With the start of the semester, the Consortium Library returned to our normal academic year hours: 8am-8pm Mondays-Fridays and 10am-8pm Saturdays-Sundays, with “after hours” for UAA and APU students, Sundays-Thursdays 8pm-12am.

Over the summer we completed shifting the Library’s print collections, both books and journals, with the majority now consolidated the on the second floor.  The temporary shelving is being removed, and we’ll have a return of more open study space while retaining a more complete browsable print collection.  Thanks to Library faculty and staff, especially those in our Access Services department for their work in the moves.

Construction of the Alaska Leaders Archive and new North entrance to the Library continues and will wrap up later this fall. We appreciate everyone’s patience during construction, and we look forward to the opening of the new North Entrance with its new look. The Alaska Leaders Archive will provide opportunity to promote the history of Alaskan leadership, access to archival content for curricula and research projects, and will include a new leadership institute, which is currently taking shape.

Some highlights from this past year included:

• Creating new information resources, including a guide and workshop on AI;
• Migrating the ScholarWorks@UA institutional repository platform;
• The Alaska Medical Library’s NLM grant with outreach to rural communities was extended;
• Our metadata unit received a UA 2026 Arctic Engagement Award for developing Indigenous-led vocabulary for Alaska library catalog systems;
• We created a new strategic plan for the Consortium Library which will help us focus our efforts and resources to best meet the needs of the UAA community and Alaska; and
• As part of UAA’s reaccreditation, we received a commendation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) for “The exemplary work being done through the Consortium Library. The library faculty and staff demonstrate outstanding commitment in providing support at all levels of the University of Alaska Anchorage community, as well as to neighboring institutions and the broader Anchorage library system.”

The faculty and staff of the UAA/APU Consortium Library are here to help assist you with your information needs as we all seek to ensure student success.

With the construction of the Alaska Leaders Archive, scheduled for completion Fall 2026, the Library needed to re-evaluate our existing space and move some of our existing collections. Working with UAA Facilities, Library faculty and staff developed and implemented a plan, adding some shelving and condensing the General Collection on existing shelves, that enabled us to keep the print collection and print journals onsite rather than moving them temporarily to an offsite location. Doing so has allowed continued access to the collection and makes for quicker access for Inter-Library Loan retrievals.

In addition, the construction project is updating some of the building’s mechanical systems, while the shifting of collections has allowed us to assess our space, rearrange some furnishings, and modify study areas. As we continue shifting, we will seek to make the best use of our spaces to meet the current and future needs of our learning community.

If you need assistance locating materials, please see someone at the circulation or reference desks or contact AskUs https://ask.consortiumlibrary.org

The Alaska Leaders Archive will preserve and make accessible the legacy of those who have served Alaska and its people and will showcase historical collections and promote civic education, allowing Alaskans and others a unique opportunity to engage with the history that created the state we know today, while inspiring future Alaskan leaders (https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/about/administration/office-of-the-chancellor/alaska-leaders-archive.cshtml ). Along with our existing Archives & Special Collections, “Alaska Collection”, and other resources and services, it helps further our mission of promoting Alaska’s cultural heritage.

Some of you may remember Alden Rollins from UAA and the Consortium Library.

With memories of respect and appreciation:

Alden M. Rollins (1946-2024)

Our dignified, erudite, and long-time former library colleague, Alden M. Rollins, passed away on Tuesday, August 20, surrounded by his family. Alden was himself an institution at the Consortium Library, serving as reference librarian and head of government documents for 35 years. His steady demeanor and droll sense of humor were legendary. Alden loved being an Alaskan and was a proud member of the Pioneers of Alaska. The group will be adding a plaque in his name to their wall next year on Memorial Day, May 26, 2025.

After earning his MLS from the University of Rhode Island, Alden joined the brand new Consortium Library when it opened in 1973. Throughout his career, he served on many university and library committees, and from 1992-1997, he was head of reference, and served as the Interim Library Director until the current Library Dean was hired. Alden retired in 1999, when he was awarded Professor Emeritus of Library Science, only the second library faculty member to be so honored. He continued to work on various library-related projects until he fully retired in 2008.

But at heart, Alden was a scholar. In addition to two published books on Roman history, his passion was genealogy. He was active in the Cook Inlet Historical Society and the Anchorage Genealogical Society, and being a proud New Englander, worked closely with genealogical repositories and archives in that part of the country as well. He authored or contributed to numerous indexes, catalogs, and reference guides relevant to both Vermont and Alaska.

Alden, we were privileged to know you. You will be missed.

From Daria Carle, with Arlene Schmuland, Nancy Lesh, and Steve Rollins.
August 29, 2024.

HistoryMakers offers more than 149,000 stories from interviews with 2,701 historically significant African Americans.
Search on Alaska to hear local experiences.

More than 200 local stories are available on HistoryMakers which is a featured database on SLED. https://lam.alaska.gov/sled

The HistoryMakers program was recently featured on 60 Minutes:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/historymakers-black-history-60-minutes-2023-02-19/

ANCSA Research Resource Guide Now Available Online

The Alaska Historical Society has launched its new online publication, Guide to the Sources for the Study of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The three-part guide includes an extensive survey of archival resources, a bibliography of popular and scholarly print materials as well as films, oral histories, webinars, and radio programs (many of which are available online), and a guide designed for social studies teachers and instructors who teach the history of ANCSA.

William Schneider directed the two-year project to mark the 50th anniversary of the passage of ANCSA. The guide, edited by Karen Brewster, was a collaborative effort funded by Doyon, Sealaska, Calista, Bering Straits, and Koniag Regional Corporations as well as the Rasmuson Foundation and the Atwood Foundation.

It is online on the AHS website at www.tinyurl.com/ANCSAguide or ScholarWorks@UA at www.tinyurl.com/ANCSAguideUA