Award-winning author Douglas Preston was the keynote speaker at the New Mexico State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled volunteer appreciation luncheon on March 13, 2025. Courtesy/New Mexico State Library
NMDCA News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled celebrated the dedication of its volunteers at a luncheon Thursday, March 13, 2025, with special guest Douglas Preston, an award-winning author and journalist known for his thrillers and non-fiction science books.
The volunteer luncheon was held to show appreciation and gratitude to volunteers who serve the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD). Volunteer of the Year Awards were given to Betsy Walker and the Friends of the Library for their financial and volunteer service support.
“Without our volunteers’ participation in the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled, we would not be able to produce and contribute audio titles to the National Library Service collection,” said Jennifer Finley-McGill, Outreach Librarian for the LBPD.
Douglas Preston attended the event as the special keynote speaker. He shared exciting stories of exploration in relation to his book, Lost City of the Monkey God, A True Story. Preston was instrumental in encouraging his book publisher, Hachette, in making its books available to the National Library Service so that patrons could get access to their books in audio formats. Alice Baker-O’Reilly, Chief of the Collections Division of the National Library Service, also Zoomed in to acknowledge both Preston’s and the volunteers’ contributions to their service.
Volunteers are an integral part of providing resources for LBPD, volunteering 35 hours a week, or about 1800 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.