John Trigg Ester Library
Encyclopedia
The John Trigg Ester Library is a small membership
library
, located in Ester
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. The library has approximately 5,000 volumes in its collections, and is constructing a new library building.
Library membership is dues-based, with most members coming from the Ester area; dues are $5 per year. The library is staffed by a small group of volunteers. An annual fundraiser held in March, the Library Lallapalooza and Book Bash, earns income for supplies, rent, and for a building (currently in the planning stages). A second fundraiser, the LiBerry Music Festival, is held in the fall to raise money for heating fuel and other expenses, while a third fundraiser, Readers on the Run, a 5-kilometer footrace, is dedicated to construction expenses for the new building.
The library is housed in a rented room in a building in the center of the village and has a cold-storage annex for donated books. An associated gazebo, situated about a block away near the village post office, serves as an outdoor reading room and event area in connection with the library.
The Ester library is a member of the Alaska Library Association and uses LibraryThing
for its online catalog.
Magazine from founding through 2005, Alaska Handywoman, and The Ester Republic
. The annual reports of the Ester Volunteer Fire Department are also included, but the collection is not yet complete. One periodical published elsewhere, Orion
, was donated to the library and so also is in the periodicals section.
The library also has several foreign language and Alaska Native language titles. These are not separated from the regular collections (primarily due to the lack of space) but are integrated into the main sections: Reference, Fiction, Nonfiction, Circumpolar nonfiction, Young readers, Literature, Metaphysics
& philosophy
, Video/CD fiction & animated, Video/CD nonfiction, Books on tape/CD. Languages include: Athabaskan, Yup'ik
, Russian
, French
, German
, Danish
, Hungarian
, Spanish
, and Portuguese
. The library also has an extensive collection (for its size) of non-English dictionaries, grammars, and language self-study books.
Collection development plans include expansion of the movies section and inclusion of a music collection.
The Ester library has developed its collection almost exclusively from donated and found book
s, video
s, DVD
s, and audio book
s. As a result, the collection is eclectic, reflecting the reading habits of members of the community. The family of John Trigg has been a major donor both in books and funds. Much of the library's collection of science
, science fiction
, fantasy
, and mystery
titles were originally from Trigg's private library
or donated by his family.
's Book Tile Project, the Ester library raises money by dedications with engraved plaques, to be affixed on bookshelves in the new building ($50 per plaque, one plaque per shelf).
between 2004 and 2009. The library received separate nonprofit recognition from the State of Alaska in November 2009 https://myalaska.state.ak.us/business/soskb/Corp.asp?385673 and is currently applying for federal charitable nonprofit status.
Subscription library
A subscription library is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments...
library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, located in Ester
Ester, Alaska
Ester is a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the 'Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 2,422 at the 2010 census...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. The library has approximately 5,000 volumes in its collections, and is constructing a new library building.
Library membership is dues-based, with most members coming from the Ester area; dues are $5 per year. The library is staffed by a small group of volunteers. An annual fundraiser held in March, the Library Lallapalooza and Book Bash, earns income for supplies, rent, and for a building (currently in the planning stages). A second fundraiser, the LiBerry Music Festival, is held in the fall to raise money for heating fuel and other expenses, while a third fundraiser, Readers on the Run, a 5-kilometer footrace, is dedicated to construction expenses for the new building.
The library is housed in a rented room in a building in the center of the village and has a cold-storage annex for donated books. An associated gazebo, situated about a block away near the village post office, serves as an outdoor reading room and event area in connection with the library.
The Ester library is a member of the Alaska Library Association and uses LibraryThing
LibraryThing
LibraryThing is a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book metadata. It is used by individuals, authors, libraries and publishers....
for its online catalog.
Collections
The library has a small Alaska nonfiction/reference section, with special attention to books published in Ester or by or about Ester residents. This includes the only periodicals in the library, those published in Ester: MushingMushing
Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, pulka, scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land...
Magazine from founding through 2005, Alaska Handywoman, and The Ester Republic
The Ester Republic
The Ester Republic is a small, independent monthly newspaper published in Ester, Alaska, and established January 1999. The paper serves as an alternative media publication for the Tanana Valley. It is the only newspaper that has been published in Ester; the village has been served historically by...
. The annual reports of the Ester Volunteer Fire Department are also included, but the collection is not yet complete. One periodical published elsewhere, Orion
Orion (magazine)
Orion is a bimonthly, advertisement-free, magazine focused on nature, the environment, and culture, addressing environmental and societal issues....
, was donated to the library and so also is in the periodicals section.
The library also has several foreign language and Alaska Native language titles. These are not separated from the regular collections (primarily due to the lack of space) but are integrated into the main sections: Reference, Fiction, Nonfiction, Circumpolar nonfiction, Young readers, Literature, Metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
& philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Video/CD fiction & animated, Video/CD nonfiction, Books on tape/CD. Languages include: Athabaskan, Yup'ik
Yupik language
The Yupik languages are the several distinct languages of the several Yupik peoples of western and southcentral Alaska and northeastern Siberia. The Yupik languages differ enough from one another that speakers of different ones cannot understand each other, although they may understand the general...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
. The library also has an extensive collection (for its size) of non-English dictionaries, grammars, and language self-study books.
Collection development plans include expansion of the movies section and inclusion of a music collection.
The Ester library has developed its collection almost exclusively from donated and found book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
s, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, and audio book
Audio book
An audiobook or audio book is a recording of a text being read. It is not necessarily an exact audio version of a book or magazine.Spoken audio has been available in schools and public libraries and to a lesser extent in music shops since the 1930s. Many spoken word albums were made prior to the...
s. As a result, the collection is eclectic, reflecting the reading habits of members of the community. The family of John Trigg has been a major donor both in books and funds. Much of the library's collection of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, and mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
titles were originally from Trigg's private library
Private library
A private library is a library under the care of private ownership, as compared to that of a public institution, and is usually only established for the use of a small number of people, or even a single person. As with public libraries, some people use stamps, stickers, or embossing to show...
or donated by his family.
Book Shelf Project
In a fashion similar to the Noel Wien Public LibraryNoel Wien Public Library
The Noel Wien Public Library, operated by the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It has a branch library in North Pole, Alaska. Its current director is Greg Hill, who also writes a regular column for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The library has more than 100,000...
's Book Tile Project, the Ester library raises money by dedications with engraved plaques, to be affixed on bookshelves in the new building ($50 per plaque, one plaque per shelf).
History
The Ester library was founded in the summer of 1999. It was held by the Ester Community AssociationCommunity association
A community association is a nongovernmental association of participating members of a community, such as a neighborhood, village, condominium, cooperative, or group of homeowners or property owners in a delineated geographic area. Participation may be voluntary, require a specific residency, or...
between 2004 and 2009. The library received separate nonprofit recognition from the State of Alaska in November 2009 https://myalaska.state.ak.us/business/soskb/Corp.asp?385673 and is currently applying for federal charitable nonprofit status.
External links
- JTEL blog
- JTEL website
- JTEL Facebook page
- Friends of the John Trigg Ester Library website
- LibraryThing online catalog for the Ester library (in progress).
- Ester Community Association website