History
Two skid shacks adjacent to the Kodiak Community Center housed the Kodiak Community Library when it was founded in 1946. Years of volunteer operation and minimal city financing followed. In 1953 the Kodiak Public Library Association was established, and this group, along with the City of Kodiak and other interested community organizations and citizens, saw the library move into a small building on the downtown school grounds in 1956. About this time the Rotary Club purchased a site which was deeded to the City of Kodiak for the future home of a new library. On December 8, 1968, the new A. Holmes Johnson Memorial Library was dedicated and named for a local physician who had long been a champion of library service in Kodiak. The building was the result of a blend of Federal, City, and donated funds. The original building, costing $245,000, was expanded with the addition of the audio-visual wing in 1977, the children's wing in 1984, and the Alaska reference room in 1993.
The passage of time has not changed the library's commitment to serving the informational and recreational needs of the community.
Library Cards
Any resident of the Kodiak Island Borough area is eligible for a library card. New patrons are asked to show identification that includes their correct Kodiak mailing address. We require parental permission for children ages 15 and younger to acquire library cards.
Temporary cards are available for persons not able to demonstrate Kodiak residency. A refundable deposit is required.
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Check out Periods
Video cassettes and compact discs check out for one-week. All other library materials circulate for four weeks. Extended check-out periods may be arranged at the time of check-out for persons who will be in remote locations.
All library fines are ten cents per day per item.
A patron's borrowing privileges are restricted when they owe $5.00 or more in fines or when they have been billed for overdue materials.
Collection
In addition to over 65,000 books, the library checks out:
- AV Equipment
- Audio-cassettes
- Video-cassettes
- Compact discs
- Computer Software
Available for use in the library are over 200 magazines and newspapers, vertical file materials, State of Alaska documents, maps, and games.
Children's Services
Children of all ages are especially welcome at the library.
In addition to a wide variety of children's library materials that may be borrowed, special programs are designed for our younger patrons. They include:
- Weekly story times for preschoolers
- Monthly craft sessions
- Monthly paperback book sales & exchanges
- Summer reading activities for two age groups
- School tours and orientation sessions.
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Meeting Rooms
Two meeting rooms are available for use by community non-profit organizations. One is suitable for small groups of eight or less, while the other will accommodate 25.
Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan is a special service that allows patrons to borrow from libraries all over the U.S. and sometimes beyond. Suggestions for purchase made by patrons are given careful consideration.
Equipment
Equipment that patrons may borrow for a 48-hour period:
- Slide projector, viewer, & sorter
- 16 mm film projector
- Filmstrip projector
- Viewing screens
- Overhead projector
- Opaque Projector
Available for in-house use:
- Typewriters
- Microfiche & Microfilm readers
- Audio-cassette players
- Photocopy machine - 20 cents/copy
- Public-use FAX
Computers
The library has utilized a computerized circulation system since 1989. Patrons who are not familiar with computers are encouraged to ask the library staff for assistance.
Library patrons have direct access to a collection of online databases and periodical indexes in SLED, the State Library Electronic Doorway. This system allows patrons to access many periodicals that the library does not actually have in our collection. It is also possible for patrons having Internet access at home to utilized these databases. Ask a librarian for an informational pamphlet.
Public-use Internet computers are located near the circulation desk. They are available to visitors as well as library card holders.
Patrons interested in knowing what is available in other libraries throughout the U.S. and Canada are invited to use the WLN / OCLC data base. This tool is like a giant card catalog that includes hundreds of libraries and millions of titles.
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