Our Journey

Annual Reports

Our Fiscal Year (FY) budget runs from July 1st to June 30th and OFPL uses its budget to:

1. Host classes & workshops
2. Pay for services (Guest Authors, Performers, cultural experiences, etc.)
3. Purchase new library materials (Books, eBooks & audiobooks, DVDs, etc.)
4. Subscriptions (Newspapers, Magazines, Online Databases)
5. Office & Janitorial supplies
6. Furniture
7. Computer equipment & upgrades
8. WiFi

Current Annual Report:

FY 2023-2024

previous Annual Reports:

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OFPL History

The public library in Gallup has been the cornerstone of the Gallup community for the last century.  Those 100 years have seen many changes in location, service, resources, and programming. 

In January 1920, the P.E.O. Sorority donated fifty books for placement in the Gallup Community House.  At each club meeting after, members contributed a dime for children’s books. The P.E.O. had been working toward creating a library for several years and it was about to become a reality.  In 1922, the library was moved to a larger space in the basement of Gallup Central School (315 West Hill Ave.).  It was now considered Gallup Public Library and while the use of the library was free, a $1 deposit was charged for a library card.  At any time the borrower wanted to return their card, the deposit was returned.  Members of the local P.E.O. chapter volunteered their time to look after it.  A tea party and book “shower” were held and the entire community was encouraged to attend.  Other local organizations started to make monthly contributions to purchase books.  In 1926 Gallup Town Council appropriated $500.00 to the library and paid a local woman $10 a month to keep the library open from 3:00-5:30 three days a week.  

In September 1926, the Town Board and several local organizations made plans to erect a new library building on the site of the old city jail (111 West Hill Ave).  The amount required was $1,500.00 and was raised through picture shows and other amusements given by local clubs.  Residents were encouraged to attend and help contribute to this fund.  The new library would belong to the public and would be supervised by the Town Trustees.  A new building was erected and the formal opening was held on April 26, 1927. 

Octavia Fellin came to Gallup to visit her family in 1947 and volunteered at the library for a proposed 2 months, after which she intended to go to California, where a position with the San Francisco Public Library was waiting for her.  In October of that same year, Octavia Fellin was officially named the Librarian of the Gallup Public Library, and her 2-month visit turned into a career that lasted 43 years. That year, the town of Gallup appropriated $4,000 in its budget, and the county provided $1,000, a 45% increase to accommodate for the extension of library services to McKinley County.  A letter from the library board chairman (C.E. Gurley) was mailed to every service organization in Gallup requesting financial support that would go toward an expansion program for the library.  As the new head of the Gallup Public Library, Miss Fellin was up for the challenges she faced and successfully created a space that has continued to flourish for the past 75 years.  

The Library started a campaign to secure a new building in 1949 because the old building was woefully inadequate, for example, the library only had an outhouse. In 1950, the City Council issued a $65,000 bond for the Library and it passed by a 4-1 margin.  The Chamber of Commerce turned over a $13,500 museum and office fund to be used toward a space in the proposed building for its Southwest display exhibit. The new Gallup Public Library opened on December 22, 1951, along with the Museum of Indian Arts, just in time for the holidays! It is apparent that the library had a positive impact on the community because there was a need to expand the building less than 20 years later.  The remodeled and expanded library opened in 1969, nearly doubling in size.  

A Performing Arts wing with a stage was dedicated in 1985.  The library honored Octavia Fellin by naming it after her upon her retirement in 1990 when it was officially named the Octavia Fellin Public Library (OFPL).  Due to overwhelming need, the City of Gallup purchased and remodeled a building approximately one block down the street where the Children’s Branch is now located and opened in 2003.  Ms. Fellin passed away in 2013 but is still remembered very fondly by the Gallup community. 

The City Council funded a library building feasibility study in 2013 in order to assess current building problems and possible sites for a new state-of-the-art building.  The location on Maxwell Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets was approved by City Council in January 2021, and an architectural design and plan is pending.  Once known as the Gallup Community House, OFPL has evolved since its story began in 1920 and has only shown a steady increase in use throughout the century.  

The library is now a City of Gallup department and the library director is a member of the city’s management team. McKinley County residents receive services for free while contiguous county residents and those living in Arizona pay a nominal fee. The Octavia Fellin Public Library is the only public library for McKinley County and the Southeast District of the Navajo Nation.  Not believing a library should ever be limited by the economic condition of its region, the library seeks out partnerships and grant opportunities, always striving to meet and exceed the needs of the people it serves.  The library is the crossroads of the community, bringing together people, information, and ideas. 

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Organizational Chart

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Our Community

Our community is the quintessential American melting pot with a diverse representation of cultures, ethnicities, religions, backgrounds, and viewpoints. Gallup was a railroad town built during the westward expansion and is surrounded by indigenous reservations created during the colonization of the southwest during the nineteenth century.

Our neighbors include the largest indigenous tribe in the United States, the Navajo, as well as the Zuni and the Hopi tribes. According to the most recent Annual Estimates of the Resident Population, our community is 77% Native American₁. Some of the ethnic groups represented in the Gallup community are Caucasian, African American, Native American and Alaska Native, Asian, Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hawaiian, Hispanic, Latino, Mexican, and Puerto Rican.  

This blend of cultures has been present in Gallup for generations. However, there is no dominant culture here. Rather than be defined by a few groups of people, Gallup is defined by a lack of definition.

1. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population by Sex, Race Alone or in Combination, and Hispanic Origin for the United States, States, and Counties: April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2018 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division Release Date: June 2019

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Staff Directory

View OFPL Library Staff Directory HERE.

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