State Libraries May Lose Program that Funds Internet Connection

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

Library staff and their allies across Alaska are fighting against a cut to a program which funds internet access in state libraries. Its loss would mean another burden on local communities.

Kodiak Public Library Director Katie Baxter is one of those to protest the decision to remove funding from a program called Online with Libraries, or OWL. She says the Division of State Libraries, Archives and Museums put OWL together.

“And it is a program that provides high speed internet connectivity to about 95 percent of Alaska’s public libraries. The success of it depends on a three-pronged approach of funding from a municipality, so for here it would be the city of Kodiak. Funding for state funds, the OWL program.”

And federal money through the E-Rate program, which provides funds to libraries and schools for telecommunications services and internet access. She says the House Finance Committee eliminated OWL funding, and the Senate Finance Subcommittee followed that decision.

“That means the local municipalities will be covering a huge chunk of high speed internet connectivity and, for many of us around Alaska in our rural communities, many of those libraries will not be able to foot that kind of bill or sustain high speed internet connectivity in their public libraries.”

But it’s not too late to speak out or even email Senate representatives. Baxter says she’ll fly to Fairbanks this week to attend the annual conference of the Alaska Library Association, which will advocate for OWL funding. And she says Kodiak is one of the communities that will give public testimony before the Senate Wednesday.

“We will be requesting the Senate Finance Committee to restore the governor’s amount of money just so that we can protect that sustainable feature of library service going into what will be a tough time for Alaskans, but with the public libraries, we’re really trying to leverage our tool, our anchor of internet connectivity.”

She describes the internet as key to Alaskans’ access to the job market, education, and literacy opportunities. In fact, Baxter will head straight to Fairbanks from a literary program which OWL and the University of Alaska Fairbanks will facilitate tonight. It’ll be a book reading and discussion with Juneau-based author Ernestine Hayes through video conference.

Cooper Landing, Cordova, Kodiak, Togiak, and Wrangell will also join to hear Hayes speak about her book, “Blonde Indian: An Alaska Native Memoir,” which Hayes describes as a braided narrative of a number of genres, including memoir, nature writing, history, and fiction.  Hayes says she travels to many different communities, and video conferencing allows her to visit many more.

“The ability to connect with communities that are unable to participate whether because of transportation or weather is really a great program, and I’m very happy and pleased that the Alaska state libraries allow us to do that and continue our Alaska conversation.”

 Patrons can join that conversation at the Kodiak Public Library at 7 p.m. tonight.