We are Water Reflections: Aztec (NM) Public Library
The following reflection was written by Angela Watkins (Director) of the Aztec Public Library in New Mexico. APL was an active participant in the “We are Water” project from 2022-2026. We are Water is funded by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which supports innovative research, approaches, and resources for use in a variety of learning settings.
My Passion, My Community, My Desire
Hi, my name is Angela Watkins. I live in the city of Aztec, which is 17.1 square miles, located in San Juan County in the Four Corners area of the state of New Mexico. We serve a population that is at a 24.7% poverty level. Our customers are a mixture of Native Americans, Hispanics, Whites, with a dusting of Asians, and African Americans. The city has a population of 6,177. Aztec benefits from agricultural production with a seasonal Farmer’s market.
New Mexico is the state with the most water shortage, classified as having “extremely high” water stress by the World Resources Institute. We are particularly vulnerable to drought and groundwater depletion due to a combination of factors like overuse, climate change, and high demand from agriculture.
Knowing that we were having drought issues, which meant less water available in the river and reservoirs, means less water to support Colorado River ecosystems which we feed from. I saw an opportunity to educate our community about the terms of drought and the impact if they misused water because of a lack of knowledge. The “We Are Water” project became my catalyst to educate my community.
Being brought in on the project early, I first loved the fact that the team was asking librarians, what’s the best way was to introduce this information to their community.
I understood that my community and possibly others, were reading at a 5th grade level, and they needed to be able to decipher this information in layman’s terms in order to respect and devour what was being told to them. Once the wall came to fruition, it excited me and I wanted to share this with everyone across the US. I still contained that energy to this day. Because it felt like my baby too, I felt it could help others. I enjoyed being a H.O.S.T.S. (Helping One Student to Succeed), in this instance, community.
With the support and engagement of our community members, we can provide reliable access to resources and information. We look to partner with universities, businesses, and other entities to help us make that possible using grants and other free sources.
Community is at the heart of what we do as librarians. Providing resources that can help us to stay sustainable. The “We Are Water” project was a key factor in our goal to make sure the voices of the community we are working with came first.
Because San Juan County is agriculture driven, allowed us to help those that are not farmers understand how our ecosystems provide many of the basic services that make life possible for people.
Plants clean air and filter water, bacteria decompose wastes, bees pollinate flowers, and tree roots hold soil in place to prevent erosion. The activities provided by the We Are Water team allowed engagement, hand-on activity kits about erosion, film and discussion about water and the takeaway kits provided family bonding. After the exhibit moved to another library, we continued with a component called Living Room Conversations.
With all the interactions, and take-aways, we provided our patrons with strategies to reduce negative impacts and promote a more balanced relationship between humans and the environment.
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