Local libraries can breathe a sigh of relief after receiving notice last week that state funding through the Public Library Assistance Grant program was restored to the typical $7,000 awarded annually to eligible library applicants.
Applicants for fiscal year 2025 previously received only $1,829 — a nearly 74% reduction from historical award amounts.
An Oct. 15 email from the Alaska State Library announced that they are awarding a “supplemental” PLA grant of $5,171 to each of the 82 libraries that applied for funding this year.
With the updated award amount, the local match requirement is also restored to $7,000. Libraries are once again required to use 50% of the award amount on materials and online services.
Homer Public Library Director Dave Berry said he expects to receive the supplemental funds in late November.
Because Homer’s library is taxpayer-supported and operates as part of the City of Homer infrastructure, Berry will introduce an ordinance to the city council to accept the supplemental funding. Per required council procedure, the ordinance must undergo a public hearing before the council can adopt it. After that, the letter of award can be signed, and the funds will be issued by the state library.
Merrie Mendenhall, Ninilchik Library volunteer and retired library director from Bethel, said that there’s still some paperwork to complete before they have the supplemental funds in hand, but the Ninilchik Library is “breathing a small sigh of relief anyway.”
Anchor Point library director and board member Deanna Thomas echoed Mendenhall, that the supplemental funds will give the small community library “a bit of a breather.” Thomas said that the library has been unable to purchase new materials since the end of the last fiscal year, in June. Now, they will be able to purchase at least $3,500 in new books and other materials once the additional funds are in hand.
Seldovia Public Library board member Cindy Mom said that the supplemental funding is a relief, but she still has some questions.
“It is a great relief, we’re all glad that it’s coming,” she said. “But there are a lot of unanswered questions — where did that money go? Why was it cut? Where did they find the money to restore the funds now, and why was it not funded in the beginning?
“It’s been a very strange process, and the communication aspect has been very lacking.”
The award letter from the state library noted that the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums “recognizes the value” of the PLA grant to local libraries, and that they are “working closely” with the Department of Education and Early Development and the state “on developing a sustainable funding strategy” for the grant program.
The letter also recognized recent and robust efforts from libraries statewide that shared comments with the state on the “vital importance” of the PLA grant program to both library organizations and the communities that rely on them.
