Performance Details
Department of Education and Early Development - Alaska State Library, Archives & Museums
Mission
To provide access to government information; to collect, organize, preserve, and make available materials that document the history of the state; and to promote the development of libraries, archives and museums statewide.
Core Services
- Provide access to the Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums programs and services
- Promote educational opportunities for the development of Libraries, Archives and Museums statewide
- Continue to collect and manage the care of objects and documents that represent the peoples and history of Alaska
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Performance Detail
| A: Result - Increase usage of Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums services and programs |
| A1: Core Service - Provide access to the Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums programs and services |
Target #1: Provide reference services at the Libraries, Archives and Museums
Number of Reference Questions Answered
Analysis of results and challenges: Each section of the Division answers reference questions in its own way, but all provide an important resource for the public and researchers. The public primarily asks quick reference questions at the Library, while state employees ask the Library more technical questions pertinent to their job duties. Researchers or curators ask fewer, but more complex or technical questions at the Archives and Museums. The Library Development unit answers reference questions from library staff statewide, just as Archives and Museum staff answer questions from local archives and museum staff. Questions arrive in person or by email, text, phone, fax and mail. The Division experienced a 6.3% decrease in the number of reference questions this year over last year, with decreases in both the Library and Museum. As expected, state agency staff are not coming to the APK building from the State Office Building, so walk-in reference questions are decreasing. Library staff continue to explore methods to market their services to state agency staff through email, text, and phone. Overall, since FY2008, reference has increased by 231%. Related links:
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Target #2: Increase the number of patrons served and items circulated at the Talking Book Center
Circulations Per Patron at Talking Book Center
Analysis of results and challenges: The Talking Book Center (TBC) is a partnership between the Library of Congress' National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) and the Alaska State Library. Serving the entire state, the TBC is responsible for library services for patrons who are visually impaired or physically handicapped to such an extent that they cannot read standard print materials. Circulation includes digital audiobooks and large print books mailed to patrons statewide, as well as patron-initiated downloads of books, music and magazines through the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service. The TBC contracts with the Utah State Library to provide services for Alaskan users. This results in cost savings for Alaska, while providing a broader array of services to the patrons, since Utah serves eight times as many patrons as Alaska. The downside is that shipping is not quite as fast, so Alaska patrons tend to request more books to cover shipping lag times. Staff in Alaska process applications, manage the contract with Utah, and provide marketing and general assistance. Patron numbers fell from 763 patrons in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018 to 630 people FFY2019. Patrons borrowed more items on average. In FFY2018, the 763 patrons borrowed 48,947 items. In FFY2019, the 632 patrons borrowed 48,484 items. Circulation per patron increased from 64.15 items to 76.96 items. These numbers also indicate that the patrons who are being served by the Utah State Library are receiving excellent service since they are each borrowing more items per person than ever before. Overall, since 2008, circulation per patron has increased 40.6%. From 2016 to 2018, the national total number of people receiving talking book services from the 50 libraries across the nation that provide such service in each state decreased by 20%. Over the same two years in Alaska, the total number of patrons served declined by 18%. The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled has developed a four part strategy to address this decline in the number of patrons receiving service. The Alaska State Library plans to take action on one of these steps: developing and implementing a concerted marketing program to increase the number of Alaskans taking advantage of TBC services. Related links:
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Target #3: Increase the number of annual visitors to the Alaska State Museums
Number of Visitors to Alaska State Museums
Analysis of results and challenges: The Alaska State Museums sponsor a number of academic, educational, and traveling exhibit services, in addition to the daily museum visitor admission. As the number of cruise ships to Juneau and Sitka increases and as the Division reforges relations with tour companies in both towns, the in-person visitor count surged by 10,000 people. The number of cruise ship visits is expected to increase again in 2020. In addition, the sale of the subport in Juneau to Norwegian Cruise Lines and their plans to build a visitor center one block from the Alaska State Museum implies that the museum can anticipate ongoing growth in foot traffic during future summer seasons. The annual visitor count increased 10.1% this year over FY2018. Related links:
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Target #4: Increase the number of Alaskana objects available online
Alaskana Available Online
Analysis of results and challenges: Alaska-related materials on the Division website have steadily increased. The Guides to Alaska Collections describe the contents of a variety of collections held by the Division. The Alaska State Publications Program provides no-fee, permanent public access to the materials produced by state agencies, regardless of format. Born-digital state documents are preserved on a library server. Often the State Library provides access to more agency periodical material than is available at the issuing agency website. Reference staff refer patrons to digital surrogates in the Alaska Digital Archives, rather than to our original item, thus preserving endangered, fragile materials. Online museum exhibits, added in 2014, showcase contemporary Alaskan artwork and explore in-depth cultural or historical themes. From FY2008 to FY2019, a total of 21,591 more Alaskana items have been made accessible online by Division staff, an average of 1,799 items each year. From FY2008 to FY2019, Alaskana items available online increased by 248%. Related links:
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Target #5: Provide for public programming throughout Division facilities Attendance at Programs Held or Initiated at Division Facilities
Analysis of results and challenges: From the Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff (APK) Building in Juneau, the Division coordinates and hosts many in-person and broadcast educational events such as conferences, lectures, trainings, workshops, school group programs, and play readings that meet the educational mission of the Division. Government agencies, private, and non-profit organizations also use Division facilities for meetings, conferences, kaizens, and receptions. From FY2016 to FY2019, a total of 10,011 more people attended programs held or initiated at Division facilities, an increase of 450%. Each month, an average of 1,073 people attend events at APK. It is clear that the APK has become a popular meeting place in Juneau and is hosting a growing number of virtual meetings with statewide impact. The Division partners with KTOO to produce a television series named At the APK, which is available on 360 North. Fifteen shows were created during FY2018 and the starting months of FY2019. Seven shows from FY2019 are waiting to be posted by KTOO, which has also suffered state budget cuts. Since these shows are archived on 360 North, we have not included the 1,095 views of the At the APK series that occurred during FY2018 and the 340 views of the series that occurred during FY2019 in these charts. However, this television series exhibits another means by which the Division continues to serve Alaskans on a statewide basis. Related links:
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Target #7: Increase usage of digital collections through downloads from Division web pages Number of Document Downloads from Division Pages
Analysis of results and challenges: This new measure quantifies the shift the Division is experiencing from serving solely as a brick and mortar location housing physical materials to also serving as a repository of virtual Alaskana materials for people everywhere. Materials posted on Division web pages are accessible 24/7 without staff assistance and accessible to all Alaskans and all people with access to the World Wide Web. Document downloads are comparable to counts of physical items checked out. This is another measure that shows how the Division is meeting the goal of providing services to all Alaskans. This measure shows the total number of items downloaded from Division web pages, an average of 97 items each day during FY2019. |
| B: Result - Increase capacity, skills and professional development for staff and management of Libraries, Archives and Museums |
| B1: Core Service - Promote educational opportunities for the development of Libraries, Archives and Museums statewide |
Target #1: Provide professional development and training events for Libraries, Archives and Museums staff statewide
Number of Participants in Professional Development and Training Events
Analysis of results and challenges: Education is at the heart of Libraries, Archives and Museums, where staff are highly trained in their professions. Through grants and state funding, using in-person, conference attendance and distance delivery tools, the Libraries, Archives and Museum staff educates constituents statewide to help them in their efforts to preserve and provide access to the history and cultural materials of Alaska. The Division’s goal is to help staff at libraries, archives and museums statewide preserve the history and culture of Alaska by utilizing industry best practices. The number of librarians, archivists and curators trained during FY2019 is comparable to the number trained in FY2018. The overall number of people trained was low during FY2015 through FY2017 due to the division losing professional staff following budget cuts, and the 50% loss of Library Development staff (from four to two) once the Anchorage office shut its doors in May 2016. With Library Development now at four staff and the APK building back to normal operations, training of staff from other libraries, archives, and museums in Alaska has increased overall. From FY2008 to FY2019, the number of librarians, archivists, and curators trained by the Division increased by 23.9%. Related links:
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| C: Result - Ensure state historical acquisitions and documents are preserved |
| C1: Core Service - Continue to collect and manage the care of objects and documents that represent the peoples and history of Alaska |
Target #1: Ensure state historical documents are preserved and available to the public
Libraries, Archives and Museums Holdings
Analysis of results and challenges: This data set shows that the Division is providing ever-increasing access to Alaska materials. The State Library shares circulating and online materials, the Archives and Historical Library’s materials are used in-house, and the Museum’s collections are available for exhibition and research. Annual library acquisitions are relatively steady. Archives containers is the total holdings of the Archives, which includes cubic foot storage containers, recorders volumes, and microfilm reels. Museums objects increase slowly because acquisitions are often by donation and because of the high cost to purchase artifacts. Since FY2008, an average of 2,830 items are added to the Division’s holdings annually. From FY2008 to FY2019, the Division’s holdings increased by 28.4%. The big increase in FY2015 in Archives Containers is due to the 3,000 boxes of records that were received from the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA). NARA closed its Alaska facility and affirmed that these records (primarily from the Alaska Courts and Alaska Railroad) should most appropriately stay in Alaska and were transferred to the State Archives. Related links:
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Current as of November 12, 2019