UAA/APU Consortium Library

Our Foucault pendulum is 22 years old! Do you remember when it was brand new?

Installed in 2004 during the construction of the UAA/APU Consortium Library, the pendulum was made possible through the support of 360 generous donors, each of which received a nameplate on the shelf circling the pendulum. The pendulum itself, named after a French physicist, is a feat of science and engineering that manages to show our planet's rotation with the use of a cable, a weighted brass bob, and a specialized magnet.

📚 Big News for Alaska Library Lovers! 📚
Ever wonder what happens to old-school library card catalogs? One of them just made its way to Anchorage! ✈️📍

To celebrate National Library Week, the Alaska Center for the Book unveiled a piece of living history at the UAA/APU Consortium Library: a retired card catalog from the Library of Congress, transformed into an interactive information kiosk!

As one of only 56 distributed across the entire U.S. and its territories, ours was lovingly restored by our very own Ashley, from Circulation and Access Services, and stands as a reminder that the Library of Congress is a Library for all.

🤔 How does it work?
Instead of searching for book call numbers, you can pull open the 15 historical drawers to discover incredible national programs that benefit every single Alaskan.

The Setup: Each drawer front features a different Library of Congress service (like the Veterans History Project or Ask A Librarian).

The Inside: Open a drawer to find a card with a quick breakdown of the initiative and a QR code to scan for more details.

"It highlights all the fantastic programs that every Alaskan can benefit from... It’s also just so exciting to have the opportunity to steward such an integral and physical part of library history." > — Lorelei Sterling, Head of Access Services

Next time you're at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, go touch a piece of history, pull open a few drawers, and see what you discover! 📖✨