The city of Aniak isn't going to have a public library any more. City officials in the middle Kuskokwim River community said the decision was made due to a number of factors, including staff turnover.
Aniak city manager Lenore Kameroff said that ever since a long-term librarian resigned several years ago, the city has had difficulty securing a part-time librarian to run programming in partnership with the school. The role also keeps the facility and its computers, printers, books, and DVDs available to the public.
"Activities (were) another thing," Kameroff said. "Our librarian would have book reading nights, sometimes other activities, movie nights, and we would usually try and work with the school on their Battle of the Books at the beginning of each school year, and try to have books available at our library for school kids to check out that were involved with that. We did have some (Interlibrary Loan) services, but those are no longer available."
Kameroff said the library was funded by several grants, including one from the state called Alaska Online with Libraries and one federal E-Rate grant. Jointly, they covered 90% of the cost to provide internet access to patrons. Other grants — including federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and Public Library Assistance (PLA) grants — matched funds for librarian wages and supplies in partnership with the tribe.
The library's federal PLA grant was cut back by 80% in November, Kameroff said, although supplemental federal funding brought it back later.
Kameroff said the tumultuousness of federal funding under the Trump administration became another factor in the city opting to suspend library services. Aniak hasn't applied for any library grants for the coming year.
"There's no funding that would help keep the building maintained with water issues or freeze up, or fuel oil, electricity," Kameroff said. "Those sort of things would mainly be up to the city to take care of and maintain."
Kameroff said that the library used to be frequented by patrons of all ages as a space where they could access the internet. But since residential homes started installing Starlink internet several years ago, the library has become less of a hub.
Aniak's library opened in the 1980s, and had been a community fixture since then. Last summer, it was relocated to a more central location next to the city offices.
It's unclear whether the library will be dissolved or reopened at a later date.
Members of the community can still use Aniak's library Wi-Fi until June 30. After that, Aniak's city office will remain a place to access free public Wi-Fi.
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