Fogler Library Friends - The OliveTree

VOLUME 19 NUMBER 2, FALL 2011

Around the Library

Fogler Library Spotlighted by Federal Government
Fogler Library was spotlighted by the federal government during August for participation in the Federal Depository Library Program. Fogler is one of over 1220 libraries in all fifty states that participate in this government program providing both electronic access and paper based documents published by the government free of charge to all citizens. Participating in the program since 1907, Fogler Library provides support to the twenty five other libraries in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont that also are part of the library network. The article on Fogler may be accessed at <http://www.fdlp.gov/outreach/spotlight/986-universityofmaine>. For further information on accessing government information at Fogler contact Gregory Curtis, 581-1681 or gregory.t.curtis@maine.edu.

Ancestry Library Edition
Fogler Library is pleased to announce access to Ancestry Library Edition, a history and genealogy resource that includes more than 7,000 databases with billions of historical records on individuals, families, and places. Sources include censuses, vital records (birth, death, marriage), immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, and maps. Countries for which data is available include the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, China, and many more. Note: some sources and some functionality available via a personal subscription to AncestryPlus are not available in the Ancestry Library Edition. Publisher permissions allow in-building use of Ancestry at Maine public libraries that have registered for access, as well as authenticated access for Maine college and university libraries via their web sites. Fogler Library users can link to Ancestry from our Indexes and Databases page at <http://www.library.umaine.edu/indexesdb/Indexes.asp>.

Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Edith Marion Patch
This spring’s celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Edith Marion Patch was held on Sunday, April 17th in the University Club at Fogler Library. The focus of this annual event, a collaboration between the Fogler Library Friends and the Friends of Edith Patch, is the Edith Patch award.

The Award was created in 2006 by the Friends of Dr. Edith Marion Patch. It is given annually in order to honor Dr. Patch's legacy, as exemplified by the work of today's graduate and undergraduate women in science at the University of Maine. Dr. Patch was the first woman scientist employed by the University. She arrived in Orono in 1903 to start the entomology department and establish its research agenda. She had to work for a year without salary, however, in order to prove that, as a woman, she was capable of doing the job. She passed the test and remained at UMaine for the rest of her professional career. She became one of the world's leading aphid specialists, and was so respected by fellow entomologists that she was elected president of the Entomological Society of America, at a time when few women were permitted even to be members of such organizations.

Three University of Maine students were named winners of the 2011 Edith Patch Award at the reception. Vanessa Coats, Haley Viehman, and Alyssa Freitag were honored for distinguished work they have done while at the University of Maine, and in recognition of their promise for future contribution to the fields of science, agriculture, engineering, or environmental education.

Ms. Coats is a third-year doctoral student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her research, which focuses on the symbiotic relationships between the Japanese barberry plant and other organisms, may help to provide strategies for preventing the spread of this invasive ornamental plant species.

Ms. Viehman is a master's degree student in the School of Marine Sciences. In her work at the University of Maine, she utilizes her undergraduate training as an engineer to investigate the impact of tidal power technology on marine life, thus contributing to Maine's leadership in economically and environmentally important research and development of renewable energy.

Ms. Freitag is an undergraduate in the School of Marine Sciences, where her research has focused on the bonnethead shark and the bacteria to which it is exposed in both wild and natural environments.

In addition to the three Edith Patch Awardees, there were four distinguished nominees honored at the reception. Casey Levasseur is a senior in the Baccalaureate in Nursing program, who also serves as Cadet Battalion Commander in the University of Maine's Army ROTC. In the words of her nominator, Ms. Levasseur "is poised to make significant contributions to improvement of human health through the application of scientific evidence in nursing care."

Susan Priest is an undergraduate in the Ecology and Environmental Sciences program. Her research and development of a permaculture garden serves as a model for the region, and her environmental education efforts have helped make the Orono Bog Boardwalk a valued community resource.

Allison Byrd is a master's student in the School of Biology and Ecology. Her research on the productivity of common loons provides a tool that will enable conservation biologists to understand and predict the effects of climate change on wildlife.

Rachel Palmer is a doctoral student in the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, whose toxicological research investigates the potentially harmful effects of the antibacterial agent, triclosan, which is used in many household products.

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