PHOTOS: Turning around Anchorage's aging libraries

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One of the ideas being proposed is to remodel the poorly-designed checkout area, taking advantage of new technologies to reduce the space required and make the entrance more accessible. Anchorage's libraries are struggling with budget difficulties, aging facilities and the changing needs of their customers. Nov 22, 2013

In dire need of repair, with an outdated layout, leaky ceilings, and insufficient capacity for internet bandwidth and program space, Anchorage's Z.J. Loussac Library is showing its age. It will take millions of dollars to address the most pressing needs of the crumbling building and allow it to host the technology essential to gathering and spreading information today.

For years, problems at the Loussac library have been addressed as they came up, but now, more than 25 years after it was built, a major renovation is needed to keep the building safe and make it ready for a new generation of library users.

READ MORE: Anchorage Libraries Director: 'The building is holding us back'