Good things come to those who wait. In June 2005, Rasmuson Foundation awarded $250,000 to University of Alaska Anchorage‘s LitSite Alaska to support a site redesign and content upgrade that could significantly change the way people access and experience Alaska history. Accordingly, much of the project’s success was predicated upon forging new content and technology partnerships.

Today, LitSite Alaska, an interactive Web site with a wealth of information, insights and stories about the history, diversity, culture and traditions of Alaskans and IBM announced that the global technology leader would bring native language and stories to life using its cutting-edge speech technology. Over 1,000 pages of text have been enhanced with audio files, using IBM WebSphere Voice Server text-to-speech software. These audio files even include uncommon pronunciations of Alaska Native names and words such as KwaashKiKwaan, Tlingit, and Inupiaq.

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