(Silver City, NM) – Children and teens now have the opportunity to explore drone technology and digital art for free with the Silver City Public Library, thanks to a grant from the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation. The library has used grant funds to purchase a classroom set of mini drones. Soon to come are digital drawing tablets, to enable the creation of digital artwork.
The library will host a drone piloting session at the Henry V. "La Burra" Morales Recreation Center on Tuesday, July 14, 3:00pm. "Our first drone session at the library, scheduled June 2 to kick off the Summer Reading Program, was my opportunity to find out all the aspects of drone maintenance that I didn't yet know," said Lillian Galloway, library assistant director. "We weren't flying as much as I had hoped. So we scheduled another session for the following week, where piloting went more smoothly. I am learning so much along with the kids!"
Digital drawing tablets will debut in the library's teen area shortly. The tablets connect to computers equipped with art programs. When the artist draws on the tablet with the connected stylus, their "pen strokes" show up on the screen in the art program.
The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation Rural Public Library Fund was first established with the launch of the Dorothy Louise Kyler Foundation, named for John Henry Eldred, Jr.'s mother in honor of their shared love of reading. The Foundation board renamed it the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation after John's death in 2021. Its purpose has always been simple and steadfast: to help small, rural public libraries in underinvested communities grow their children's circulation and sustain meaningful programming for young readers and families. Since their founding in 2012, they've had the privilege of supporting hundreds of libraries across more than 30 states, investing over $2 million in their work including the most recent grant cycle in 2025. The Foundation is honored to stand alongside library staff, volunteers, and community members who make these welcoming spaces possible. Learn more at www.jhefoundation.org.
"We are grateful to the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation for their generosity," said Galloway. "Their grant has jump-started a new wave of technology learning opportunities for Silver City and Grant County youth."
To see a calendar of events and learn more, visit the library's website at silvercitypubliclibrary.org. Library hours are Monday – Thursday 9:00am-6:00pm, Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm. For further information, contact Ken Dayer or Lillian Galloway at 575-538-3672 or
