The Library Foundation, Friends of the Library and the Library Advisory Board are working with elected officials and community leaders to figure out how our city can sustainably fund and support the level of library service our community needs and deserves. We’re making progress with more leaders stepping forward to advocate for the Library. If you think the city should invest more in the Library, not less, here’s how you can help:
- Speak up for the library to elected officials or at a public hearing.
- Follow Alaska Library Champions on Facebook to stand up for libraries across the state.
- Calculate the value of your own library use.
Despite increases in usage, funding for the Library has remained stagnant. Our Library needs a budget increase of $3M a year to be even average among peer libraries, but years of cuts have forced the Library to operate on a skeleton crew of staff, slash materials purchases, and even explore branch closures.
As Library Champions, we understand the critical role that public libraries play in our civic infrastructure and know that stronger libraries are just what our community needs in this time of political and social gridlock.
Anchorage is a diverse and culturally vibrant city, and yet we are often segregated in our schools, workplaces and neighborhoods. Our libraries are one of the few places in our community that are neutral grounds for everyone, where we can meet people from different backgrounds, feel connected to our larger community, and build understanding with our neighbors.
Working in conjunction with libraries across the country through Every Library’s One Million Americans for Libraries campaign, the Anchorage Library Foundation is committed to promoting increased investment in our libraries.
By working together and standing up for our library, we can begin to restore civil society in our city and build an educated, thoughtful and connected community.