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Diane Ruess is associate professor of library science at Elmer E. Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, She can be reached at: ffder@uaf.edu.
Introduction
Although Alaska and Alaska's Native peoples have a long and rich history that precedes the European presence by thousands of years, the world became aware of Alaska relatively recently when after his voyage in 1741, Vitus Bering brought Alaska to the attention of the world (Naske 23). To say the least, there has been a great deal of change in the 267 years since Bering's expedition made its way to Alaska, and particularly so during the 50 years since Alaska became the 49 th state. This paper focuses on the long-time collaborative relationship between the Alaska Library Association and the Alaska State Library and highlights their joint efforts in developing library service in the state.
Pre-Statehood Library Development
It's interesting to note that one of Alaska's earliest libraries was located in Sitka, established by the Russian American Company in 1807 (Andrews 203) and that as Alaska's population grew, libraries sprung up in various communities and villages. In her history of libraries and library service in Alaska, Jeannette Stewart cites the absence of an organized program of library development and the lack of professional guidance during the Territory's early period, as was typical for unsettled areas of the country. Progress in public library service during this period was attributed to community volunteers and civic leaders (Anderson 147). As the territory matured so did its libraries, despite difficulties related to remote locations, vast distances between communities with no road access, and few options in the way of communication. Early territorial legislation established a district historical library fund and in 1913 approved the creation of the Historical Library and Museum located in Juneau, although its mission did not include development of library services for the territory.
Alaska Territorial Library and Museum
Alaska State Library Michael Z. Vinokouroff Photograph Collection
Father Kashevaroff, Curator and Librarian
Alaska State Library Skinner Foundation Photograph Collection
Many other free libraries were established over the years by individual communities but some libraries, out of necessity, were supported solely by membership fees, non-profit or territorial funding. According to Stewart, as of 1956 only four of the thirty-four chartered libraries, those in Ketchikan, Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage, were municipally owned and operated (Stewart 68; Phelps 77) while others were supported by a combination of Territorial, municipal, and fee-based funding. The Juneau Memorial Library, built in 1951 and pictured below, was dedicated to World War II veterans and was the first library building constructed specifically as a library and dedicated only for library purposes.
Juneau Memorial Library
Alaska State Library Trevor Davis Photograph Collection
While progress continued to be made, it wasn't until 1955 that the Territorial Department of Library Service was established and a territorial librarian appointed. By this time many more cities, towns and villages were supporting public libraries; the University of Alaska library was growing; school libraries were in the early stages of development and several specialized libraries were serving their patrons. Numerous organizations and individuals contributed to early library development in Alaska. From 1916 through the mid-forties, the Pacific Northwest Library Association's Committee on Libraries for Alaska worked with Alaska officials and libraries to establish and improve library services in the territory. The Seattle Public Library sent discarded books and provided professional guidance to communities that had requested help and partnered with the Carnegie Corporation to survey the “library situation in Alaska.” (Jennings 1) The study didn't immediately result in action but appeared to have some influence in post-war library development (Stewart 57). During his tenure as Territorial Governor (1939-1953), Ernest Gruening understood the importance of libraries to the territory and consulted many times with PNLA, ALA, and the Carnegie Corporation to determine how to approach territory wide library development. In his 1945 letter to the president of PNLA, Gruening stated:
“I am very much interested in the plan of the Oregon State Library outlined in the splendid material that you were kind enough to send me. The State Library seems to me an ideal means of rendering a broad library service to people everywhere in Alaska. It has the additional and I think important advantage of being a separate and distinct agency dealing specifically with the library service and functioning independently of the Board of Education (Gruening 80).”
Alaska State Library Beginnings
In 1960 Dorothy Phelps detailed her work in organizing the Alaska Department of Library Services based on her experience as the Alaska Territorial Librarian from 1955-1959. Established in the Territorial Library Service Act of 1955 the Department was charged with a hefty list of responsibilities that were considerable for a staff consisting of the librarian, an assistant, and some student volunteers. The Act continued the existing Territorial Grant-In-Aid program but raised the annual subsidy to qualifying libraries from $150 to $250. The Library Service Act also paved the way for Federal financial aid to libraries but one condition had to be met. Unless all of Alaska's public libraries were free to the public the entire appropriation for the Territorial Library would be needed to qualify for federal matching funds. Working with the phone company and coordinating across several time zones, Phelps set up a conference call to speak directly to library boards that were charging user fees. She was met with some resistance on the issue of free library service and despite a very limited budget, felt it was worth the expense of travel to meet with some library boards in person. It became apparent that reluctance by some officials to offering free library service and accepting financial aid was based on the fear that the Territorial Library would assume administrative power over local libraries. This concern was alleviated and by 1958 Alaska submitted the first five-year plan for the Territorial Library and its services to the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, opening the door to federal funding for Alaska libraries (Phelps 52-56).
“WE'RE IN!” Alaska Statehood
Alaska State Library Alaska Purchase Centennial Collection
The mid-1950s ushered in significant political change at the territorial level with the election of delegates to a constitutional convention, resulting in the creation of a document many considered a model constitution. In the 1956 general election Alaskans voted to send two senators: Ernest Gruening and William Egan and one representative, Ralph Rivers to Washington and although they were not seated in Congress they “lobbied hard for the cause.” (Naske 155) The Alaska statehood measure was passed by Congress in 1958 and signed by President Eisenhower, making Alaska the 49th state in 1959. On October 1, 1959 the Department of Library Services officially changed its name to the Alaska State Library (ASL), and Alaska would shortly see a surge in the organized promotion and development of libraries and library service.
Alaska State Library Association
Alaska was advancing as a state and so too were libraries, while librarians began to explore the formation of a professional organization. In August 1960 thirty-four librarians met in Anchorage to discuss an Alaska State Library Association and within six months a constitution and by-laws had been adopted. Officers were elected and the organization began with 31 members and a broad mission statement “to promote library service and development within the state, to raise the standards of library service, and to foster professional and fraternal relations among librarians and others interested in library service.” Since Anchorage and Fairbanks were the only active groups at this early stage, the first annual meeting quickly came together in Anchorage in 1962, a membership directory and newsletter were organized and published and by 1965 the Alaska State Library Association was granted chapter status in the American Library Association.
The upcoming years were eventful in many ways. The Alaska State Library Association would change its name to the Alaska Library Association (AkLA) and start its official affiliation with the Pacific Northwest Library Association. Additional chapters of AkLA began forming around the state including a specialized section for school librarians, the Alaska Association of School Librarians (AkASL). The tradition of the State Librarian giving a state of the state library report began in 1963 with the first State Librarian Helen Dirtadian. AkLA immediately established a Legislative Committee and regularly established and published annual legislative priorities in its official publications including the Newsletter, Newspoke, and Sourdough. For a time in the early 90's Newspoke was published jointly with the Alaska State Library, but would soon become AkLA's sole publication. While the working relationship between ASL and AkLA grew closer, the challenges of building and supporting up to date library services across the vast geography of Alaska remained.
As AkLA grew, its mission became more focused on cooperation among libraries, political advocacy for libraries, and protecting intellectual freedom and access to information. The “we're all in this together” philosophy among Alaskan librarians became a standard for AkLA members and the organization. Even with fairly regular budgeting challenges, the decades of the 70s, 80's and 90's would see library services and facilities improve greatly, much due to cooperation among all library types as well as the leadership provided by AkLA, the State Library, and the Research and Resource Library Directors. This group of directors included the State Librarian and the university and public library directors from Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau.
Statewide Library Leadership
The relationship between AkLA and the State Library would grow and strengthen over the years, owing a great deal to the leadership of two state librarians, Richard Engen (ASL 1967-1986) and Karen Crane (ASL 1986-2002). Hearing Alaskan librarians discussing cooperation and collaboration was Richard Engen's initial inspiration to move to Alaska as the new State Librarian in 1967.
Dick Engen, State Librarian and Lt. Gov. Henry Boucher
Alaska State Library Libraries in Alaska Photograph Collection
Crane began her library career in Alaska in 1979 as a librarian and administrator for the Fairbanks Public Library and became the third State Librarian in 1987. Both Engen and Crane viewed their role as library promoters to all statewide audiences including their library colleagues, and stressed the importance of State Library grants and development programs funded by a combination of state and federal funds. Each saw the Alaska Library Association as a partner in the development of libraries and library services for Alaska and viewed the collaboration between all library types as a unique strength. Both Engen and Crane emphasized the important role of libraries in the economic growth of the state, not only in support of education but also to benefit business and industry, government agencies, and other organizations. Communications between the State Library and AkLA solidified when during Engen's tenure at the State Library, the AkLA Executive Board approved the State Librarian's ex-officio appointment to the Board. Additionally, AkLA and the State Library gained important representation on the Governor's Advisory Council on Libraries, with five of the twelve council members to be nominated by AkLA. One of these five is AkLA's immediate past-president while the State Librarian serves on the council in an ex-officio capacity.
Library Service for All Alaskans: A Comprehensive Plan
Although by the late sixties progress had been made in library legislation and financial support for libraries, there was a well-perceived need for a “comprehensive program of cooperation and joint action” (Public Administration Service 4) to extend and structure library services. By 1969 an independently prepared report and plan for library development and interlibrary cooperation had been completed and submitted to State Librarian Richard Engen. By contracting for this study, Engen had essentially set the stage for the future Alaska Library Network (ALN) and centered the focus on cooperation between all library types. The study was unique in that it was a plan that included all library types rather than focusing solely on public libraries and recommended a three-phase implementation: understanding the plan and its objectives, legislation and demonstration projects, and expansion and extension of services. Further, the plan suggested that AkLA play an ongoing role in reviewing and updating the plan but noted that the organization needed to work on building its membership and structure in order to gain the support of their legislators and communities. While AkLA would continue to develop annual legislative priorities based on member library and State Library needs, fifteen years after Library Service for All Alaskans was presented to Engen, AkLA would engage Clark Gruening as its legislative consultant. Gruening continues to advocate for and advise AkLA on current library legislative issues.
Significantly, the plan also pointed out the challenges of Alaska's geography and the difficulties of communication, transportation and provision of services to remote locations. While the Territorial Library already had a mail service to bush communities and the State Library's three regional resource libraries later picked up this service, the mail was slow and couldn't always meet patron needs. The growth of online resources and the availability of technologies such as telephone, telex, fax, satellite communications and more recently the Internet, greatly improved access to library resources though expansion and upgrading of infrastructure is an ongoing process. In 1987 during her first year as State Librarian, Crane called for a comprehensive planning process to update the 1969 plan, due to significant changes in library technology and the challenges libraries faced in providing updated library services. Currently, urban areas of the state are highly wired but most rural Alaska residents must resort to slow dial-up connections or rather costly satellite Internet access (Hahn & Lehman 16). Federal E-Rate legislation coordinated by the State Library brought Internet access to Alaska's public schools, also benefiting those rural communities allowing public access to school computers.
Years of Growth
A brief snapshot of Alaskan libraries, based on a comparison of AkLA directories from 1963 and 2008, show considerable growth in facilities as well as providing great examples of cooperation in the form of consortium libraries or shared facilities supported by multiple funding agencies. The 1963 Alaska State Library Association Directory of Alaska Libraries lists 102 libraries and 81 individual members, while the 2008 Alaska Library Directory lists 546 libraries and 396 individual members. Although AkLA directories may not be considered comprehensive they do give a good feel for the expansion of libraries and library services in the state. School and public libraries have shown the greatest growth much to the credit of State Library development and support programs and a very strong AkLA section, the Alaska Association of School Librarians. Broad community cooperation is shown in the twenty-two public/school libraries that share a facility. Successful public library development in Alaska has a history of community support and librarian leaders coupled with multiple funding sources. According to a 1973 report from the State Library, in addition to community matching funds nearly $1.2 million dollars of federal and state funds had been expended for library construction over an approximate fourteen-year period, 1958-1972. Although State Librarian Engen suggested that there was a great deal yet to be done, the list of accomplishments was impressive (Engen [1]). During the next twenty-five years thirty-two additional library buildings would be funded and built using state, federal, and community funds. After a ten-year hiatus on funding for building construction, the Alaska Legislature passed a bill in 2008 establishing a new library construction grant program. (Cornwall [2-3])
In 1963 the University of Alaska (UA) consisted of the main campus in Fairbanks and community colleges in Anchorage, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Palmer. UA has grown into three main campuses with relatively new and substantial libraries in Fairbanks (UAF), Anchorage (UAA), and Juneau (UAS) and seven extended campus libraries located around the state. Although the University libraries are funded through state appropriations via the University budget, the culture of cooperation and resources sharing has been clearly demonstrated by the existence of three community/university consortium libraries. In addition, the Tuzzy Consortium Library serves the entire North Slope Borough and is the academic library for Ilisagvik College, a two-year tribal college located in Barrow. Cooperation and communication between libraries has been no small feat during Alaska's development as a state, considering the landmass of Alaska at one-fifth the size of the continental United States, and with campuses and communities located thousands of miles apart.
University of Alaska Campus Locations
In addition, all three main campus libraries share a combined catalog with their extended campus libraries and are involved in local community library partnerships. UAF Rasmuson Library serves UA Statewide Office personnel and maintains a reciprocal borrowing agreement with the Fairbanks public library. The UAA Consortium Library serves both UAA and Alaska Pacific University while sharing its space with the Alaska Resources Library and Information Services (ARLIS), and maintains a joint catalog with ARLIS, the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, and the Anchorage Public Library. UAS Egan Library is part of the Capital Cities Consortium of libraries in Juneau that share a catalog and services with the State Library, Juneau public and school libraries, and the Sealaska Heritage Institute.
During the years of growth natural disasters and a boom and bust economy based on the oil industry took their toll. A devastating earthquake in 1964 that caused 128 deaths seriously affected the entire south-central region of the state. Remarkably, reports received by the State Librarian immediately after the quake indicated mostly damage to library buildings with book collections scattered on the floor. The Kodiak library building was still standing and although Valdez had not reported it was assumed that the building had been destroyed. An offer of assistance from the American Library Association was answered with the suggestion that it would be more helpful to receive funds rather than to “clutter up the ship and truck lanes with discarded books from “OUTSIDE”, an Alaskan colloquial term for anywhere but Alaska. Three years after the earthquake Fairbanks experienced its worst flood in history inundating 95% of the town and causing 7 deaths. Shortly thereafter, Alaska would experience a surge of development beginning with the sale of North Slope oil leases to the building of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Unfortunately, as the largest source of revenue for the state, the price of oil would become a major factor in state and local budgets resulting in many financial ups and downs. In 1989, when the Exxon Valdez spilled nearly 11 million barrels of oil into Prince William Sound, the importance of libraries for Alaska was never more apparent when the Alaska State Library and libraries in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau quickly pulled together an organized plan to provide oil spill information to the public. Shortly thereafter the Oil Spill Public Information Center was established by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill trustee agencies whose collection is now housed at the Alaska Resources Library and Information Services.
Partnership Projects
Cooperative efforts such as providing information on the Exxon Valdez oil spill were typical for many issues of statewide relevance, and cooperation among all library types resulted in many highly successful projects. Some examples follow.
AkLA and ASL Scholarships
For many years, AkLA supported a small continuing education award but by the early 1990's began to solicit donations in support of an annual scholarship fund. The scholarship supports students pursuing a graduate degree in library science, with preference for Alaska Native students, and encourages them to return to Alaska to seek professional positions. Scholarship monies initially came from member and friends donations but for the last twenty plus years, funding has been augmented through silent and outcry auction proceeds. Typically, proceeds from auctions are placed in an interest bearing bank account and the earned interest funds the scholarship. The highly regarded auctions are a favorite event at annual conferences and conjure up now-famous stories of talented auctioneers fueling higher bids for donated items and services. The first scholarship awarded in 1992 was funded at $2000 while the current award has increased to $4000. In addition, since 2001 Alaska State Library Professional Education grants have been able to match the AkLA scholarship to fund from two to five additional scholarships each year. To date, of fifty-one scholarships awarded eighteen were funded by AkLA while thirty-three were funded through ASL Professional Education Grants. (Razumny).
Alaska Cooperative Statewide Newspaper Microfilming Project
This ongoing microfilming program preserves Alaska's currently published newspapers, funded by state and federal agencies with additional resources provided by UA libraries. An earlier one-time project begun in the late 1960's provided a foundation upon which to build a more complete microfilm collection of Alaskan newspapers. The current program places complete microfilm copies in four libraries in various regions of the state, making them available to the general public on-site and via interlibrary loan.
Alaska Native Oral Literature Project
More than 700 native told legends and stories were taped in 1972-1973 sponsored by AkLA, Alaska Federation of Natives, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Alaska Council on the Arts, and the Alaska Native Language Center (UAF). Tapes were distributed to their villages of origin and in recent years AkLA funded a project to digitize the tapes and distribute them in CD format. In 1977 the University of Alaska Press published 14 of the stories in their Native language with accompanying art and English translations
Collection Development and Resource Sharing
An AkLA task force, and resulting standing committee formed in the early 1980s, managed a multi-year coordinated collection development planning process funded by the State Library Interlibrary Cooperation Grants Program. This work resulted in the development of a statewide conspectus of library holdings with participants agreeing to collect in certain areas of specialization, an agreement that is still in effect. The agreement was based on the idea that “Alaska is a Library” (Lesh ii) when libraries cooperate and share resources. A related project addressed reciprocal responsibilities in resource sharing and interlibrary loan around the state, although Alaskan libraries already had an established and a very progressive statewide ILL code, free of restrictions on who was eligible to use the service.
Alaska Library Network
The Alaska Library Network (ALN), based on a philosophical foundation laid by Alaskan librarians eager to cooperate and the planning efforts of State Librarian Richard Engen, officially came about in the 1980's as a loose affiliation of libraries agreeing to share resources and provide library services to Alaskan citizens. Coordinated by the State Library, ALN activities and concerns have focused mainly on interlibrary loan issues until a recent move creating a formal organization with a board of directors. Funded by grants from the Alaska State Library, ALN is pursuing non-profit status and obtains additional financial support through library membership fees. To date, ALN facilitates group purchases, provides promotional materials, and offers training.
The concept of creating an authoritative online site for information resources began in 1993 with a study sponsored by the Alaska State Library. Working with legislators, much of the initial momentum came from a combined effort of the State Library, AkLA members, and AklA's legislative consultant. Within two years, SLED had garnered multiple funding sources and became available on the Web. Originally a joint technical project of the State Library and UAF Rasmuson Library, SLED quickly grew into a valued resource for the state governed by an advisory group made up of librarians and citizens. It continues to be funded by State Library grants that include costs for the University to maintain the website and provide general technical support. 2001 brought SLED an award as one of the Web's best educational resources and although it was designed to emphasize Alaskan content it continues to evolve and expand its offerings and is now titled SLED, Alaska's Virtual Library and Digital Archives (Hahn 8).
Digital Pipeline
In 1998 the Alaska State Legislature funded a host of subscription databases accessible to all Alaskan citizens via SLED, as an effort to equalize access to information for Alaskans whether located in urban or rural areas. The Digital Pipeline formerly known as Databases for Alaskans offers access to a variety of mostly full-text databases and reference works. Initially funded a year at a time database monies were quickly added permanently into the University budget to provide a base of continued funding. Total costs of this program have increased over the years due to rising costs of subscriptions as well as the purchase of additional resources although when possible, State Library grants cover the additional expenses. It should be noted that the annual cost of 82 cents per person is an investment that truly pays off. Use statistics for the Digital Pipeline are impressive considering Alaska's population of around 680,000, with a total of nearly 4.5 million full-text articles accessed or emailed since 1999. (Rollins email)
Alaska's Digital Archives
The Alaska Virtual Library and Digital Archives project began as a cooperative effort of the UAF Rasmuson Library, UAA Consortium Library and the Alaska State Library Archives and Museums, later being joined by the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Seward Community Library Association, the UA Museum of the North, the Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association, and the Sitka Tribal Library. Established in phases, the Archives project was funded by a congressional award, the institutions involved and the Rasmuson Foundation. It includes historical images, oral histories, maps, documents, film clips and three-dimensional objects with new materials continuously added.
Outlook
Alaska's celebration of its 50th anniversary as a state encourages reflection on how much has been accomplished in such a short time. Alaska libraries have graduated from the early days of the fledgling Alaska State Library, a University barely forty years old, and little or no infrastructure to support statewide library service and cooperation, to a highly wired, cooperative network of libraries that supports library service for all Alaskans. Of course, there are always any number of challenges to be met in the case of some smaller or rural libraries that may struggle with funding or staffing issues, defending against intellectual freedom challenges, supporting the hiring of trained librarians in school libraries, keeping libraries current with changes in technology, and more.
At the statewide level, the price of oil directly affects state revenue and budget, which naturally sifts down through all levels of government funding. During a 2003 interview, State Librarian Karen Crane was asked about the future role of the Alaska State Library and responded, “These days it is dangerous to predict a future role. About all we can predict is change itself.” She also said, “Library cooperation in this state is strong….and the library community has some political ‘clout' as a cohesive group.” A great portion of this political clout is held through a proactive partnership between the Alaska State Library and AkLA and AkASL as statewide organizations, as well as regional activism of AkLA chapters and individual librarians working with legislators and local government officials. State Librarian Richard Engen's words from 1973 still ring true, “The paradox of the Quest—the further you've come, the further you have to go.” (Engen [1]). Libraries and library service in Alaska are works in progress.
Bibliography
Unless otherwise noted historical information in this article is taken from issues of The Alaska State Library Association Newsletter; The Sourdough, Journal of the Alaska Library Association; and Newspoke.
Alaska State Library. Governor's Advisory Council on Libraries, Retrieved March 30, 2009 from http://www.library.state.ak.us/pub/board.html
Alaska State Library Association. Directory of Alaska Libraries. Fairbanks, AK: The Association, 1963.
Alaska Library Association. Alaska Library Directory. Fairbanks, AK: The Association, 2008.
Anderson, Roberta. “Alaskan Libraries in 1945” PNLA Quarterly 9 (July 1945): 147-149.
Andrews, Clarence Leroy. “The Historical Russian Library of Alaska ” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 29 (April 1938): 201-204.
Cornwall, Daniel. Background on Library Construction Grants in Alaska, June 25, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2009 from www.library.state.ak.us/pdf/LibraryConstructionBackgrounder.PDF
Engen, Richard. 14 Years After LSCA in Alaska. Unpublished report. [Juneau], AK: Alaska State Library, 1973.
Gruening, Ernest. “Governor Gruening on Alaska's Libraries” PNLA Quarterly 10 (January 1946): 78-80.
Hahn, Suzan. “Alaska's SLED Celebrates 10 years on the Web”PNLA Quarterly, 70 (Fall 2005): 4,9.
Hahn, Suzan & Lehman, Lisa. “The Half-Million-Square-Miles Campus: University of Alaska Fairbanks Off-Campus Library Services” Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 2 (3) 2005: 5-24.
Jennings, Judson T. Report on the Library Situation in Alaska, June 1940. Unpublished report. [Juneau, AK]: Alaska State Library, 1940.
Lesh, Nancy. Alaska is a library: The Alaska Library Network, a review of its components, status, and dreams for the future. Anchorage, AK: University of Alaska Library, 1984.
Naske, Claus-M. & Slotnick, Herman E. Alaska: A History of the 49th State. 2nd Ed. Norman, OK; University of Oklahoma Press, 1987.
Public Administration Service. Library Service for All Alaskans: A Statewide Plan for Library Development and Interlibrary Cooperation. Chicago: Public Administration Service, 1969.
Phelps, Dorothy J. Organization and Development of the Alaska Department of Library Service 1955-1959. Salt Lake City: University of Utah, Department of Educational Administration, 1960.
Razumny, Aja. “RE: AkLA and State Library Scholarships.” Email to the author. January 29, 2009.
Rollins, Steve. “RE: Digital Pipeline Use Statistics.” Email to the author. March 27, 2009.
Stewart, Jeannette. Library Service in Alaska: A Historical Study. Seattle: University of Washington, 1957.
University of Alaska. Catalog, University of Alaska 1962-1963. College, AK: University of Alaska, 1962.
University of Alaska. Office of Public Affairs. University of Alaska Pocket Guide. Retrieved March 30, 2009 from www.alaska.edu/opa/publications/publications_docs/uabooklet.pdf
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