Noel Wien Public Library

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 titles in its collections.

[edit] History

The library was named after Alaskan aviator Noel Wien and its main branch stands on the site of Weeks Field. The library was first established in 1904 as a reading room in St. Matthew's Episcopal Mission. Archdeacon Hudson Stuck donated 1,000 books to get the library going. In 1909 construction of a separate library building was given a boost by George C. Thomas of Philadelphia. Thomas donated $1,000 a year for three years to buy more books. In 1942, St. Matthew's deeded the lot, building, and collections to the city of Fairbanks. In 1949 a fire destroyed one-third of the collections, but through subsequent donations the library grew to more than 4,000 volumes. In 1967 the library again lost many of its books due to the flooding of the Chena River that August. The next year, 1968, ownership of the library was transferred to the borough, and the collection swelled to 20,000 items. In 1974, a library construction bond passed, providing $4.2 million for construction of a new building. In 1977, the new library opened its doors to the public.

[edit] Book Tile Project

The Library Book Tile Project has been an ongoing undertaking of the Library Support Group, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to furnishing and improving the library. Tiles are purchased and memorialized by patrons for $100 each.

A noted local ceramic artist, Nancy Hausle-Johnson, makes the tiles in a variety of sizes and colors that look like real books viewed from the spine. The shelves holding the tiles are located just inside the library’s main entrance and generate a great deal of positive comments from visitors.

This tile wall was the inspiration for a similar project at the Cherry Hill (New Jersey) Public Library after a June 2003 visit by longtime board member Kathleen Schwartz to the Wien Library.

The Library Book Tile Project has been in operation since 1998 and has generated more $70,000; the money has been used to purchase a wide variety of library improvements.