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Juneau finance committee hears how federal grant uncertainty could cut interlibrary loans and weekend hours
Summary
The Assembly finance committee questioned library staff about two staffing-and-service scenarios after federal pass-through grants that support statewide interlibrary loan and related programs became uncertain. Staff said losing the grants could end interlibrary loan service and reduce open hours at all branches.
The Juneau City and Borough Assembly Finance Committee on May 7 pressed library officials for specifics about how two budget scenarios would affect services and staff at the Juneau Public Library.
Library Director Melville told the committee that an uncertain federal pass-through grant that funds statewide services has put a year-round interlibrary loan (ILL) program at risk. "Interlibrary loan is when you walk into the library, you look on the library's catalog, and something that you're hoping to find is not there... we go outside of our system ... and go looking for another library," Melville said, explaining how ILL fills holes in the local collection and sometimes provides rare or out‑of‑print items.
Melville said the library logged roughly 390 ILL requests in the last full fiscal year and was on pace for about 360 this year before the grant uncertainty. She…
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