As the Anchorage Public Library Director from 2012 to 2021, Mary Jo Torgeson has been instrumental in making our Library a more welcoming and inclusive place for our community, especially for people who have traditionally been underserved by government.

She has led the charge to make the Library’s hiring practices more inclusive, worked to revise Library policies to be more welcoming and less punitive for patrons, and introduced new initiatives like going overdue fine-free and launching an early literacy outreach librarian position.

This fund will allow us to continue her legacy after her retirement and will support projects like training for staff, public programing, signs and displays in libraries, and development opportunities for people of color who are interested in pursuing or furthering their library careers.

Will you help us reach our goal to raise $5,000 to support the Library’s equity and inclusivity work for the next year?