Monday afternoon was bustling and busy at the Wasilla Public Library. Visitors ranging in age from infant to senior citizen, the small building on Main Street was packed. Some were interested in the latest novel releases, while others clicked away on the facility’s seven computers. Others still were checking out the newest evolution of the written word meeting technology.
“These are called ‘Playaways,’” said KJ Martin-Albright, director of the Wasilla Public Library.
  
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It’s one of the many ways libraries are using technology to keep up with the times and give patrons more options, she said.
In the first of a two-part Tuesday Q&A series on the Valley’s public libraries, Martin-Albright discusses the state of libraries today.
Frontiersman: With all the competition from technology and the Internet as information sources, are libraries in trouble?
Martin-Albright: You keep hearing about how everything’s going digital. The truth is, more books are being published than ever before. Not everybody has access to digital technology, so a big part of (libraries) is providing that access to people. ... Our use has gone up, we’re circulating more materials than ever before. We’re not just some place people go for recreational reading, we’re also a place where people who, for example, have had a medical diagnosis, so they’re looking for alternative ways to treat it. Or, our dog training books circulate a lot, and beekeeping — it’s a world of information that doesn’t cost you a dime, unless you’re late.
F: What do libraries need to do to keep in tune with their communities and users, and what materials are popular with locals?
M-A: What we’ve always done. I’m from the give-them-what-they-want school of thinking, instead of give-them-what-you-think-they-should-have. Our community likes best-sellers, like Dan Brown, Janet Evanovich is huge — she’s a mystery writer. Also, people here like things on sustainable energy and politics circulate well, along with Alaskana year-round. A lot of crocheting and crafts.
F: What kinds of technology does the Wasilla library have available for users?
M-A: We have seven computers available for public use all the time. Technology has changed us in that there’s so much information available almost instantly. A trend in public libraries is with reference sections decreasing because there’s a lot of reliable information available on the Internet.
F: Being the Wasilla Public Library, how do you keep the local flavor of the area?
M-A: I think one of the big things public libraries have to offer is the public information about their areas, the local history. We make an effort to include all our local authors and as much information as we can find.
F: Are DVDs and audiobooks more popular now than print?
M-A: I don’t classify DVDs as books, but I classify audiobooks as books. You’re still reading it, just in a different way.
F: What’s the average age of your library user?
M-A: It really varies. If you sit out there, you’ll see we get the youngest to the oldest and everyone in-between.
F: What’s the biggest challenge facing the Wasilla Public Library?
M-A: Actually, I feel like we’ve been so lucky. The city council has been so supportive. It’s added more money into our book budget for this year. Our biggest need is a new building so we can better serve our community. We out-grew this building more than 20 years ago. We need about 25 computers to be able to meet our needs, but we don’t have any more space to put computers. Space is at a premium.
F: You need a new building. Is there an effort under way to make that happen?
M-A: Yes. We’ve been working on that for awhile. The Public Works Department has us on a list and there’s a committee appointed by the mayor and council. We’re still in the planning, preliminary stages. I’d love to see a grand opening (of a new building) in time for the 75th anniversary of the library. This library was established in 1938, so that would be in 2013.
F: What’s the largest overdue fine you’ve seen that someone actually came in and paid?
M-A: It’s $300 or so. It’s 25 cents per item per day and you can have up to 20 items on your card. It maxes out at $5, then a $5 administrative fee after 30 days. But, if the item is lost, you also have to pay the replacement cost of the item. ... People find stuff that’s ours in their storage units or when they’re moving. We’ve had people find stuff and bring it back and it’s not in our system anymore.
F: How difficult is it to keep up with current information?
M-A: Well, it’s always changing and evolving, like recently (when) Pluto was determined to not be a planet anymore, we needed to update our astronomy and physics books. You also want to keep your medical books updated, and your encyclopedias. We have an obligation to the community we serve to make sure information is accurate and current.
F: What got you interested in
libraries?
M-A: I got my undergraduate degree in history, and my choices were teach or, I wasn’t sure what else. It hit me out of the blue one day to check out this library thing. So, I got a job at the library at my undergraduate college — Towsend University in Baltimore, Md.
F: After Sarah Palin announced her candidacy for vice president on the Republican ticket last year, how did that affect the local library?
M-A: We had a lot of media attention. We tried not to let it (affect normal operations). The first couple of weeks after the announcement, yes, it was really busy. It was really interesting to watch the evolution of it all. ... I had someone from The New York Times research desk call, and I gave him the standard reply, which is you have to talk to the mayor’s office. He was, like, “But I’m from The New York Times.”
F: What do you see as the future for libraries?
M-A: There have been some national studies that have come out recently that show public libraries as the third place people can hang out, meet people from the community, discuss issues, aside from home and at work. I see us as (continuing to be) the hub of a community, the heart of a community. Schools, libraries and parks are the top three things people look at when moving to a new community.
Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.
IF YOU GO
What: Wasilla Public Library.
Where: 391 N. Main St., Wasilla.
Hours: 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Contact: phone 376-2347, e-mail library@ci.wasilla.ak.us.
FAST FACTS
• Wasilla Public Library first opened Jan. 23, 1938.
• The library moved into its current building on Main Street in 1978.
• When the library first opened, it had 91 books. Today, it has more than 58,000 items.
• In 2009, 56 volunteers donated 555.5 hours of time to the library.
• The library recorded more than 88,000 visits in fiscal year 2009, up from just over 75,000 in 2005.
• A majority of Wasilla library users — 78 percent — live outside city limits.
Source: Wasilla Public Library Report to the Mat-Su Library Board, Oct. 17.
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