68 Days until January 21, 2020 - Census 2020 Enumeration of Remote Alaska begins in Toksook Bay
139 Days until April 1, 2020 – 2020 Census Day
Resources:
On November 12, 2019, two Division staff members and a recent Museum intern presented in two sessions at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Power & Privilege Symposium.Their sessions were:
Alaska’s Nuclear Legacy: A Case Study on Environmental Racism
Shelby Surdyk, Project Coordinator for Point Hope: Alaska’s Youth Congress for the Global Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Anastasia Pleasant, UAS Undergraduate Student, Eric Bookless, Beyond the Bomb, Anastasia Tarmann, Alaska State Library & Archives (Egan 221)
Recording unavailable
Description from program page:
This breakout session will explore the past, present, and future of nuclear technology in Alaska, as a case-study in environmental racism. Benjamin Chavis (author of Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States) defines environmental racism as racial discrimination in environmental policy making and enforcement, the deliberate selection of non-white communities for toxic waste sites, and the exclusion of people of color from leadership in conservation movements. Our session will feature an original, 12-minute theater performance titled “History Project” by five high school students from Skagway, Alaska, followed by a short panel discussion with three young Alaskan nuclear-disarmament activists: Ciuguun Anastasia Pleasant (Bethel), Shelby Surdyk (Skagway), and Eric Bookless (Douglas). The panel will be moderated by Anastasia Tarmann from the Alaska State Library and Archives, and panelists will discuss the following questions: When and where were nuclear weapons tests conducted or proposed in Alaska? Where was uranium mined? When did a nuclear reactor operate in the state? What impacts have these activities had on human and environmental health? And how were these impacts racialized? The session will conclude with a question and answer period with the audience.
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Toward Indigenous Collections Management at the Alaska State Museum
Andrew Washburn, Museum Registrar of the Alaska State Museum & Andrea Cook, Haida Artist and Scholar (Egan Lecture Hall & Streaming)
Description from program page:
In the summer of 2019, Andrea Cook, Haida artist and scholar, became the first participant in a new program at the Alaska State Museum (ASM): the Indigenous Collections Management Internship. This program is designed to give indigenous students the opportunity to work behind the scenes with Alaska’s collections. The purpose of the program is to help build a new generation of leaders in the management of cultural resources in Alaska—one that can redefine what a museum is, who it serves, and how it operates. Implementation of the internship program was fraught with challenges from all quarters. Ultimately, this program broke ground on a new long-term project that will lead to better preservation of Alaska’s unique cultural resources. Cook, along with her supervisor, ASM registrar Andrew Washburn, will present on the program, their experiences, specific projects accomplished, what the future might hold, and open up to questions and discussion.
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For a full description of the event, along with several other recorded presentations, visit the symposium page.
As previously announced, support for Windows 7 is ending in January 2020. Staying on Windows 7 will expose your computers to extra security risks. Other reasons about why it’s time to upgrade to Windows 10 can be found at CNET’s article “Windows 10. Why’s it’s finally time to upgrade from Windows 7.”
If your Windows 7 computers are more than four years old, the best way to upgrade to Windows 10 is to buy new computers. If a new Windows 10 computer is out of reach, consider:
A few libraries around Alaska have encouraged patrons to stop by and apply for Census jobs by visiting the 2020 Census Jobs page. We were recently asked how someone could know if their application was still active. We asked Jessi, a recruiting manager for a response and she answered this way:
Great to hear from you, and I'm glad you asked. You can tell your patron that they can always log back into their applicant portal to check the status of their application. They just go to 2020census.gov/jobs and click "apply now", the next screen will show two options, one for new applicants and one for "returning users". They should click the option for returning users and then they'll be prompted to log in to their email and the password they created. Once logged in there is a screen front and center that says their application status. As long as it says "available" they are in the pool and available to be selected for a position.
Do you have Census 2020 questions bubbling up from staff or patrons? Send them our way and we’ll find answers to put into a future Friday Bulletin.
Today we conclude our quick looks at SLED’s history primary sources guides with Whaling in Alaska. If new guides are created, we’ll cover them as we’re made aware of them.
The Whaling in Alaska guide consists of collections of primary source material held by Alaskan archives, libraries, and museums which relate to whaling in Alaska. This guide is an overview of collections containing significant amounts of material relating to whaling and is not meant to be comprehensive or include every collection containing material related to the topic.
SLED also has a general purpose guide which includes primary and secondary sources relating to whaling in Alaska. Other institutions outside of Alaska, such as the New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts, may also hold records relating to whaling activities.
Collections featured in this guide include:
All of the Alaskan Primary Sources guides on SLED are supported in whole or in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Alaska State Library.
AkLA has established a scholarship program to provide financial assistance to worthy students pursuing graduate studies leading to a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies and to encourage graduates to return to Alaska to work in professional library positions. Scholarships may be awarded for both on-campus and/or distance education programs. Preference will be given to an individual meeting the federal definition of Alaska Native ethnicity.
Eligibility
An applicant must be an Alaskan resident who:
Amount
Amount for the next academic year will be $4,000.
Criteria for Selection
An individual will be selected by a Scholarship Committee of AkLA based on the following criteria:
Please note new procedures! Fill out the online form, and then mail a current resume, official college transcripts, and three references using this printable Word form, to AkLA Scholarship Committee, Attn: Julie M. Niederhauser, Alaska State Library, PO Box 110571, Juneau, AK 99811. A complete application packet must be received by January 15 of the award year. The recipient is announced in the spring of 2020.
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is accepting applications to its Indigenous Fashion Show and Juried Art Show and Competition (JAS), which will be held during Celebration 2020, scheduled June 10-13.
The Indigenous Fashion Show is open to Indigenous artists and designers who are Alaska Native, First Nation or Native American. Preference is given to high-fashion and haute couture clothing that displays innovative use of traditional Indigenous styles and materials. The application deadline is March 27, 2020.
The juried art show is open to Alaska Native and Native American artists who practice Northwest Coast arts. Artists will compete in five divisions:
Artists who win best of category will compete for best of division, and the division winners compete for best of show. SHI also will award a best of formline prize among all pieces submitted. The exhibit will run from April 15-October 15, 2020, and an award ceremony will take place on June 10, the first day of Celebration. The application deadline is January 8, 2020.
For more information, see SHI’s full press release.
Sealaska Heritage Institute Lecture Series – Some recordings available
November is Native American Heritage Month and the Sealaska Heritage Institute is holding a weekly heritage as part of its celebration of this month. Their Lecture Series page provides a list of past and upcoming lectures. November 2019 lectures available to watch as of this writing were:
See lecture page for full descriptions.
Four of Alaska’s collecting institutions, in four different communities from Ketchikan to Anchorage, have been awarded $32,163 in grants. The awards will support collections care projects through funds created by Rasmuson Foundation and administered by Museums Alaska.
Established in 2013, the Collections Management Fund supports projects that advance the preservation of museum collections with awards of up to $15,000. The fund provides critical support for the care of objects documenting Alaska’s cultural and natural heritage. In October, Museums Alaska selected four projects to fund. The funded projects include management and accessibility improvements for archival collections, large object storage improvements, and a community-focused conservation internship.
This year’s awards are:
The fund will offer additional grants in 2020. For eligibility information, application deadlines, and submission directions, please visit the Museums Alaska website.
Earlier this month, KTVA in Anchorage reported on Emma Hildebrand’s work in passing on the art of Alaska Native quillwork. She is a traditional skills instructor and taught a two hour introductory quillwork class at the Anchorage Museum on Sunday, 11/3/2019. Ms. Hildebrand has 50 years of experience in doing beadwork and skin sewing. According to the KTVA article, she has been teaching classes since the 1990s.
For more visit 'It's important to me': Emma Hildebrand passes on traditional Alaska Native art skills at Anchorage Museum. By Makayla Clark. KTVA, 11/4/2019.
Ketchikan Public Library is one of many libraries around the country supporting writers in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), now half over. We wanted to share their announcement of NaNoWriMo and ask you what your library has done, if anything, to support this annual celebration of the power of write first, edit later.
Here’s what was planned for Ketchikan:
-NaNoWriMo Drop-in: November is National Novel Writing Month! Join us, whether you're hoping to hit the goal of 50,000 words in 30 days for the month of November, of if you're going to be a "rebel" and have a different writing goal altogether. A good time to once again come together and find community, fun, and encouragement for writers and aspiring writers of all ages, experience levels, and interests.
Drop-in writing session are from 4 to 7pm on Wednesdays (with the exception of Nov. 27 as the library closes early so will be Nov. 26). Call 225-3331 for more information. Don't forget to check out nanowrimo.org for their programming, support, message boards, word tracking help and motivation, and more. (It's free, and the non-profit responsible for this yearly event that draws hundreds of thousands of people together across the world.)
There will be, as usual, a drawing for a nice grand prize to motivate you along during the month, so don't forget that EVERY time you come in to the library during the month of November to write, even if it's on your own and not during one of our drop-in writing sessions, stop at the front desk to fill out a raffle ticket.
The Alaska Humanities Forum is building a community of facilitators committed to leading meaningful conversations about vital issues in Alaska that connect people across differences, beliefs, and backgrounds. These discussions help build resilient communities and strong organizations. Conversation is as natural as walking. It doesn’t feel like something we need to learn how to do. But just as a great running coach can teach you to run faster and more efficiently, a great conversation coach can teach you to lead conversations and ask questions that more effectively strengthen relationships and build community. These trainings are perfect for community leaders, museum professionals, librarians, coaches, supervisors, facilitators, and anyone looking to improve the quality of their relationships. For more complete course descriptions, schedules and fees visit the Forum’s Facilitation Training page.
The Sum of All 2020 Census Fears is an 11/5/2019 article written by Kriston Capps for CityLab, a publication in the Atlantic Magazine family. It describes the unique risks coming with a mostly online questionnaire and some other problems that are being identified as we get closer to Census Day.
In the midst of these issues, the article notes that public libraries have an important role to play in the upcoming Census:
Public libraries are likely to be the front line in census outreach: That’s where many people who don’t have home access to the internet go to get online. And as trusted arbiters of information across many different communities, librarians have been preparing for the 2020 census for at least two years, according to Larra Clark, deputy director for policy at the Public Library Association (part of the American Library Association). In fact, librarians are already doing some heavy lifting for the 2020 count: They’re helping library users apply for and train for jobs with the Census Bureau, processes that have migrated online with this census.
“Every time we see a government activity move online, whether it’s only online or partly online, every single time we see an impact on our public libraries,” Clark says. “So much about the census is about what public libraries do every day ensuring people have a safe and effective online experience.”
We suggest that you read the article to help prepare for what patrons might ask you and to inspire you to play the important role you can in getting your neighbors counted.
We recently saw an e-mail from Erica Chenoweth, an Anchorage based team member of SciStarter, a citizen science support group. She asked people reading the e-mail to spread the word about Citizen Science Month coming up in April 2020 – a great opportunity for schools, libraries and museums to involve their audiences in contributing to science worldwide.
Here’s an edited version of her e-mail:
I'm a lifelong Alaskan, biologist, educator, and fan of citizen science projects, based in Anchorage. I’m also a SciStarter team member. Since 2012, SciStarter.org has been a free, National Science Foundation-funded (among other funding sources) platform that helps connect people to more than 2,000 (and growing) vetted and registered citizen science projects or events around the world, for a wide variety of age groups and in many different locations (online to outdoors). I’m eager to get more Alaskans informed and engaged with these worthwhile research projects and the platform itself. The National Network of Libraries of Medicine is one of our supporters and we produced the “Librarian’s Guide to Citizen Science” in 2019.
April 2020 is Global Citizen Science Month, and many partners from around the world are providing free resources, support, and an event calendar to help you promote your event or share local events and projects with your communities (partners like Arizona State University, the Citizen Science Association and beyond). We have an upcoming informational Webinar about Citizen Science Month in libraries on November 14, I encourage you to register and attend.
You can Sign up to receive updates or join any of our weekly planning calls running through April through our registration form.
Many of our projects can be (and are being) integrated into a variety of classroom settings. I’ve met many students who’ve enjoyed contributing to research projects while also advancing their own educational goals in the classroom.
I would be happy to help support you in participating in Global Citizen Science Month in April 2020 and beyond.
And please help spread the word to others, whether librarians or not; feel free to pass along my information. I look forward to empowering our communities with citizen science activities and hope you’ll consider joining in! Give me an email or call if you'd like to learn more about SciStarter and projects (or share information about projects you know about) at the number below.
Thank you for all you do!
With gratitude and best wishes,
Erica L. Chenoweth
SciStarter Team Member
(907) 764-4812
ericac@scistarter.org
Special Projects
SciStarter.org
If you’re planning an event during Citizen Science Month next April, we’d love to hear about it!
As we move into the holiday shopping season, we wanted to draw your attention to this recent report in PC Magazine:
39 Percent of Online Reviews Are Totally Unreliable. By Griffith, Eric. PC Magazine, 11/7/2019.
Here’s part of what the article had to say about research conducted by BestSEOCompanies.com:
Unreliable reviews for apparel come in at 46.2 percent, followed closely by reviews for home decor (45.6 percent) and electronics (42 percent). The numbers drop from there, but not by much. The lowest percentage of unreliable reviews they found was for books, of all things, at 22.9 percent. (They determined this by checking reviews on 389 products, with at least 25 products in each category). Total out of the 2.7 million reviews they analyzed showed 39 percent of them as untrustworthy.
Read the whole article for more. But don’t despair, there are ways to spot fakes and to find professional reviews.
Spotting fake reviews (focused on Amazon but some tips applicable to other sites)
Find professional product reviews with SLED. Try:
An announcement from our friends at the Library of Congress:
The digital release of the records of the National American Woman Suffrage Association gives researchers online access to one of the most important national women’s suffrage organizations in the U.S., said curator Elizabeth Novara. The collection includes more than 26,000 items, most of which were digitized from 73 microfilm reels.
“The records reflect NAWSA’s multifaceted history and include materials related to key figures in the movement, such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt,” Novara said. “They also provide a wealth of material on the many other women and men who contributed to the suffrage cause.”
The collections page not only shows items from the collection but also links to teacher resources and suffrage-related finding aids.
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