The Tuzzy Consortium Library is named in honor of the late Evelyn Tuzroyluk Higbee and serves students, faculty, staff, and the public throughout the North Slope. As a college library, the collection is developed in support of the mission of Iḷisaġvik College. The library has a growing Alaska/circumpolar collection and an extensive archive with an emphasis on information relating to the Arctic, polar regions, the North Slope, and Iñupiat history, language, and culture.
The library’s online catalog can be accessed from the library’s webpage or directly here.
The online catalog is shared in partnership with the statewide Alaska Library Catalog the University of Alaska Fairbanks. All of the holdings of the Tuzzy Library, the archives, and library branches in the villages of the North Slope, as well as more than 80 member libraries in the state of Alaska branches of UAF, can be searched through this link.
The library provides students with access to databases with cultural resources, journals, encyclopedias, newspapers, and other resources that support the College curriculum. Additionally, the library provides reference service and research assistance. Material may be requested from other Alaska libraries may by placing a hold on the item in the online catalog. Materials not available in Alaska can be requested through interlibrary loan (ILL) services. Requests for interlibrary loan materials may be e-mailed to us at ILL@tuzzy.org. Requests for journal articles are usually filled in eight to twelve days. Requests for books and other hard copy material are usually filled within three to four weeks, due to transit time in the mail.
Tuzzy Consortium Library is also home to both a classroom and a conference room that are utilized by many of the departments at Iḷisaġvik’s College. These spaces are also available to be reserved for private or public use. The library also has a dedicated children’s room, a teen room and plenty of quiet study space for students to use. All of the spaces access the library’s free Wi-Fi and if all of the 18 public-use computers are occupied, laptop computers may be checked out at the front desk.
Video conferencing is also available for classes or private meetings as well as group presentations across the state of Alaska and beyond. The videoconference service has been used by Iḷisaġvik’s College instructors to teach classes to students in locations across the North Slope and the State of Alaska. Private citizens have used it for many purposes including conducting job interviews between Utqiaġvik and Australia, and connecting to oil experts in New Hampshire. The library uses the service regularly to share library programs and Iñupiat culture with people in libraries throughout the state. To take advantage of this service, please contact a library employee at least two weeks in advance of your anticipated videoconference date.
With a wide array of programming, there is always something happening at Tuzzy Consortium Library. There are programs for children, teens, students, adults, and families. Stop by, call, e-mail, or check the library webpage to see what events and programs the library is currently hosting.
The Tuzzy Consortium Library, located in the Iñupiat Heritage Center on North Star Street, is open six days a week, Monday-Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 6pm, Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The library can be contacted through e-mail at tuzzy@tuzzy.org, phone at 907.852.4050 or by fax 907.852.4059. The library maintains a toll-free number for village students at 800.478.6916.