New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library Named The Best In The Nation
New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library Staff accept the Federal Depository Library of the Year from the U.S. Government Publishing Office. l-r Amy Schaefer, Kendra Patlak, Cassandra Wenzel, Consuelo Archuleta, and State Law Librarian Stephanie Wilson.
(Editor’s Note – On numerous occasions during the last fifteen years we have had the pleasure of receiving assistance in research from various members of the Supreme Courts Law Library. In our opinion, the award described below is well earned.)
WASHINGTON/SANTA FE, NM – The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has named the New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the 2026 Federal Depository Library of the Year.
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.
A ceremony was held virtually during the Federal Depository Library Conference in Washington, DC, during which State Law Librarian Stephanie Wilson accepted the award in the Law Library.
“The New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library demonstrates the vital role Federal Depository Libraries play in connecting people with Government information,” said GPO Director Hugh Nathanial Halpern.
The GPO Director added that the New Mexico Supreme Court Library’s “commitment to preserving both print and digital resources helps ensure that people can access the information they need, regardless of their access to technology. GPO is proud to recognize the library and its dedicated staff for their outstanding service.”
“The Supreme Court Law Library preserves, promotes and provides access to public records and legal information, and has carried out that mission since it was established as New Mexico’s Territorial Library in 1851,” said New Mexico State Law Librarian and Depository Coordinator Stephanie Wilson.
Wilson continued, “The library responds to all requests from people who walk in, call, mail and email for help with legal research, court forms, document delivery and other information. We greatly appreciate the recognition of the library’s work by the U.S. Government Publishing Office.”
The New Mexico Supreme Court Law Library has served the Judiciary, Government, legal community, and public throughout New Mexico for more than 175 years.
The library places a particular emphasis on preserving print Government information because some communities it serves have limited access to technology.
It maintains key legal resources, including the Code of Federal Regulations, United States Code, and United States Reports, and rarely weeds its collection to support long-term access and preservation.
The library recently completed an item-level inventory of more than 11,900 items in its Federal Depository Library collection and is adding depository resources to its online catalog to make them more discoverable.
The Supreme Court Law Library’s responsibilities include service to a wide variety of constituencies and maintenance of a large research collection of more than 300,000 items.
The staff of five provides reference services in person and via phone, email and mail. Reference and research services include the federal government information collection for current and historical federal law questions and assisting patrons with using tangible and electronic government resources.
New Mexico is the fifth largest state in geographic area, and because of technology deserts, the law library selects and preserves legal resources in print such as the Code of Federal Regulations, United States Code and U.S. Report to ensure patrons have access to the law.
Library staff recently completed an item-level inventory of more than 11,900 items in the SuDocs (Superintendent of Documents, a specialized library classification system used to organize U.S. federal government publications) collection, and the librarians have been adding federal depository resources to its online catalog to make them more accessible to the public.
Throughout the year, the Supreme Court Law Library has given more than 40 tours of the Law Library and attended numerous legal fairs. (Click here for information regarding tours.)
The Supreme Court Law Library is located in the New Mexico Supreme Court Building near the State Capitol Campus area, at 237 Don Gaspar Ave., Santa Fe, NM, alongside the Santa Fe River on the corner of Don Gaspar Avenue and Alameda Street.
For more information about the New Mexico Supreme Court, visit the Court’s website by clicking here.
About GPO
GPO is the Federal Government’s resource for publishing trusted information for the Federal Government to the American people.
The GPO is responsible for producing and distributing information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State and the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print formats.
GPO provides permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through www.GovInfo.gov and partnerships with approximately 1,100 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov.