Pop Lit
Did you know… 33% of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Let’s Read! (The Jenkins Group, 2003).
The popular literature section of Miller Library is for leisure (non- academic) reading. To be more like a bookstore, where it is fun to browse, we have sectioned the titles into genres. Here are some themes to explore as you may want to read something that may be totally new to you….
Identity: Explore the manifestations of stratification in society. Check out our sections called, European American, International Perspectives, Black Lives, Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, Para-ability, VeteransMilitary and the local perspective, books about New Mexico.
Hobbies: We hope your time here is full of learning beyond the classroom. To assist you, check out our sections on Art & Crafting, Cookbooks, Pets, Music, Sports, Spanish language titles and Travel/Outdoors.
Self-Improvement: Our sections called Family and Relationships offer books to help with interpersonal family dynamics and maintaining healthy relationships (including romantic relationships). Our Para-ability section contains novels and practical resources on mental or physical conditions. We also have a section to aid in student success.
Something for Everyone: Explore something out of the ordinary from our Fantasy, Horror, Crime, Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Popular Culture and Romance sections.
For a complete list of genre descriptions, click the panel below.
Pop Lit Genres
Art and Crafting –can be a conventional book on art, art history, an artist’s book or biography. Books on crafting include textile, decorative, paper, functional, and fashion crafts.
Black Lives– books describing the African American experience.
Cookbooks – recipes for prepared dishes, cooking methods, tools and equipment, food chemistry and international foods.
Crime – books about true crime, private investigations, and police, military, medical and forensic thrillers.
Current Events – mostly non-fiction, but some fictional takes on current social and political issues.
Environmental Sustainability –features topics such as climate change, conservation, energy, environmentalism, the green economy, waste management and wildlife.
European American – books about the multinational European American experience and history in the United States.
Family and Relationships – books about interpersonal family dynamics and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships.
Fantasy – a form of literary genre in which a plot does not occur entirely in the real world. Its plot usually involves witchcraft, magic, interplanetary settings or time travel. Myth, folklore, dystopian, and magical realism are included.
Graphic Novels – longer and more complex than a “comic book”. Graphic novels more often have their storylines wrapped up in only one or two books. Also included in this category are Comic Books, which tell a story over many issues.
New Mexico– books that tell a local story have a distinctive label with a Zia symbol in effort to educate students about local history and issues, or highlight local authors.
Historical Fiction – takes place in the past. Written with a careful balance of research and creativity, transports readers to another time and place—which can be real, imagined, or a combination of both. Many historical novels tell stories that involve actual historical figures or historical events within historical settings.
Horror – designed to evoke fear, fascination, or revulsion through supernatural elements or psychological circumstances. Werewolves, vampires, zombies, ghosts, and monsters are common in horror stories.
Indigenous – books authored by any indigenous community, including island nations.
International – books by international authors, from all parts of the world.
Latinx – books by authors of Latin/Hispanic/Chicano ethnicity, including the undocumented living in the United States.
LGBTQIA+ – books featuring themes and characters who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or any identification within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
Music – books about music production, industry and musician or band biographies.
Mystery – involves a mysterious death or a crime to be solved. The central character will often be a detective who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader.
Para-ability – is a combination of “para’ meaning “at or side by side” of “ability”. It is the preferred term of the ‘disability’ community to denote a positive perception. Books on the addressing the subject include novels, as well as practical resources.
Pets –books can be animal care, identification or selection. Also, stories about inspirational, service or special animals.
Popular Culture – books by celebrities and about film, comedy, television, literature, social criticism, gaming, social media and other forms of mass media.
Romance – representing a spectrum of relationships.
Science- popular treatments of natural sciences topics ranging from biology, chemistry, physics to medicine and technology.
Science Fiction – science fiction deals with the imagined future in terms of science or technology advances. This genre includes things like time travel, outer space, and intelligent life.
Sports – books about sports fitness, technique, history, social impact and athlete, team, or coach biographies.
Student Success – books to help all types of students including the non-traditional to be successful in college. Topics include study skills, study guides, building social skills, resiliency, emotional health, and time management.
Spanish – books entirely in Spanish on various subjects including novels.
Travel/Outdoors – Travel books showcase places and destinations to inspire travels or share adventure stories and transportation culture. Outdoor books can be guides or survival advice and nature or adventure literature. Topics for activity may include camping, hiking, and geocaching.
Veterans/Military – resources for veterans, as well as military topics.
The Teachers Learning Center
Serving the needs of our education degree and early childhood programs, the Teacher’s Learning Center at Miller Library features the New Mexico Department of Education Regional Review Center for instructional materials being considered for state adoption as classroom curriculum. This is useful to parents and home school students. Among the subjects considered for adoption are: Careers, Foreign Languages, Fine Arts, Language Arts, Math, Music Reading, Science, Social Studies.
We have the largest children’s educational and storybook collection in the county. Categorized according to Library of Congress classification schemes, topics range from all disciplines. Our materials are appropriate for early readers to materials for young adults, K-12.
Our Little Free Library of children’s books are available in limited supply for free to the public. They are sorted into beginning reader, intermediate and advanced, K-5 reading comprehension. There are some chapter books available, appropriate for a secondary school level.
Additional child and maternal health books and resources are located in The Mother’s Comfort Zone. It is a private and quiet area with a rocking chair and changing table for nursing mothers and parents. Dim the lights and enjoy bonding time with your child.
All of the above mentioned collections are circulating. When regional review center materials cycle out of adoption, they are available to other accredited education entities, if you would like to be the recipient of discarded material please contact the public services department.
NMPED Regional Review Center
New Mexico Regional Review Center for Institutional Materials
Education stakeholders such as students, families, administrators, and curriculum specialists, need access to high quality instructional materials. To ensure new materials are vetted by experienced educators across the state, the New Mexico Public Education Department has created nine Regional Review Centers for Institutional Materials. Miller Library hosts this collection for each review cycle and adoption by school districts in its Teacher’s Learning Center.
Library account holders can check out all or part of a set of textbooks or learning aids. Homeschool teachers’, tutors, families and education majors are encouraged to use the collection.
Available K-12 material includes: Math, Science, Language Arts (including foreign languages), Music and Visual Arts, Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Careers and Technology and Special, Gifted and Adult education.
Map Collection
Miller Library has a collection of topographical maps and atlases, from all parts of New Mexico and our neighboring states. In addition, we have 1945 USGS aerial photography of Grant County, New Mexico.
Maps will also be featured in a digital format as part of our government documents collection.
This collection will serve any interest and research in geography, history, geology, or outdoor activities such as hiking, biking or camping.
As a supplement to this collection check out the Travel/Outdoors genre in our Pop Lit collection.
Micro Form
The term “microform” encompasses microfilm and microfiche (as well as the now obsolete microcard). The printed material has been photographed and reduced to a film format to help preserve the material and decrease the space needed for storage.
The most common forms are microfilm and microfiche.
- Microfilm is a roll of film.
- Microfiche is a flat sheet of film.
The Miller Library has special equipment needed to view and print the stored information.
The Miller Library has an extensive collection of newspapers and books on microfilm, as well as many journals, such as The New York Times dating from 1920’s. This collection is discoverable via the catalog search on the library page.
Periodicals
Miller Library offers Newspapers, Magazines and journals; local, national and international in scope. Our journals are mass market, trade and scholarly publications with many available online. The NewsBank Research Collection offers access to news sources on a variety of topics.
Local Authors Collection
This collection contains works from authors with ties to Grant County and the southwest New Mexico region. It also features the work of WNMU staff, faculty and alumni, including published works and manuscripts. Topics range from education, local ecology, poetry and crime novels.
Treasure Room
The Miller Library Treasure Room is an accumulation of rare books and manuscripts related to the mission and course offerings of WNMU as well as the history and culture of Southwest New Mexico.
Our archives have been collecting the materials since the nineteenth century. Collection materials are in various formats including rare books, manuscripts, photographs, institutional meetings, catalogs, newspapers, and institutional service records of enduring historical value for research, instructional, and administrative uses.
As an institutional repository, Miller Library documents the academic and administrative responsibilities of the University as well as the experiences of its students, alumni, officers, faculty, and staff.
The collection is in several locations within the library. The collection is non-circulating and accessible by appointment.
