Patricia Roppel Research Library opens to public at museum

The Nolan Center is giving inquisitive locals someplace quiet to research, with Wrangell Museum staff setting up a station inside its office.

Speaking Tuesday, Nolan Center director Terri Henson said the nook is now open to the public. It includes a cozy desk, a laptop computer, bookshelves and filing cabinets. It was set up by museum staff, and makes it easier for people to access their still-expanding digitized collection.

"What we did was created a little research center," Henson explained. "It took us a long time to do it."

The books include a number of volumes of local interest, from Native traditions to different aspects of Alaskan history and culture.

"We also have files that were created by Pat Roppel and Mike Whelan," Henson added. Three drawers are full of carefully categorized folders filled with notes and documentation on an extensive variety of subjects. "Some of it's on people, some of it's on Shakes' House, Native history, Wrangell history, Garnet Ledge."

Files and one of the

cabinets were donated to the museum by the Roppel family after Patricia Roppel's death in 2015. A state historian, educator and published author, during her years in Wrangell, Roppel was a great contributor to its museum and collection, Henson explained. In honor of her years of support, the research library has been dedicated to Roppel's memory.

The centerpiece of the research station is its laptop, which gives users significant access to the museum's collection.

"On this computer we have loaded everything to date that we have processed through PastPerfect software," said Henson. "Our photo collection, our artifacts that we have in our collection, and some of the things that you don't see out but that we have."

Over the past two years, museum staff has digitally preserved over three quarters of the collection's photos, three quarters of its artifacts, and about an eighth of its printed archives. The process involves more than taking a picture, with dates, names, uses and other available information entered for each item in the catalogue.

"It takes a lot of time to get everything," said Henson. "It's been a long process. The photos have been ongoing for years. We still have a lot of photos that we don't have a lot of information on."

At the core of this effort is the museum's staff, which includes Greg Acuna, Cindy Kilpatrick, Marlene Messmer and April Eilertsen.

"We have a small group, but we have a great, dedicated group of individuals," Henson commented.

There is still much left to be done, with the project getting into the difficult process of cataloguing a number of unidentified objects, determining their connection to Wrangell and whether to maintain them as part of its museum collection. A number of residents have left items with Wrangell Museum over the years, and staff have been trying to ensure their documentation and status are up to date.

As for the research station, articles will be added to the digital database as they are newly entered, and the filing cabinets will also continue to see new additions as written archives are scrutinized. "We're going to have more files, and we'll update files as we can," Henson promised.

"We've still got some fine-tuning to do, but we're now open," she added.

The station presents a great opportunity for students, private researchers, or people interested in following up on family history and photos. Along with the digital imaging station available to use at Irene Ingle Public Library, residents can more easily assemble and preserve their own historical archives.

Until the start of winter

hours on October 1, the station will be available during

regular museum hours, Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. After the onset of its rolled-back hours, people can still call in to schedule research times, as staff are usually still working inside.