repair and refurbish audio machines, among other important tasks. Volunteers are always needed at LBPD and those interested can contact the library at 505-476-9770 to learn more.
About New Mexico State Library The New Mexico State Library, a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, provides services that support public libraries, as well as direct library services to rural populations, state agencies, the visually impaired, physically and print disabled, and students and citizens conducting research. For more information about New Mexico State Library visit nmstatelibrary.org.
Let me know if you’d like more information or to schedule an interview with State Library staff. Thanks, Christina
Copyright ©2026 New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. All rights reserved. Bataan Memorial Building | 407 Galisteo Street, Suite 260 | Santa Fe, NM 87501
Thank you for your interest in NM Department of Cultural Affairs news and releases; you can always update your preferences or unsubscribe from these emails