Jessie Wakefield Memorial Library
🏢 City of Port Lions · Port Lions, Alaska
Jessie Wakefield Memorial Library
The Jessie Wakefield Memorial Library serves Port Lions, a community on the northwest coast of Kodiak Island that was built in 1966 to rehouse Alaska Native families displaced by the 1964 Good Friday earthquake — the most powerful ever recorded in U.S. history.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | See city office for current hours |
| Tuesday | See city office for current hours |
| Wednesday | See city office for current hours |
| Thursday | See city office for current hours |
| Friday | See city office for current hours |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 207 SPRUCE DRIVE, PORT LIONS, AK 99550
Plus Code: 9399V488+HG (PORT LIONS, AK)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Jessie Wakefield Memorial Library
The Jessie Wakefield Memorial Library is the public library of Port Lions, Alaska, located at 207 Spruce Drive in this small city on the Kodiak Island Borough. Port Lions was founded on January 24, 1966, to resettle two communities destroyed by the 1964 Good Friday earthquake (magnitude 9.2): the village of Ag'waneq on Afognak Island and Port Wakefield on Raspberry Island. Rebuilding was funded with federal assistance and carried out with significant help from the Lions Club — which is how the new town received its name. Today Port Lions is home to about 170 residents, of whom roughly 62 percent identify as American Indian and Alaska Native, and serves as headquarters for the Native Village of Port Lions, a federally recognized Alaska Native tribe. The library at 207 Spruce Drive provides this tight-knit community with reading materials, public internet access, and access to Alaska's statewide SLED digital resources. Kodiak Public Library, the nearest full-service library, is about 18 miles away by water.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Named in honor of Jessie Wakefield, serving the community rebuilt after the 1964 Good Friday earthquake
- Port Lions was founded January 24, 1966 — named for the Lions Club whose support helped rebuild two earthquake-destroyed villages
- Community of about 170 residents, over 60% Alaska Native, on the northwest coast of Kodiak Island
- Headquarters of the Native Village of Port Lions, a federally recognized Alaska Native tribe
- Access to SLED Alaska statewide digital library with a free library card
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Port Lions cardholders can access Alaska's statewide digital resources free of charge:
📚 Services
- Public lending of books and materials
- Free library card
- Public internet access
- Access to SLED Alaska statewide digital databases
- Community gathering and reading space
🎸 Programs
- Youth reading programs
- Community programs and events
📍 Nearby Libraries in the Kodiak Island Area
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Port Lions, Alaska named after the Lions Club?
Port Lions was founded in 1966 to rehouse Alaska Native families whose villages of Ag'waneq (Afognak Island) and Port Wakefield (Raspberry Island) were destroyed by the 1964 Good Friday earthquake — the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in U.S. history. Rebuilding received substantial help from the Lions Club, and the new town was named in the organization's honor. The city was formally incorporated on January 24, 1966.
What digital resources are available with a Jessie Wakefield Memorial Library card?
Library cardholders can access SLED — Alaska's Digital Library — free of charge, which provides research databases including Oxford Reference, NoveList book recommendations, Consumer Health Complete, live homework help, and Alaska's Digital Archives. These are available to all Alaskans.
How do you get to Port Lions, Alaska?
Port Lions is on the northwest coast of Kodiak Island in the Kodiak Island Borough. Like most Kodiak Island communities outside the City of Kodiak, it is accessible by small plane or boat. The nearest full-service library, Kodiak Public Library, is about 18 miles away by water.
✎ Notice something out of date? Suggest a correction and we’ll verify and update it.