New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library Named Best in the Nation

SANTA FE, N.M. — Sept. 22, 2026 — The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has named the New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library in Santa Fe the 2026 Federal Depository Library of the Year, the top national honor for libraries that give the public free access to federal government information.

The award was presented virtually during the Federal Depository Library Conference in Washington, D.C. State Law Librarian and Depository Coordinator Stephanie Wilson accepted the honor from the Law Library in Santa Fe.

GPO said the library was selected for its exceptional commitment to providing free public access to government information, preserving its collection, and serving communities throughout New Mexico. GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern said the library "demonstrates the vital role Federal Depository Libraries play in connecting people with Government information."

Wilson said the library "preserves, promotes and provides access to public records and legal information," a mission it has carried out since it was established as New Mexico's Territorial Library in 1851. She noted that staff respond to every request from people who walk in, call, mail, or email for help with legal research, court forms, document delivery, and other information, and thanked GPO for recognizing the library's work.

A small staff with a big mission

For more than 175 years, the library has served New Mexico's judiciary, government, legal community, and public. Today it maintains a research collection of more than 300,000 items and serves a wide range of patrons, from judges and attorneys to self-represented litigants and curious residents.

A staff of five provides reference help in person and by phone, email, and mail. Much of that work draws on the library's federal government information collection, which librarians use to answer both current and historical questions about federal law, and to guide patrons through tangible and electronic government resources.

Why print still matters in New Mexico

New Mexico is the fifth-largest state by area, and many of its communities sit in technology deserts with limited or unreliable internet access. For that reason, the Law Library deliberately selects and preserves core legal resources in print, including the Code of Federal Regulations, the United States Code, and United States Reports, so patrons can reach the law whether or not they can get online. The library also rarely weeds its collection, supporting long-term access and preservation.

Making the collection easier to find

Library staff recently completed an item-level inventory of more than 11,900 items in the library's SuDocs collection. SuDocs, short for Superintendent of Documents, is a specialized classification system used to organize U.S. federal government publications. Librarians have also been adding federal depository resources to the online catalog, making them easier for the public to discover.

Reaching the public beyond the building

Over the past year, staff have led more than 40 tours of the Law Library and taken part in numerous legal fairs, helping New Mexicans learn what resources exist and how to use them.

About the Federal Depository Library Program

GPO produces and distributes information products for all three branches of the federal government, including U.S. passports and the official publications of Congress, the White House, and federal agencies. It provides free, permanent public access to federal information through GovInfo.gov and partnerships with about 1,100 libraries nationwide in the Federal Depository Library Program.

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