You can now search Alaska State Museum and Sheldon Jackson Museum collections through a new online portal. Check out the "Popular Search" tab to browse selected topics, including two related to the Visceral: Verity, Legacy, Identity exhibition, which opens today.
At the Bristol Bay Sustainability Summit last month in Dillingham, [Kay Larson-Blair, director of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation’s Cultural Heritage Program] said that the Native corporation’s education foundation plans to focus on the intersection between education and culture. The cultural heritage program will help them do so, as part of a 10-year plan started in 2021...
Language revitalization is a central part of that commitment. So far, the cultural heritage program has funded language workshops, immersion programs and short-term classes in several Bristol Bay communities, including Igiugig, Pedro Bay and Manokotak.
In the Kenai Community Library, an art show made up of Lego creations fills a backroom — featuring a lot of “Star Wars,” but also vehicles, animals, a depiction of home and more abstract work.
All of those colorful pieces make for the library’s second annual Brick by Brick, which Youth Services Coordinator Seth Gray said was a celebration of “making something.” The contest is open to all ages, and challenges participants to design their own builds — “no kits allowed.”
In support of the “Fissions of Native Identity” exhibit, Kodiak History Museum has invited Sperry Ash to partner with it in creating the workshop “Llang’ama (When I Became Aware): Recalling One's Earliest Memories”...
Ash, a rural educator from Kachemak Bay, will be leading the workshop on Alutiiq identity. He values oral tradition, storytelling and history, and created the workshop based on a concept from Alutiiq/Sugpiaq traditional culture which marked age in stages of development rather than time.
Margaret Villarma, who will retire after 34 years from the Irene Ingle Public Library, said she will miss a lot about the job, particularly "the interaction with the community and helping people, because we are here to serve."
The Irene Ingle Public Library has undergone countless changes in the past three decades, from the digitization of its catalog to major building renovations to the advent of e-books. Library Director Margaret Villarma has guided the facility through it all, offering support to elders and fostering a love of reading in generations of Wrangell youth. Now, after 34 years, she is ready to retire.
Caroleine James, April 26, 2023. Wrangell Sentinel.
Crowds of Unalaskans gathered Sunday to celebrate the grand opening of the newly expanded Unalaska Public Library.
The renovation was decades in the making, and community members poured into the revamped building after library staffers and city leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the front doors.
“This project represents an investment in all of the people — from babies to elders — who live or work in Unalaska, and even in those who are just passing through,” said M. Lynne Crane, chair of the Unalaska Public Library Advisory Committee. “Not only people who are here now, but those who will be here for decades to come.”
WHS librarian Laura Anderson said they're currently transforming the library into an educational hub that goes beyond books...
So far, thanks to the continued support of community members and dedicated students willing to lend an extra hand, the library has added several new features including new furniture, new equipment such as a 3-D printer, and a new conference/study room that’s used for a variety of purposes, including mock interviews to prepare students for their careers. She said locals have donated their time, energy, and resources in various capacities to help this project take off.
Jacob Mann, May 5, 2023. Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.
Marking the beginning of National Library Week, the Mat-Su School District sent a letter to parents about removing books from school libraries. Last week’s removal of specific books from the schools is one of many efforts to restrict access to books across the country...
Five of this year’s top 13 most challenged novels compiled by the ALA are also on the Mat-Su School District’s challenge list.
Ketchikan City Manager Delilah Walsh told the mayor and City Council in an email dated April 17 that drag queen storytime would not return for a second year.
Navigating the complexities of the Indigenous art world in the US and Canada requires inclusive dialogue and ongoing collaboration across cultural, geographic, and institutional boundaries. Join us for an interdisciplinary gathering of museum professionals, students, and community members as we discuss Indigenous representation in museums, the development of new standards and practices for working with Native and First Nations collections and communities, and how to create new pathways supporting colleagues in the field.
Thanks to Kimberly Arthur for sharing this to the AKMuseums list.
In response to concerns about the growing pace of book censorship across the country, Seattle Public Library has announced a new program to facilitate access to its collection. Beginning Thursday, SPL is joining Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned initiative, offering free access to e-books to young people nationwide, who are particularly affected by current book censorship efforts
Moira Macdonald, April 27, 2023. Seattle Times.
Federal agencies offer free resources for educators
Many federal agencies have free educational resources for K-12 students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and other areas. Here are a few examples gathered by our friends at the Government Publishing Office:
Interested in learning more about the Census Bureau and its surveys? Join us for this webinar which introduces information on the agency, locations, and the agency’s most prominent censuses and surveys. The goal is to familiarize you with the agency, select tools, and some of the more popular surveys and censuses. At the end of this webinar you will be able to recognize some of the prominent surveys and censuses, the more common tools to use, and you will know the difference between a survey and a census.
Do you have an online event or news to share? Email us!
This newsletter contains links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the reader’s convenience. Alaska State Libraries, Archives, and Museums does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.
