03/30/2015 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

              HB 130-NAMING STATE LIBRARY & MUSEUM                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:06:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO.  130, "An Act naming the  state library, archives,                                                               
and museum building in Juneau."                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:07:17 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SAM KITO III, Alaska  State Legislature, began his                                                               
presentation and was interrupted by Chair Keller.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:08:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ moved to adopt CSHB 130, Version 29-                                                                     
LS0669\W, as the working document.  There being no objection                                                                    
Version W was before the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:08:43 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KITO commented  that  Version W,  in addition  to                                                               
naming the  library, includes  the Representative  Richard Foster                                                               
Reading Room, which was added in  the other body.  He paraphrased                                                               
the   sponsor  statement,   as   follows  [original   punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     House  Bill   130  designates   the  new   Division  of                                                                    
     Libraries,  Archives &  Museums building  in Juneau  as                                                                    
     the  Father   Andrew  P.  Kashevaroff   State  Library,                                                                    
     Archives, and  Museum. The State of  Alaska is building                                                                    
     this  new   facility  for  the  division   to  protect,                                                                    
     preserve and  share its  collection of  objects, books,                                                                    
     documents,  photos and  records  of  state culture  and                                                                    
     history. The building, nicknamed  SLAM, is scheduled to                                                                    
     open in  the spring  of 2016.  It is  time to  choose a                                                                    
     more formal name for the facility.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     It  is  fitting  to  name the  building  after  Russian                                                                    
     Orthodox  priest Father  Andrew P.  Kashevaroff. Father                                                                    
     Kashevaroff was an Alaskan  scholar, the museum's first                                                                    
     curator   and   the   library's  first   librarian,   a                                                                    
     descendant  of Russian  explorers and  Alaskan Natives,                                                                    
     and  a forerunner  of the  division's efforts  to share                                                                    
     Alaska's  history  and culture  collaboratively  across                                                                    
     disciplines.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     In  November 1919,  Father  Kashevaroff-a man  renowned                                                                    
     for  his  knowledge  of   Russian  history  and  Alaska                                                                    
     Natives-began his  twenty-year tenure as  Librarian and                                                                    
     Curator for  the Alaska Historical Museum  and Library.                                                                    
     Father Kashevaroff  was a vocal and  energetic advocate                                                                    
     for  the Museum  and Library,  and today  he is  fondly                                                                    
     remembered  as   its  true  founding  Father.   He  was                                                                    
     uniquely   suited  for   the   position:  his   Russian                                                                    
     ancestors  were navigators  and colonists  who came  to                                                                    
     Alaska  in  the 1700s  and  married  Alutiiq or  Creole                                                                    
     women in and  around Kodiak. Born there  in 1863 during                                                                    
     the Russian administration of  Alaska, he dedicated his                                                                    
     life  to  serving  the Russian  Orthodox  Church  while                                                                    
     maintaining   his  interest   in  Alaska   history  and                                                                    
     culture.  He  was  considered a  leading  authority  on                                                                    
     Alaska, and  became a popular lecturer  and author. The                                                                    
     combination of  his Russian and Alaska  Native heritage                                                                    
     and  his  ability  to  live and  work  as  an  American                                                                    
     afforded  him special  access  to  both cultures  which                                                                    
     helped  him  develop  and  lead  a  distinctly  Alaskan                                                                    
     institution.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Museum  visitors found  Father Kashevaroff  a memorable                                                                    
     character.  Many elderly  Alaskans fondly  remember how                                                                    
     he encouraged  them as  children to  "hang out"  in the                                                                    
     old   museum  after   school,  to   wander  among   the                                                                    
     picturesque displays, and to  listen to his adventurous                                                                    
     stories. In  the summers,  he was  on-call to  open the                                                                    
     museum at  any hour of  the day for  visiting steamship                                                                    
     passengers.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Naming the  new state libraries, archives,  and museums                                                                    
     building  in  honor  of   this  historic  Alaskan  will                                                                    
     recognize and  preserve the legacy of  Father Andrew P.                                                                    
     Kashevaroff in a most fitting manner.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Thank you for your support of House Bill 130.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:12:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LINDA  THIBODEAU,   Director,  Libraries,  Archives   &  Museums,                                                               
Department  of  Education  and Early  Development,  testified  in                                                               
support of CSHB 130, and offered to respond to questions.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER  closed public testimony after  ascertaining that no                                                               
one further wished to testify.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:13:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DRUMMOND expressed  interest in  the progress  of                                                               
the  state library,  archives, and  museum  building project  and                                                               
stated support for CSHB 130.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON  stated  support  for the  naming  of  the                                                               
reading room  particularly for the Representative  Richard Foster                                                               
Reading Room, and CSHB 130.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   COLVER  commented   that  there   is  a   unique                                                               
historical connection in naming  the state library, archives, and                                                               
museum building  after this Russian  gentleman [Father  Andrew P.                                                               
Kashevaroff]                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:15:33 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ moved  to report CSHB 130,  Version W, out                                                               
of   committee   with    individual   recommendations   and   the                                                               
accompanying fiscal  notes.  There  being no objection,  CSHB 130                                                               
(EDC) was moved from the House Education Standing Committee.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:15:58 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 8:15 a.m. to 8:19 a.m.