Alaska State Library briefs House panel on internet, database and small‑library grant programs

Juneau — The House Finance Education Subcommittee heard a briefing Feb. 26 from Dr. Amy Phillips Chan, director of the Alaska State Library, Archives and Museums, on programs that fund internet service for libraries, the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway (SLED) and the Public Library Assistance (PLA) grants that support operating costs for small libraries.

The presentation said the Alaska Online with Libraries (OWL) program provides internet-cost grants, a statewide Zoom account for libraries and wireless-session counting software. OWL's budget is state general funds: about $493,000 in FY2025 and $494,300 proposed for FY2026, including one full‑time OWL position, the library technology consultant and OWL program manager, Dr. Phillips Chan said.

Why it matters: Libraries in many rural communities provide essential internet access, digital training and a physical gathering space. Committee members warned that cuts or lapses in federal support for statewide services could disproportionately affect smaller and tribal libraries that depend on grant funding.

Dr. Phillips Chan told the committee the OWL restructuring in FY2025 expanded direct internet‑cost assistance: 45 libraries received internet-cost assistance grants in FY2025, up from 12 in FY2024. She said more than 40 libraries used the program’s free wireless-session counting software in calendar 2024.

SLED, the Statewide Library Electronic Doorway, provides access to licensed databases and Alaska‑focused resources. The presentation said SLED makes 50 licensed databases available; users conducted roughly 260,000 searches across those resources in calendar 2024. SLED is funded through a grants‑to‑states award administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); the FY2026 federal award amount had not been announced at the time of the briefing.

The PLA grants program gives direct operating support to public libraries, including combined public‑school libraries and some tribal libraries, for staff, utilities, collections, computers and programming. In FY2025 the program awarded roughly $574,000 total, distributed as up to $7,000 per eligible library; 82 libraries received grants this year, the presentation said.

On the history and legal framework, Dr. Phillips Chan said the PLA grant program first launched in 1982 and that HB 197 (1998) set an annual grant cap “not to exceed $7,000 each.” She also said SB 119 (2008) changed the library assistance arrangement from a fund to a program. OWL began with federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program funds made available after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and later became state funded.

Committee members asked about staffing and why PLA grants were briefly reported as at risk last fall. Dr. Phillips Chan said the division has 48 full‑time positions across libraries, archives and museums; the library sections alone have 17 positions when fully staffed and two of those are federally funded posts. She said the division had four vacancies across the broader division and one vacancy in library operations at the time of the briefing. Regarding the PLA funding scare, she said initial FY2025 budget structure left insufficient appropriation to pay full $7,000 payouts but that the department and administration shifted funds so the grants were fully funded.

Representative Bynum pressed whether PLA grants are targeted to smaller communities or distributed equally. Dr. Phillips Chan said the program is designed to be equitable: “each eligible public library receives the same amount,” and added that grantees must provide matching funds. “The library has to put in $7,000 as well. So it actually has a $14,000 impact for each of those libraries,” she told the committee.

Members also asked about subscription databases used by schools. Dr. Phillips Chan said some subscriptions have increased in cost and may not be renewed; she specifically said, “BrainPOP increased in cost. And so while it's available now, I think I don't think it will be renewed,” noting that Alaska Library Network administers many SLED purchases.

The committee requested year‑over‑year federal award history for IMLS grants and usage figures (for example, BrainPOP usage) to help assess program continuity and prioritize FY2026 funding. Dr. Phillips Chan said the Alaska State Library as the state library administrative agency received $1,276,792 in FY2025 under the IMLS grants‑to‑states program and that the program’s awards are normally announced in spring.

The subcommittee plans follow‑up written questions and will post responses and supporting documents to the committee’s public record.

Ending: The subcommittee recessed to hear the department’s early learning briefing immediately after the library presentation; the full meeting ended at 10:06 a.m.