The Kenai City Council passed an ordinance that would appropriate a Collection Equity Award from the Network of the National Library of Medicine Region 5 for the purchase of health and wellness titles for the Kenai Community Library Collection. The $1,500 grant would be used to purchase materials in a variety of formats to support the health information needs of the residents of Kenai and surrounding communities with a focus on purchasing materials for underrepresented groups based on census data and informal community conversations.
Council motioned to postpone voting on the ordinance till the December 15th meeting because several members of city council and the public indicated the need to request a list of specific titles that Library Director, Katja Wolfe was going to purchase.
Council Member Henry Knackstedt:
“Ordinance Number 3257-2021 is a grant for $1,500 for health and wellness materials and it’s silent on exactly any titles or anything like that that’s there. It’s clear what it’s for. It does say it provides equitable health information to libraries. Libraries, in my estimation, are probably the biggest equalizers we have in a community where you go in there, it doesn’t matter where you are on the financial scale, you can go in and get a book that you may not be able to afford otherwise. It’s there. That’s what it’s there for. I’d like to point out, too, the books and material that come into the library is invested in the librarian, per our city code. We’re not going to be receiving, through this grant, a premade box from the grant person. It comes from our librarian who will make that decision. They’re not going to send something, and we don’t know what it is and we have to put it on our shelves. It just doesn’t work that way.”
City Manager Paul Ostrander spoke on what this money can be used on:
“It is specific that this grant is for health and wellness titles. The money that went to the Friends (of the Kenai Community Library) can be used for any other purpose that the Friends determines is appropriate. Through discussions with Ms. Wolfe, this is specific as far as what it can purchase. That money that was raised from the community could be used for any other purpose to benefit the library.”
A GoFundMe was started to raise support for the library’s staff and ability to purchase books, because of the initial delay, which raised over $15,000.