News Room: Announcements

Alaska State Libraries and Museums Awarded Federal CARES Act Funding

Juneau – The Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums, part of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, is pleased to award grants to three libraries and five museums so they can respond to the coronavirus pandemic by expanding digital access in their communities, improving virtual access to their collections, and purchasing internet accessible devices. These grants are funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, provided through the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (IMLS) Grants to States program.

• The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) will receive $7,500 to extend wi-fi to fill in “dead spots” around the ANHC complex and village sites. This expansion will allow ANHC to provide virtual visits and school tours to students around the world.
• Delta Community Library will receive $15,640 to increase broadband speeds, purchase devices that allow for physical distancing, create a website, and bolster the library’s digital collections.
• The Friends of the University of Alaska Museum of the North (Fairbanks) is awarded $1,350 for camera kits to create 360-degree immersive virtual tours of the galleries and increase public access to Alaska and Arctic-related content.
• Irene Ingle Public Library (Wrangell) will receive $4,497 for public laptops that will allow for physical distancing within the library.
• Kegoayah Kozga Library (Nome) is granted $7,510 to purchase internet accessible devices to allow for physical distancing and a public access printer to allow patrons to print e-government forms, job application materials, and more.
• Ketchikan Museums is awarded $2,000 for website improvements that will allow for the integration of virtual exhibits with the collections database and the creation of digital oral histories and online programming.
• Museum of the Aleutians (Unalaska) is granted $3,408 to improve internet access at the Museum.
• Valdez Museum is awarded $1,742 to increase internet access at the Museum.
• The Alaska Library Network is awarded $19,811 to purchase e-books and audiobooks for the Alaska Digital Library, which thousands of Alaskans use to download these materials from the web every day.

“These grants help support Alaska libraries and museums as they adapt their vital services during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Division director Patience Frederiksen. “We are excited about these projects that help us stay connected with each other and with art, history, and information, even though we’re physically isolated.”

Patience Frederiksen
Director
907.465.2911
patience.frederiksen@alaska.gov