The Alaska State Library was one of fourteen state library agencies were selected to receive resources, training and support through NASA@ My Library, a STEM education initiative that will increase and enhance STEM learning opportunities for library patrons throughout the nation. These fourteen libraries will join Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Washington who were the original sites who helped pilot the project.
As a NASA@ My Library partner, this grant will support us in the following ways over the next 12 months:
NASA@ My Library strives to engage diverse communities in STEM learning, including communities that are underrepresented in STEM fields. The educational support materials and outreach opportunities provided are part of the STAR Library Network (STAR Net), a hands-on learning program for libraries and their communities (www.starnetlibraries.org).
Support comes from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). To learn more about SMD, NASA@ My Library and 24 other cooperative agreements SMD selected via a national competition to engage the public in space and earth science, visit https://science.nasa.gov/learners. Key partners for NASA@ My Library include the Space Science Institute and its National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL), the American Library Association, Cornerstones of Science, Lunar and Planetary Institute, and other organizations.
More information about the State Library’s activities and upcoming NASA@ My Library activities will be coming out in future Friday Bulletins and other channels. Stay tuned!
Now is the time of year when many writing assignments seem to be assigned to students. Whether students are working on a book report, a term paper, or a college or scholarship application essay, remember that Tutor.com has two different ways to help. Students can work with an expert writing tutor 1:1 in our online classroom to develop and organize a draft or they can upload their document using our Drop-Off feature to receive detailed feedback within 24 hours. Let Tutor.com help your students tackle those assignments!
Tutor.com is FREE for all Alaskans to use. To access the service, go to: http://lam.alaska.gov/sled/homework seven days each week from noon to 2 AM Alaska time.
State Library E-rate specialist Valerie Oliver will be leading this webinar for libraries to prepare them for the E-rate filing window:
Preparing for the E-rate Filing Window December 6, 2018 10:30, repeating at 3:30pm
10:30 am | Meeting number: 802 096 267
Or Join by phone at 1-855-244-8681 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada)
Access code: 802 096 267
3:30pm | Meeting number: 802 877 754
Or .Join by phone at 1-855-244-8681 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada)
Access code: 802 877 754
The Sheldon Jackson Museum’s November Artifact of the Month is a group of four seal skin balls collected from Barrow by Reverend Samuel Spriggs (SJ-II-V-96 a-d). The balls may have been used for the traditional Alaska Native high kick game. These small artifacts are relatively plain but are interesting for their ability to highlight the significance of a collector whose artifacts are well-represented in the Sheldon Jackson Museum’s permanent collection and the ongoing importance of winter games.
A screen reader is a computer program or app that reads aloud text from a computer or phone. Created for people with low-vision or blindness, it helps bridge equal access to the use of computers and consumption of information on the Internet. VoiceOver is the built-in screen reader on Macs and iPhones.
How to Use VoiceOver on Mac
3 Common VoiceOver on Mac keyboard shortcuts
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Control + Option + A |
Start reading continuously |
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Control |
Stop reading |
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Control + Option + U |
Open rotor to list all headings, links, landmarks, etc. |
Learn VoiceOver In-Depth
Decolonizing Alaska is a multi-media exhibit of works by Alaskan artists that has been touring around the state. This show of 30 pieces made by 31 artists made its last stop at the Petersburg Public Library. The exhibit opened on 11/1/2018 and pieces are on display in both the library and the Clausen Memorial Museum. The exhibit closes 11/30/2018.
For more information and pictures of a few items, visit Decolonizing Alaska art opens in Petersburg (KFSK). By Joe Viechnicki. 11/1/2018.
Learn more about the exhibit itself at the Decolonizing Alaska Exhibit website.
The new director of the Sitka Public Library has considerable experience drawn from a number of fields and location. Learn more about Director Kathryn Hurtley and her journey to Sitka in Meet Kathryn Hurtley, Sitka Public Library’s new director by Enrique Pérez de la Rosa, KCAW, 11/13/2018.
From our friends at the US National Archives:
This American Archives Month, I’m excited to present an awesome new project from the National Archives, developed by NARAtions’ own Mary King. The Facebook chatbot is a way for users to interact with the National Archives and help us make records more accessible. Let’s take a walk through the chatbot and I’ll show you how you can participate.
From your phone or desktop, navigate to the National Archives Facebook page (Give us a follow! We post about lots of cool finds and interesting events!). To start chatting with the bot, tap on the Send Message button, and type “hi” in the text box.
To start interacting with the chatbot, click on the Send Message button on our Facebook page, and say “Hi!”
The chatbot will open, and give you the option to tag a document or ask a question. Let’s tag a document!
When the bot serves you a record, you can tag the document as typed, handwritten, or both. This helps us sort the documents by difficulty, which can then help our citizen archivists transcribe the records in the Catalog.
For more information and screenshots from the chatbot, visit Tag it! Introducing the National Archives Facebook Chatbot at the NARAtions blog.
From our friends at the Library of Congress:
10/30/2018 12:12 AM EDT
Principally ecclesiastical records relating to the administration of the numerous parishes and chapels of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska, and, to a lesser extent, in Canada and the United States, comprising correspondence, registers of births, marriages, and deaths, confession and communion records, a clergy dossier, orders and edicts (ukases) from imperial and ecclesiastical authorities,...
Take note that these records are NOT digitized and will require a visit to Washington DC. In addition, the finding aid states, “Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.”
11/16/2018 - Edited to add, "After press time, an archivist let us know that this LC finding aid covers the reels of microfilm that several Alaskan libraries hold, including UAF, UAA/APU Consortium Library, Anchorage Public Library, and the Alaska State Library. It's possible that the finding aid may include materials that have not been microfilmed but they do include the microfilmed records held by these Alaskan libraries.” The Consortium Library has posted an FAQ about accessing these records.
From our friends at Internet2 and the Presidential Primary Sources Project:
Sign up for the Presidential Primary Sources Project (PPSP) today. Learn about presidents like Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Washington directly from National Park Service rangers and presidential historians in this live, interactive web series.
Share the presidents’ stories with your students through live interactive video and primary source documents.
Register today for online sessions including:
- Forging Greatness: Lincoln in Indiana, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
- George Washington and Mount Vernon, George Washington's Mount Vernon
- JFK, Dallas, and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
- Presidential Powers with Documents from the National Archives
- Slavery at The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
- Truman and Independence, Missouri, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
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