A new municpality-run library will be soon added to the list of Anchorage libraries. This one will be located in the old City Hall building in downtown Anchorage and will be the sixth general-purpose public library in Anchorage. It won’t take up the whole building, and the library isn’t envisioned as a large one, like the Loussac Library in Midtown.
It is a project years in the making, most recently getting a boost from former Anchorage library director Judy Eledge, who made it a priority before she left the library in 2023, after being hounded by reporting on her by the Anchorage Daily News. The money came from an endowment that has been sitting in the accounts of the Anchorage Library Foundation, originally made by Janet and John Goetz, longtime downtown residents who died many years ago and bequeathed their estate to the foundation with instructions that it would be used to recreate a downtown library. The original gift of over a half million dollars has grown over the years and is now said to be in the millions of dollars.
But none of the administrations before Bronson were able to get the project done for various reasons.
On Thursday, Mayor Dave Bronson will announce the plans to move forward, which involve using some portion of the historic building at 524 W. 4th Ave., not far from where the old downtown library was located before it was torn down to make way for the Egan Convention Center.
According to the foundation’s planning documents for the library, it will not be a location rich in actual books, but it will be a flexible space that has some books and newspapers, and lots of flexible room for other activities.
“While a small collection of popular books and DVDs will be available for check-out and magazines and newspapers will be available for browsing, staff will be much more focused on creating and curating experiences and offering services to customers. Staff will also go into the community to develop partnerships with local businesses and service providers to bring timely and relevant programs into the library. For instance, the Library might partner with a legal services or tax preparation group to offer classes in those areas, or host a Dena’ina beading workshop or a foreign film night. Some library events might not even happen at the library—staff will take advantage of the surrounding museums, restaurants, theaters and galleries to expand the size and type of programs the library is able to offer,” the planning document says.
Libraries have become de facto daytime warming shelters for Anchorage homeless and during previous mayoral administrations were venues for controversial events such as Drag Queen Story Hour for children. Parents are concerned about the books that culture-warrior librarians seem to be pushing on children, with literature that emphasizes gender identity matters that many feel are not appropriate for children. Libraries have, in fact, become a front of the culture war being waged by leftists.
These are challenges that are not exclusive to Anchorage but seen in cities around the country, where not everyone feels that the library is a safe and welcoming place. During the Bronson administration, there has been some effort to restore the use of libraries to their intended use, although the current Loussac Library has once again become a magnet for drug users and other miscreants who use the facilities for various illegal activities.
Two years ago, a woman returning books at the Loussac Library suffered permanent injuries after being attacked by a knife-wielding stranger, adding to the concern that libraries are changing in America.
Read more about the foundation’s concept for the downtown library.
