The Juneau Assembly recently passed a city budget for the next fiscal year that reduces funding to the Juneau-Douglas City Museum due to a revenue shortfall. The reductions will result in the museum laying off two staff members and drastically cutting back its hours.
KTOO’s Community News Intern Elan Chappell recently chatted with people outside the museum to learn more about what having access to local history means to them.
Listen:
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity.
Ann Clarke, England:
I chose to visit the museum because you want to learn about the place that you’ve just visited. So, instead of just coming off and doing the standard stuff, I wanted to see what Juneau was about.
Learning about local history just helps you understand the people that live here, the environment, everything about it, so the reason that people stay, what’s here now, what’s the economy like here now? Everything. I learned about the mining. I learned the history of how far it goes back and how it’s changed.
Fred Triem, Juneau:
I visit frequently because they have interesting art displays and special events, but also I use it quite frequently as a resource for getting historic information and historic photographs and old documents. The museum has a special place, or use for me, because it’s a repository for Telephone Hill and the ancient switchboard that was used in the Webster House. So, I love the museum.
Learning about local history is important because it educates us about the things that we need to respect and the things we need to protect. I’ve learned about topics – special events that the museum has on its first Fridays (of each month), and often they’re collections of art. I use the museum to see special collections that are put in there periodically.
Hein Schoustra, Netherlands, based in Panama:
I chose to visit this museum because I am interested in history. I am not going to think that I’m going to remember all the details, but it’s just good to see that, and I think history is important for all of us to remember what we have done and what we can do, and how we can keep things the way we want them to keep.
Diane Bales, Bloomfield, Iowa:
I want to learn about the history of the town, and it’s important to me. I went to the state capitol. I’m taking the tour this afternoon. We come to the museum, so we can learn not just the tourist, things that draw the tourists, but the real history and the real people of Juneau; it tells us their story.
