Storybooks, radio connect kids isolated in far-flung Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — All it takes is a few words from a storybook to connect kids over the crackle of an AM radio station. It’s not 1950s entertainment, but a nostalgic way children in even the most remote Alaska communities — many with unreliable internet — can overcome further isolation brought on by the coronavirus.

The public library in the small town of Homer got creative when it had to close during the pandemic, partnering with a radio station to bring a popular story hour to preschoolers stuck at home.

Youth services librarian Claudia Haines reads some children’s books — chosen to appeal to older kids or adults listening in, too — Thursday mornings on KBBI, which serves the town of 5,000 and surrounding villages. The AM station is among several radio broadcasters that have served far-flung Alaska communities for decades, chronicling their histories and cultures and even sending personal messages on the air for people far from the limited road system in the vast state.

“Radio has such a storytelling tradition,” Haines said. “It’s nice to see it put to use.”

The program is among ways libraries nationwide are adapting during the pandemic, according to a recent survey by the Public Library Association. Of the more than 2,500 libraries that responded, over 90% said their buildings have closed. Like the Homer library, they have expanded online services like streaming media and e-books.

They’re also contributing to their communities. The El Dorado County Library in California is getting help using its 3-D printers to make face shields for hospitals and other facilities. The St. Louis County Library in Missouri partnered with a diaper bank to provide a drive-through emergency diaper service at four branches.