Marmot Day

Question: I heard that February 2nd is Marmot Day in Alaska. What's up with that? Don't you like groundhogs?

Answer: February 2, 2010 was the first official Marmot Day in Alaska. February 2nd of each year is designated Marmot Day by ch 57 Session Laws of Alaska 2009. The law states:

* Section 1. AS 44.12 is amended by adding a new section to article 2 to read:

Sec. 44.12.110. Marmot Day. Marmot Day is established on February 2 of each year. The day may be observed by suitable observances and exercises by school programs, the Alaska Zoo, civic groups, and the public.

* Sec. 2. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).

Why the Marmot and not the groundhog? Here is the official sponsor statement by Senator Linda Menard taken from the official bill file:
Sponsor Statement for SB 58

Senate Bill 58, an act establishing February 2nd of each year as Marmot Day, will create a localized, Alaska version of Groundhog Day.

While many people in the Lower 48 spend every February 2nd honoring Punxsutawney Phil, or some other incarnation of the famous groundhog, Alaska residents don’t have the same representation.

The Marmot Day bill (SB 58) solves that, giving school children, public institutions and even adults the opportunity to use a local hire (the marmot) as their symbol.

Marmot Day can be celebrated in myriad ways, from special events at the Alaska Zoo to school celebrations with an educational angle so children can learn more about Alaska’s furry ground squirrel.

Already, the Marmot Day bill has received support from the Alaska Zoo and the Mat-Su Borough School District.

I hope you will also support the Marmot Day bill.

The official bill file also contains letters of support from children, school teachers and others interested in having a local alternative to Groundhog day.

Type 1 Diabetes

Question: I am an Alaskan and I was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Could you send me a few online resources to familiarize me with the disease and the local resources available to me?

Answer: There are numerous resources to assist you in managing diabetes. Here are a few reliable starting points:

State of Alaska, Health and Social Services, Alaska Diabetes Resource Guide. http://www.hss.state.ak.us/dph/chronic/diabetes/data/2009_AK_Diabetes_Resource_Guide.pdf
You will find an extensive list of health care organizations across the state that address various aspects of diabetes. In addition, the guide offers practical advice on nutrition, exercise and children with diabetes.

American Diabetes Association, Living with Diabetes.
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/
This is a great starting page for someone recently diagnosed as it covers what to do first, treatment options and the complications that may arise.

American Diabetes Association, Type 1, Basics. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/
The web page links you to information on medication, blood glucose control, family care and more.

MedlinePlus, Information and Guides.
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/
From this page you can learn the essentials of managing both Type1 and Type 2 Diabetes and where to find further information.

Alaska Corporate Formation Records

Question: I need a link to certificates of incorporation filed in Alaska.

Answer: It sounds like you are interested in finding the web page through which you can access information about certificates of incorporation or other formation documents filed for corporations or other business entities formed under the laws of the State of Alaska. You can begin your search by navigating to http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/occ/home_corporations.htm, which is a page on the Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing’s website. Then select “Search Corporation’s Database” in the left column of links. Your search results should include some details about matching entities, such as registered agents, dates of creation, and officers and directors. Once you retrieve the more detailed page for an entity, you can use the “Filed Documents” link to access some scanned images of the records the entity filed with the division, such as creation filings or Bienniel Reports. Scanned images of these documents are not always available, particularly for earlier time periods.

To order copies of documents filed by an entity, choose “Copy Request Form” on the web page at http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/occ/home_corporations.htm. There you will also find contact information for the Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing.

Elizabeth Peratrovich and Alaska's 1945 Anti-Descrimination Act

Question: I am researching Elizabeth Peratrovich and the battle for Civil Rights in Alaska. I am hoping to find information, including a transcript, about Mrs. Peratrovich’s testimony given to the Legislature during its consideration of this Act.

Answer: Transcripts of testimony before the Territorial Legislature generally do not exist. However, pages 536-541 of Haa Kusteeyi Our Culture: Tlingit Life Stories include a possible transcript of the Senate floor debate on what is often referred to as the 1945 Anti-Discrimination Act. The author states the transcript is from "the official Senate Record." We have been unable to verify the transcript text from other sources at the Alaska State Library, such as the Senate Journal, the House Journal and Records of the Alaskan Territorial Legislature (1913-1953). You will find a full description of this book in the WorldCat.org list mentioned below.

Other sources about Ms. Peratrovich and her work include:

• Newspapers that reported on Elizabeth Peratrovich’s testimony - Alaska's Digital Archives includes an image of one such article published in the February 6, 1945 Daily Alaska Empire just before the Territorial Legislature passed the Anti-Discrimination Act. You can view the image at http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/cdmg21&CISOPTR=2058&REC=10&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=1440&DMHEIGHT=2000. You might also try browsing Alaska newspapers published in early February of 1945. If your local library does not have the Alaska newspapers you wish to review, it is welcome to submit an interlibrary loan request for the Alaska State Library's newspapers on microfilm; we loan up to four reels of film to any single library at a time. To identify the newspapers you wish to review, use the Chronologies of Alaska Newspapers by city/town at http://www.library.state.ak.us/hist/newspaper/chron.html. You might start with the Anchorage Daily Times, Anchorage Daily News, and Daily Alaska Empire (published in Juneau).
• Books about Ms. Peratrovich – The Alaska State Library holds resources relating to Elizabeth Peratrovich. Some of these publications are included in our WorldCat.org list at http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/kfearer/lists/1262806. With the exception of the manuscript collections described in the list, these publications are available online or through interlibrary loan.
• The Statewide Library Electronic Doorway (SLED) and the Alaska Periodicals Index - Try entering “Elizabeth Peratrovich” in the search box in the upper left hand corner of the SLED home page at http://www.sled.alaska.edu/.
• The Alaska Periodicals Index - Search for “Elizabeth Peratrovich” as keywords in the Alaska Periodicals Index at http://goldmine.uaf.edu/aprindex/. Contact your local library for assistance in obtaining articles you identify through this index.
  

Maps of Alaska State Courts

Question: Where can I find a map that shows all of the State courts in Alaska?

Answer: You can find a PDF version at http://courts.alaska.gov/venuemapinfo.htm. It is a large PDF file and may take up to a minute to load. It has boundaries of Alaska's judicial districts and lists all State of Alaska trial venues.

You can order your own paper copy of this 34"x24" map for $25 by contacting one of the Alaska Court System's customer service centers:

Customer Service Division
825 W. 4th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-264-0514

Customer Service Division
101 Lacey St.
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907-452-9277

How Wealthy We Are

Question: Where does Alaska rank nationally in terms of wealth?

Answer: Wealth can have a number of meanings. Two common measures used by the federal government for wealth are “Gross Domestic Product by State” and “Personal Income per Capita” by state.

According to the Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, Alaska ranks 45th in Gross Domestic Product by state in current (2007) dollars. See table at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ranks/rank28.html.

In terms of Personal Income Per Capita, Alaska ranked 15th in 2007, the latest year available. Please see the table Personal Income Per Capita in Current and Constant (2000) Dollars by State at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/09s0659.xls.

More wealth tables from the Statistical Abstract can be found at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/income_expenditures_poverty_wealth.html.

Libraries in the 21st Century

Question: I'm doing some research on State Library activities. Could you provide a list of state library agencies in the US? Also, what is the Alaska State Library doing with social networking or Web 2.0 technologies?

Answer: To answer your questions in reverse: Some of the web 2.0 or social networking activities by the State Library include:

• This blog.
  
• Hidden Gems Mined by the Alaska State Library, a blog that highlights some of the paper and online resources we make available.
  
• A Mystery Photo blog which gives the general public an opportunity to help us identify people and locations in our historical photographs.
  
• An education wiki that pulls together materials from the classes we offer.
  
• The Alaska School Librarian Handbook, made available via a wiki.
  
• A Twitter feed, which has some live posts but mostly incorporates several automated feeds, including new book listings, Alaska-related articles, class offerings, and more.
  

In addition, several of our staff use other Web 2.0 services informally but related to our library work. These include flickr (photo sharing), Facebook, Twitter, blogging using various platforms, wikis, and more. We are still working on our delicious account (social bookmarking), and haven’t publicized it yet.

We use some additional social networking platforms for internal communications.

For information about other state library agencies, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has compiled a listing of state library websites at http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/statelib.html. PublicLibraries.com also has a listing at http://www.publiclibraries.com/state_library.htm (please note that this listing includes two links for some states, which may have divided library services between agencies).

One extra note: This question came from outside of the US, and in the process, I found that I needed to translate an Asian language into English. I found that Google language was quite helpful for this. I just clicked on "Language Tools" to the right of the search box on the main Google page, the cut and pasted the text into the provided box and chose the appropriate languages. Handy!