PNLA Quarterly, Vol. 63 No.4 Summer 1999

Alaska
Kay Myers, Alaska Representative

People

During the late spring months, several more Alaskan librarians announced retirements. Nancy Lesh, Tohsook Chang, Alden Rollins and Dennis Walle from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Consortium Library, recently retired. All have plans to work part-time for the library. Jan Fortune, Pearl Creek Elementary School Librarian in Fairbanks, and Sandy Farrell, University Park Elementary School Librarian in Fairbanks, retired in June.

Della Mathis, School Librarian Coordinator for the Alaska State Library, will retire at the end of July.

Jack Rasmussen, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library's Public Services Manager, has retired. He will be working as a half-time Reference Librarian in the same system.

Susan Metzker, director at the Nome Public Library, is leaving Alaska to return to Ohio.

Mary Ellen Baker, Wasilla Public Library Director, has announced her resignation effective August 31.

Rita Dursi Johnson will be leaving the Egan Library at the University of Alaska, Southeast early in July. She has accepted a new position as Director of the St. Andrews Presbyterian College Library in Laurinburg, North Carolina.

Elise Tomlinson, a recent MLS graduate from the University of Hawaii, is joining the Egan Library at the University of Alaska, Southeast as a librarian and assistant professor.

In Fairbanks, Linda Kramer is the new University Park Elementary School Librarian, Pam Gray is the Librarian at North Pole Middle School, and Tim Short is the Librarian at Randy Smith Middle School.

Patsy Young, Youth Services Librarian, Kettleson Public Library in Sitka, received her MLS from the University of Urbana-Champaign.

Jennifer Pawlak has been hired as a Youth Services Librarian at the Anchorage Municipal Libraries' Z.J. Loussac Library. She previously worked in a part-time reference position in the same library.

Alaska Library Association (AkLA)

David Ongley, Director of the Tuzzy Consortium Library, Ilisagvik College, Barrow, is the new AkLA representative to the American Library Association. Ongley replaces Clara Sitter who resigned from the position prior to her retirement from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Consortium Library.

Mary Jennings and Clara Sitter were proclaimed lifetime honorary members of the Association at the 1999 conference in Juneau. Mary will be retiring from the Alaska State Library in October. Clara is moving to Colorado where she has a faculty teaching position with the University of Denver Graduate Library and Information Services Program.

The AkLA scholarship for financial assistance for an Alaskan pursuing a graduate library degree has been awarded to Karen Davis of Barrow, a student in the Syracuse University program and a Tuzzy Consortium Library intern.

The Alaska Association of School Librarians' 1999 awards recognize: School Librarian of the Year--Jan Fortune, Pearl Creek Elementary School, Fairbanks; Linda K. Barrett Service Award--Gaylin Fuller, Director of Library Media Services at the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District; and Winnebago Progressive School Library Media Award--Joyce Lund, Lake Otis Elementary School in Anchorage. This new award from the Winnebago Progressive School Library Media Award seeks to promote and recognize innovation in school libraries.

News

The 1999 Alaska State Legislative session resulted in a 1/3 cut of municipal assistance and revenue sharing funds. Municipal programs and services statewide are currently being evaluated to determine how best to handle the reductions. In the Alaska State Library budget the major funding cut was to the public library assistance grants and interlibrary cooperation grants. These grants were reduced by $71,200.00.

The results of the statewide database trials have been announced. Licenses have been negotiated with EBSCO and Infonautics. The EBSCO license covers unlimited access by Alaskan institutions and residents to eight EBSCO databases: MasterFILE Premier, Academic Search Elite, MAS Ultra, Middle Search Plus, Primary Search, Business Source Elite, Health Source Plus, and Newspaper Source databases. The Infonautics license is for the full E-Library database, including its K-6 interface. A statewide license for IAC's Health Reference Center should be available soon.

Gustavus Public Library received a Contribution to Literacy in Alaska (CLIA) award from the Alaska Center for the Book. For the past seven years through a Reading Buddy Summer Program, the Gustavus Public Library, in cooperation with the Gustavus School and the community (population 380), has made a successful effort to ensure that all children in the community learn to read.

Greg Hill, Fairbanks North Star Borough Library Director, is headed for Bulgaria on a library trip arranged by Colorado State Librarian, Nancy Bolt. Greg will speak at a couple of library conferences on "Strength Through Cooperation: 3 Ways Alaskan Libraries Do It."

The AT&T Race for Technology is an annual cooperative 5K fun run and fundraiser for the public libraries in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough held in June. Proceeds provide technology improvements for the Borough libraries.

Juneau Public Library brought award-winning author Katherine Paterson for a public presentation, reception and book signing. Childrenąs book author David Schwartz and author/illustrator Steven Kellogg headlined the start of Anchorage Municipal Libraries' summer reading program: "How Much Is A Million? Count On Reading."

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Noel Wien Library celebrated the 20th anniversary of its 9X24 foot wall mural, An Alaskan Fairy Tale, which was created by wildlife artist Bill Berry and completed by Trina Schart Hyman after Berry's death.

The University of Alaska, Anchorage, Chancellor Gorsuch presented the Consortium Library faculty and staff with an Exemplary Group Achievement Award for its successful electronic library initiative and for advancing the goals of UAA 2000.

Continuing Education

The University of Alaska, Consortium Library, Anchorage, facilitates an annual course, "Current Issues in Librarianship" (ED 575). Participants attend at least 15 hours of activities at the Alaska Library Association Conference and implement a new concept, technology or material for a library setting from ideas learned at conference sessions. A written report describing the implementation is also submitted.

Anchorage School District and the University of Anchorage, Alaska, provides the Jazz Up Mondays series of library seminars on every second and fourth Monday during the school year. This course is available for 1, 2, or 3 credits depending on hours attended and action plans completed.

The University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Rasmuson Library plans to provide their paraprofessional staff with training on LC subject headings and call numbers. The two-day session is open to others around the state and will be held either this summer or in the fall. Contact Debbie Kalvee, Head, Bibliographic Access Management, Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at ffdhk@aurora.alaska.edu for more details.

Alaska Staff Development Network workshops are presented during the summer in Juneau, Anchorage and other locations around the state and directed at educators who need recertification credits.

The Alaska Learning Interchange (http://tech.asd.k12.ak.us) is an online resource for professional development courses, curriculum resources, discussion groups of Alaskan educators, and teaching units of practice. Developed by a partnership of Anchorage School District, the Alaska Staff Development Network, Apple Computer, GCI Communications and several other school districts, this resource is available to every Alaska educator.