Alaska’s libraries are more relevant than ever

If you haven’t visited your local library in a while, you might be surprised to see what a busy, vibrant place it is. Many libraries in Alaska are downright crowded much of the time. Libraries today are more like community centers or university commons, where people gather to meet, bring their children for toddler play areas, story times, games and access to our connected world.

It’s true, a library is still the best place to feed your hunger for books, but we’ve put a lot of effort into expanding our offerings, staying current with our times and, more to the point, into answering the needs of modern Alaskans. The average library in our state is a tech-savvy source of information, education and fun.

We’ve revolutionized many aspects of simply using a library, from high-tech machines that allow people to check out their own books, movies and other materials to cool conveyor belts where you can drop returned items that are quickly whisked away to some mysterious place and magically reappear on the shelves. (The magic is actually performed the old-fashioned way: Staff members simply take things off the conveyor belt and put them back on the shelf. But it sure is fun to watch, and makes for an easy way to drop off materials.)

Most of Alaska’s libraries participate in the Alaska Library Catalog, which allows you to search for more than 3 million books from the comfort of home or anywhere you have an internet connection. Use your library card to place a hold on any title in the catalog, and staff will ship books or other materials to your local library for pickup. Grab it, check it out electronically and you’ll be back in your car again in less time than it takes to walk into a coffee shop and get a cappuccino.

Have a hankering for audiobooks or ebooks? Go to the Alaska Digital Library to download books to read on your smartphone or e-reader. Better yet, the libraries pay, so this is a free service for you and your family.

As Alaskans, we can take a lot of pride in the great resource our libraries have become. Libraries continue to provide books and magazines, but now Alaska’s libraries offer a huge range of activities and resources, all free for residents, including computers and internet access for conducting research, looking for a new career or simply exploring the worldwide web.

On March 5, Z.J. Loussac Public Library in Anchorage will host a free workshop from “Grow with Google,” where experts will teach Alaskans how to be better at navigating a computer or using the internet. It’s perfect for small businesses, people working to open a business, folks looking for jobs or pretty much anyone else who uses the internet. You can learn how to get listed on Google Maps, ensure you’re being found on Google Search, and even build a website. If you’re a more advanced business, you can learn how to reach more customers worldwide, use Google Analytics and improve your marketing skills. Our community’s teachers and nonprofit leaders — librarians, Chamber of Commerce employees, or Goodwill volunteers — can attend a session where they’ll learn how to continue hosting Grow with Google workshops after the day’s event concludes.

Where else can Alaskans get a free class from Google that teaches us how to be better at modern communications for the digital economy? Where else can you find children stomping their feet and singing out the alphabet on a Saturday? Where else can a parent get a stack of free picture books every week to spark a child’s love of reading? Where else can you go for free meeting space, to sit with a cup of coffee and pitch your business idea to potential partners? The Z.J. Loussac Public Library.

The best part is, unlike attempting to do all this stuff on your own at home, Alaska’s libraries have highly trained people standing by to answer your questions, find what you need or point you in the right direction. You might be tempted to call these people tech wizards or information experts, but we call them “librarians.” The libraries they work in have changed quite a lot in recent years, but their dedication to helping Alaskans hasn’t changed one bit.

Come on in and see us. You’re going to love Alaska’s modern, tech-savvy libraries.

Patience Frederiksen is the head librarian for the state of Alaska.

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