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The First City Libraries (FCL) consortium was first established in 1991 between the Ketchikan Gateway School District Libraries and the Ketchikan Public Library, to maintain a shared automated library system and to share collections using that system.

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Each library in the consortium manages the library accounts for their users and sends or delivers overdue and lost notices to them when necessary. If a user has lost or damaged charges for more than one consortium library, it is the user’s home library that prepares and sends the notice to the user.

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Alaska State Statute regarding public libraries and school libraries:

In Alaska, school libraries and public libraries are subject to different confidentiality rules for minor children, per Alaska State Statutes:

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Sec. 40.25.140. Confidentiality of library records.
(a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, the names, addresses, or other personal identifying information of people who have used materials made available to the public by a library shall be kept confidential, except upon court order, and are not subject to inspection under AS 40.25.110 or 40.25.120. This section applies to a library operated by the state, a municipality, or a public school, including the University of Alaska.
(b) Records of a public elementary or secondary school library identifying a minor child shall be made available on request to a parent or guardian of that child.

 

Under this statute, the Ketchikan Public Library may not divulge information about a minor child’s account to a parent or guardian unless the child has given verbal permission to the Library to do so, and the Library has put a note in the child’s account to that effect.

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Under (b) of this statute, a school library may make available to a minor child’s parent or guardian, on request, information about the child’s library account.

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There are other differences between practices at Ketchikan Gateway Borough (KGB) School District Libraries and the Ketchikan Public Library:

Ketchikan Gateway Borough (KGB)
School District Libraries

Teaching responsible library use:  Students are taught responsible use from the very first class visit to the school library. This is a highly structured process, beginning in kindergarten before students borrow their first library books! Usually students can borrow books beginning in first grade, taking one at a time and returning it before they may take another home.


Checkout and renewal limits: In kindergarten and first grade, students take only one book at a time. In second and third grades, students can take out two books at a time. In these first four grades, students are learning positive library behaviors. From the fourth grade on, students may check out up to three books at a time from their school library. Students who also borrow books at the Public Library may check out up to twenty at a time. Most school items can be renewed multiple times, unless others are waiting for an item.


Overdue and lost items: School library staff work one-on-one with children as they visit the school library with their classes. They remind students when they have overdue books and work with them to resolve issues with lost and damaged books. 
In most cases, students may check out one book at a time from their school’s library regardless of fines on their account. Students with lost or damaged items on their accounts are not allowed to borrow from other libraries. 

​School librarians regularly waive book charges for students when circumstances warrant it, and sometimes contact the Public Library to request that Public Library charges be waived for a student. The Public Library honors these requests.   


Lost item charges and processing fees:  School librarians print out and distribute overdue and lost book notices to students in their classes. Secondary-level students are also emailed weekly notices to their school email accounts.
Four weeks after its due date the book is automatically flagged as Lost in the system. The student’s account is charged for the replacement cost of the book and a $2 processing fee.  If the student returns an item that has been flagged as Lost, and it is in good condition and has not been reordered by the Library, the replacement charge is waived for that item. Processing fees are also waived for all elementary school students.

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Ketchikan Public Library

Checkouts and renewals:  Most Ketchikan Public Library items check out for 3 weeks, and as long as another user has not put a hold on an item it can be renewed for another 3 weeks. The renewal is not automatic; a user can renew their item online by logging into their account and selecting the item to renew, or they may call or come into the Library and ask that an item be renewed. 
Children who have a Public Library account (that is, those who do not have an account via their school library), may check out up to twenty items at a time. Children who have a school library account may check out materials at the Public Library as well as a school library, for a total of twenty items at a time.

Overdue notices:  When an item has not been returned a week after it is due, the Library emails the first overdue notice. If it has not been returned after two weeks, the Library emails a second overdue notice, and it emails a third overdue notice if the item is not returned three weeks after the due date. 
Note: If there is no email address in a user’s record, one printed overdue notice is sent three weeks after the due date. 
The Library does not charge overdue fees, but if more than three items are overdue at one time, the user may be blocked from checking out more items until the overdue items are returned.


Lost item charges and processing fees:  Four weeks after the due date the item is automatically flagged as Lost in the system. A Lost Item notice is then sent to the user, and their account is charged the replacement cost of the item and a $7 processing fee. The user is blocked from checking out more items until the lost item is returned or the user pays the lost charges. 


Damaged and Parts Missing charges: If an item is returned so damaged that it cannot be put back in circulation, or if there is a disk or part missing in an item with multiple parts (for example, a DVD, puppet kit, binge box or game), the user’s account will be charged the replacement cost for the item and a $7 processing fee. The Library will contact the user when there is a disk or part missing; if the user returns the part in good condition, the replacement charge and processing fee will be waived.

 

Waiving Lost and Damaged item charges: If a user returns an item that has been flagged as Lost, and it is in good condition and has not been reordered by the Library, the replacement charge and processing fee are waived for that item. 


We know things happen—fire, flood, unexpected relocation or another unforeseen circumstance—and sometimes as a result Library items are lost or damaged. When these things happen, please call or come to the Library and talk with us. We understand these things and will work with you to get your account in good standing so you can remain an active Library user.

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The Ketchikan Public Library offers services to all--whether or not you have a library account!

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Programs: The Library has programs for everyone from age 0 to 99. Babytime, Storytime, craft and science programs are designed for specific ages and interests.

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Crafts: There are coloring and craft supplies in the Children’s Library and the Teen Room that children and teens can use to express their creativity.

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Play: The Children’s Library play area has toys and games for young families to relax and enjoy together.

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Study: The Teen Room has seating areas for group and individual study. The Library also has two study rooms that can be used on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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Reading: The Library has comfortable seating throughout the building, and the Children’s Library has reading nooks for children and tweens.

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UAS - Ketchikan Campus Library

The UAS-Ketchikan Campus Library was a member of the FCL consortium until 2021, when it migrated to the University of Alaska Library system. As a result, an FCL account cannot be used to check out items from the Campus Library. However, adults who are residents of Ketchikan may apply for an account by stopping by the Campus Library in the Ziegler Building on the UAS-Ketchikan Campus. 
For more information about the Campus Library: https://uas.alaska.edu/ketchikan/library/index.html

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