Seeking an Electronic Resources Librarian

We're hiring for an Electronic Resources Librarian here at the Alaska State Library. This position will coordinate the Library's serials collection and other electronic resources. It is a full-time Librarian I, pays $4,355 monthly with state benefits, and is located at the new Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum in Juneau, Alaska. The job description and application information are available on Workplace Alaska.

The Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum building in Juneau, Alaska, with the iconic Nimbus sculpture in front. Photo by Lara Swimmer.

Here are four reasons why you should apply for this position and consider moving to Juneau.

1. It's in Alaska. If you've ever wondered about living in Alaska, this could be your chance! Juneau is a great place for people who love kayaking, hiking, and the outdoors, and prefer cool temperatures and mild winters. If your image of Alaska is a frozen block of ice, think again. Juneau's weather is less extreme than most of the country. My friend in Washington, D.C. reported a colder Thanksgiving Day than we had here.

2. Juneau has a great library community. There are three branches of the Juneau Public Libraries, a university library at the University of Alaska Southeast, and the State of Alaska operates the law library, legislative library, and the Alaska State Library. No matter your library interest, there's a way to pursue it in Juneau.

This position is based in the library, but you'll have a chance to work with people from special collections, archives, and museums.

3. Working here is a great way to explore the field. The Electronic Resources Librarian position is part of the Library's Information Services section, but that doesn't mean that the work is limited to state government needs. Since the Library shares a facility with the Alaska State Library Historical Collections, the Alaska State Archives, and the Alaska State Museum, this is a perfect place for an information professional interested in history or heritage work to get a wide variety of experiences.

The Library's Reading Room gets beautiful natural light thanks to the clerestory windows that circle the building.

4. You'll love coming to work. Our building opened in 2016 and we still can't get over how lucky we are to work in this beautiful space. Our office windows overlook Gastineau Channel and Douglas Island and you can see mountain goats on Mount Juneau from our break room. Many coworkers enjoy walking to the shops downtown or along the new seawalk to the whale park on their lunch breaks. We have dedicated parking and indoor racks for bikes.

The recruitment closes on Monday, December 3, at 5 pm Alaska time. Come join our team as our next Electronic Resources Librarian!

Planning a visit to the APK State Library, Archives, and Museum

Summer is just around the corner, and if you're anything like me, you're dreaming about your summer travel plans! If Juneau is one of your of stops this summer, a visit to the new Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum should be on your to-do list.

How to get here:
The APK is located at 395 Whittier Street, a short walk from the cruise ship docks or an easy drive from the airport or ferry terminal. If you're coming from the docks furthest south, it's a straight shot along the waterfront. Thane Road becomes South Franklin Street, then Marine Way, then Egan Drive. You'll travel past City Hall, the blue Wharf building and the float plane hangar, Centennial Hall, and the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. Turn right at the traffic light onto Whittier Street and you'll see the Nimbus sculpture in our front plaza.

This is the view of the APK State Library, Archives, and Museum that you'll see when you turn onto Whittier from Egan Drive. Photo by Lara Swimmer.

If you're coming from the airport, ferry terminal, or other points north, head south on Egan Drive towards downtown. There's only one highway in Juneau, so it's hard to miss. After you pass the Douglas Bridge, then take a left at the traffic light onto Whittier Street. The APK will be on your left, just past the KTOO radio station.

Where to park:
If you're in your own car, you can park in our underground parking garage off Whittier. One local called it the nicest garage in town, and visitors can park there for up to three hours while in the building. The gates go down when the building closes, but you'll still be able to get out if you're in the building. If you've left the facility and the building is closed, your car will be waiting for you when the gates open in the morning.

Our parking garage is well-lit and provides easy access to the APK facility. The public entrance with stairs and elevator is in the far corner of this photo.

What's here:
You'll find the Alaska State Library on the second floor. There's free wi-fi and public computers to check your email or share photos on social media, and newspapers like the New York Times and periodicals like The Economist, Wired, or Time to help you get your news fix. If you want to do genealogy research or look at historic photos, you can visit the Historical Collections and Archives Research Center.

Patrons in the Alaska State Library's Richard Foster Reading Room. It's a great place to relax, research, or keep in touch with folks back home. Photo by Lara Swimmer.

The Alaska State Museum's permanent exhibits were fully re-designed over the past four years and present a wide-angle view of the state's history, including Alaska Native cultures, the periods as a Russian colony and an American territory, and post-statehood. There are also displays about industry in Alaska, shipwrecks, World War II, a children's Discovery Room, and three temporary galleries with rotating exhibits. Find more info on the Alaska State Museum's web site.

The APK is home to Raven Cafe, run by the fantastic folks who operated Twilight Cafe over by the State Office Building. Their specialties include enormous adobo burritos, breakfast sandwiches, house made soups, refreshing fruit smoothies, and coffee and espresso drinks to keep you going. This summer, local literary maven Katrina Woolford will be running our gift store, which will have art, books, and other gifts for everyone at home. She plans to open for business by June 1.

Raven Cafe is a popular spot for visitors, locals, and staff to grab coffee or lunch. The Cristobals are always cooking up new creations so their menu is never the same. Photo by Lara Swimmer.

When to come:
Summer hours begin in mid-May. The Alaska State Library, Historical Collections, and Archives are open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Mondays for research appointments. The Alaska State Museum will have transitional hours in early May, and 9:00 am-5:00 pm daily from mid-May through mid-September. Call (907) 465-2901 for the early May schedule.

Winter hours for the Alaska State Library, Historical Collections, and Archives are Tuesdays through Fridays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Winter hours for the Alaska State Museum are Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Hope to see you here at the APK this summer!

How many people lived in Juneau during the peak of the gold rush?

This information is pulled together for easy access in Census Alaska: Number of Inhabitants, 1792-1970, compiled by Alden Rollins in 1978.

Assuming that the height of the gold rush in Juneau was about 1915, I’ve provided figures from the 1910 and 1920 censuses.

1910

• State: 64,356 (this was the largest number between 1880 and 1930) 
• First Judicial District (Southeast Alaska): 15,216 
• Juneau District: 5,854 
• Auke village: 218 
• Douglas town (incorporated): 1,722 
• Juneau town (incorporated): 1,644 
• Killisnoo village: 351 
• Treadwell town (incorporated): 1,222 

Juneau town was a little bigger in 1900 (1,864), but all of the other locations in the Juneau District were quite a bit smaller.

1920

• State: 55,036 
• First Judicial District: 17,402 
• Juneau District: 5,893 This was broken out a little differently, and may possibly include more area, as I didn’t notice Angoon or Thane on the 1910 census. 
• Angoon village: 114 
• Auke village: not listed 
• Douglas town: 919 
• Juneau town: 3,058 
• Killisnoo village: 256 
• Treadwell village: 325 
• Thane village: 421 

Although the source book cannot be checked out, feel free to contact us for a lookup if you're interested in a different date or area of Alaska.

Top 10 reasons to visit the Alaska State Library - Tourist Edition

If Juneau is one of your ports of call this summer, either on a cruise or while traveling independently, the Alaska State Library is a great place to stop. Here are 10 reasons why:

10. We're easy to get to - just a short walk from the downtown core, across the street from the Juneau-Douglas City Museum and the Alaska State Capitol, and on the way to the Governor's Mansion, Gold Creek, and the Evergreen Cemetery.

The entrance to the 8th floor of the State Office Building, at 4th and Main Streets. You can also enter the building from Willoughby Avenue.

9. We're off the beaten path. You won't find long lines or big crowds around here - just a few savvy people who are looking for a unique and restful stop.

8. We can help you get connected. We have free wi-fi and computers available for checking e-mail and social media or surfing the internet.

7. We keep up with the news. Trying to find the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or USA Today? We've got them here.

Most recent issues of Wall Street Journal, available for reading in the library.

6. We have info about your next stop. Going to Ketchikan, Haines, or Sitka tomorrow? We receive newspapers from all over the state and you can find out what's happening in other Alaskan communities.

5. We've got a great view. From inside the library, you can look out at the Governor's Mansion, the Federal Building, and the Willoughby district. From the deck outside the library, you can look down Gastineau Channel toward the docks, across to Douglas Island, and up towards the Mendenhall Valley. You can also see our new building being constructed.

View from the library window. The large building on the left is the Federal Building. On the right is the Governor's Mansion.

View from the deck. The cables from the Mount Roberts Tramway are visible on the left. On the right is Douglas Island.

4. We've got the best seat in the house. If you're here on a Friday at noon, you can come to a free concert played on the Kimball Theatre Pipe Organ. The organ was brought to Juneau in 1928 by theater operator W.D. Gross and was used to accompany the movies at the Coliseum Theatre. In 1970, it was donated to the Alaska State Museum and restored to playable condition.
 
3. We have some great stuff on display. Come see our 3-D map of Alaska, a mural by acclaimed local artist Rie Munoz, and historic photos from the Alaska State Library Historical Collections. Just outside the library doors, you can take a selfie with a grizzly bear and see the 38-foot Waasgo totem pole.

Map of Alaska in the library.

Waasgo Totem Pole outside the library's front door.

2. We've got some great free souvenirs. Come get an official Alaska state map, pamphlets about the Waasgo totem pole and the Kimball organ, and more.

1. It's your last chance! This is our last summer in the State Office Building. Next spring, the Alaska State Library will move to the new Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum facility at 395 Whittier Street.

Construction of the Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum, May 28, 2015. The Library's Richard Foster reading room will be on the second floor.

Since You Asked! Episode 18: Juneau Teacher Tales, 1930-1959

The Juneau Retired Teachers Association recently published the second edition of their book about Juneau teachers' experiences. The book includes personal histories by teachers who worked in Juneau in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, as well as information about Juneau's educational history. In this podcast, librarian Claire Imamura talks with retired teachers Barb Potter and Marie Darlin about the project.

Listen to Podcast (.mp3)
[ 20 minutes]
Recorded on September 29, 2014


Learn more about the Juneau Retired Teachers Association and find resources for your own historical research project:

• Alaska Retired Educators Association
• Juneau History Grant
• Alaska State Library Historical Collections

RVing by ferry?

Question: Since there is no road into Juneau, are there any RV parks there?

Answer: Although you cannot drive into Juneau, you can bring your RV with you on the Alaska Marine Highway System. To serve these folks, as well as local campers, Juneau boasts both public and commercial RV parks:

Auke Bay RV Park
11930 Glacier Hwy
Juneau AK 99801
907) 789-9467

Spruce Meadow RV Park
10200 Mendenhall Loop Rd.
(907) 789-1990
http://www.juneaurv.com/

Mendenhall Lake Campground (9 full service hookup sites)
8510 Mendenhall Loop Rd.
(907) 586-8800
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/tongass/recreation (This link covers additional public campgrounds in Juneau as well.)

For more information about visiting Juneau, whether or not you intend to camp, see also the Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau at TravelJuneau.com.

Aviation Accidents and Incidents

Question: A relative of mine was involved in a plane crash near Juneau in the summer of 1987. Where can I find more information about the crash?

Answer: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) publish information about aviation accidents and incidents. You can search NTSB’s Accident Database and Synopses, which covers aviation accidents and some incidents occurring after 1962, at http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/Query.asp. Available data includes type of aircraft, date and location, airline, type of air carrier operation, severity of any injuries, NTSB’s report status, and preliminary or final report. The full reports are generally not available for events occurring before 1993. Selected major accidents occurring more than ten years ago are also listed at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc2.htm. NTSB retains detailed records and files relating to its accident investigations. For information about reviewing and ordering these documents, see http://www.ntsb.gov/info/sources.htm#PIB.

If the “crash” you are researching was not investigated by NTSB, you may find it in the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), at http://www.nasdac.faa.gov/. At this page, select the Data & Information tab, then the link for the Accident/Incident Data System. This database covers general aviation and commercial air carrier incidents since 1978. FAA defines “incidents” as “events that do not meet the aircraft damage or personal injury thresholds contained in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) definition of an accident.”

In addition, you may find articles about the crash in the Juneau Empire or other Alaska newspapers. We have an extensive collection of Alaska newspapers on microfilm. More information about our newspaper collection, including information about ordering microfilm through interlibrary loan, is available on this blog at http://askasl.blogspot.com/search/label/newspapers.

USS Juneau Memorial

Update: URLs checked and updated. 4/1/15

Question: The USS Juneau was hit by two Japanese long lance torpedoes on Friday on 11/13/42, one at 2:00 AM and a second one 10 hours later, completely destroying the ship. The 150 survivors out of a crew of 700 were left for eight days in shark infested waters. In the end, all but 10 of her crew were lost, including the five Sullivan Brothers. Does Juneau, Alaska have a memorial to the USS Juneau?

Answer: The City and Borough of Juneau dedicated a memorial plaque to the USS Juneau on July 5, 1987. It is located on the cruise ship dock in downtown Juneau and is # 19 on the Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau map found online at http://www.traveljuneau.com/downloads/map_downtown_big.jpg.

If you are looking for more information on the naval ship, the Alaska State Library has books, videos and vertical files with news clippings. You can contact the Alaska State Library at (907) 465-2920 or asl@alaska.gov. The Juneau-Douglas City Museum has a vertical file with information on each of the three of the ships bearing the name USS Juneau, including news clippings, photographs, personal narratives, log books, and dedications. The museum contact information can be found at http://www.juneau.org/library/museum/contact.php.