Daily Sitka Sentinel

Volunteers Marshaled for Library Move

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Dozens of volunteers are ready and waiting to help on July 21 when the 60,000 books and other items in Kettleson Library are moved to their temporary home in Stratton Library on the SJ campus, says Sitka Library Director Sarah Bell.

Sarah Bell moves a cart of library books. (Sentinel Photo)

    The library will be closed July 21, and will be open for business at Stratton no later than Aug. 19.
    The Stratton Library has been closed since Sheldon Jackson College shut down academic operations in 2007. Since then the building has been purchased by the State of Alaska for eventual conversion into an extension of the Sheldon Jackson Museum.
    In the meantime, it’s being made available for use as the Sitka public library while Kettleson undergoes a major remodel.
    “We’re hoping to get the vast majority moved in two weeks,” Bell said.
    The Kettleson remodel is mostly state-funded, but the city is contributing Commercial Passenger Excise Tax, and the Friends of the Library has pledged to raise $200,000.
    Kari Sagel, president of Sitka Friends of the Library, said the nonprofit group wishes to thank Alice Johnstone for her $20,000 donation, and Dean Orbison for his recent gift of $5,000.
    Bell said the effort to move Kettleson’s contents is receiving help from local companies and organizations as well as from individuals. Sitka Bottling is offering help with moving, Interiorworks is donating carpets for a children’s section at Stratton, the Sitka School District and the Gary Paxton Industrial Park are providing storage, and individuals have signed up to move books.
    She offered a big thank you to the Sitka Permanent Charitable Trust for providing the grant for the teen technical lab that can be set up first at Stratton before being moved into the new Kettleson.

    “Kids will have access to high end audio and video editing programs, stop-motion animation equipment,” Bell said. “They’ll have a chance to work with that ... that’s something new and exciting that’s going to start at Stratton.”
    Bell said the move will pose many challenges, but she believes all will be ready to start on July 21.
    “We’ve been working out the kinks,” she said. “It’s like a huge puzzle.”
    She’s currently looking for donations of halibut line to be used to tie around racks as the books are moved down the street.

    For those who have books checked out and due back during the move, Bell said, “We will leave the book drop open and accessible, but it’s probably best if they hold on to them.” But folks leaving town should return the items, rather than leaving them with a friend to return, Bell advised.
    She gave Aug. 19 as the date for reopening Sitka’s public library at Stratton, but hopes it will take less time than that.