Fifteen libraries across Alaska will be gaining access to a large online database of national and in-state news sources. The Alaska Library Network received a $10,250 grant from the Atwood Foundation, which gives some libraries funding to provide free access to a database called Newsbank.
Newsbank provides access to Alaska papers that are normally paywalled — like the Anchorage Daily News, the Juneau Empire, and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner— for free to library cardholders. Twenty-four current and historical Alaska newspapers from around the state are available through the database. Other national publications, like USA Today and the Atlantic, are also available.
The Petersburg Public Library recently received access to Newsbank, and Library Director Tara Alcock said that’s great news. She said in recent years it’s become more challenging for the library to carry newspapers.
“Part of that was that the cost of subscriptions. It jumped up really high very quickly,” Alcock said. “Also, with the mail here, we would get our papers six days late.”
Alcock says Petersburg’s library had to limit their collection to a few print news publications. Now, with the database, the library can offer online access to up-to-date news, plus an archive of old papers.
Patrons can access the database with a library card number — or call the library if they don’t have a number. In Petersburg, people can also book time at the library to learn how to access and use the database.
“Once you’re in it, it’s pretty user-friendly,” Alcock said.
In addition to searching for stories, Alcock said it’s possible to use the database to set up email alerts for certain terms. Users can also send links to friends, giving them access to a story even if they don’t have a library card.
Currently, nine of the 15 libraries are set up with access to the database. That includes libraries in Petersburg, Cooper Landing, Seward, Ketchikan, Tok, Unalaska, Soldotna, Skagway and Bethel, according to Alaska Library Network Director Steve Rollins.
The funding is currently available for one year, but there could be more on the way. In an email, Rollins wrote, “There is a good chance that ALN will receive a second grant for another year at the same amount if we can demonstrate that the newspaper collection is being promoted and adequately used.”
Library patrons in participating communities can contact their libraries for more information on how to access Newsbank.
