Fogler Library Friends - The OliveTree

VOLUME 17 NUMBER 2, FALL 2009

Staff Retirements

Frank Wihbey
Frank Wihbey retires this fall from Fogler Library as Head, Government Publications, Maps, GIS and Microforms. "I know the department name, and hence my title, is a mouthful, " says Frank with a smile, " I just kept adding jobs over the years so I could continue to earn my keep!"

He joined Library staff in May 1978, having moved with family to Maine, to become the Reference Librarian for Science, just then established as a full-time position. That was a watershed year in library service as it marked the introduction of online searchable bibliographic databases and Frank was the first reference librarian to offer this service to our users.

Frank was also one of the first librarians to get an email account, to use laser printers for improved document quality, to introduce digital/optical hybrid microform readers and to employ videoconferencing for inter-campus library meetings. He is the founder of the Library's GeoStats Spatial & Numeric Data Service and the popular computer mapping workshop series. He is the founder of the Maine Nature News, a weekly public natural observations journal, an early example of a web-based periodical. The government documents collections grew from 800,000 to over 2.3 million documents, and microforms now number 2.5 million pieces, more than doubling each collection during his time with these responsibilities.

His retirement gives him time to visit his adult children and their spouses scattered all over the USA. "Travel time adds up: one's in the Boston area, another in Philadelphia and one way off in California. I actually ran out of vacation days for the first time in many years!" He plans to write more in his blog <www.star-trucks.blogspot.com>, and perhaps finish one or more of his book manuscripts in various stages of completion. Frank's participation in the Chamber Choir at St. John's Parish will continue as will his hiking trips along the Appalachian Trail, where he has section-hiked about a third of its extent.

With coauthors from New Brunswick and Québec chapters he compiled a 1000-word French and English bilingual hiking glossary, now in its second edition, to help hikers on the new International Appalachian Trail. He’s a volunteer translator for Objectifs-Sciences, an international science education non-profit. Maintaining a 2-mile section of the Appalachian Trail is another continuing commitment. He plans to continue volunteer work already engaged and add more. "That all ought to keep me out mischief for a while!" quipped Frank.

Sirje Curtis
Sirje, who worked at Fogler Library from 1984 – 2009, has always been an extremely loyal library employee for whom the information needs of faculty, staff, and students are paramount. And, if the library was open, she was here, before anyone else. Her work ethic is an inspiration and example to all!

In acquisitions, she has been responsible for ordering all books (new, old, out of print), missing issues of journals, CDs, DVDs, music scores, and more. The job requires some of the skills of the scholarly bibliographer and detective, the purchasing agent, and the negotiator, all of which she has developed to a high level over her many years with the University of Maine’s Fogler Library. She has been tenacious in filling all kinds of orders and always follows them through despite any roadblocks encountered on the way. She always has gone the extra mile for faculty, such as driving to Borders to pick up a book needed immediately for course reserves, or tracking down an obscure foreign-language publication that needs to be ordered from halfway around the world. Sirje adapted well to the many new aspects of her job that came along, such as the Internet, electronic ordering, automated records, eBay, and supervisors.

Colleagues know Sirje as a very caring individual who brings a positive approach to both life and work. She says “can,” not “can’t,” and finds a way to do what needs to be done. We will certainly miss her. Fogler Library and the University of Maine thank you, Sirje, for your continuing service and your many years of outstanding commitment to the University community.

Jane DeWitt
Jane, who worked at the Library from 1982 – 2009, has always been an extremely dedicated library employee for whom our students, faculty, and staff always come first. In acquisitions, she is responsible for receiving and processing new books, including myriad details relating to record management, invoicing, and cataloging. Her goal is always to get the books out on the shelves as quickly as possible so people can check them out----as well as making sure the online catalog records are correctly entered. She has managed to excel over the years despite the trials and tribulations brought on by new programs and procedures, like electronic ordering, the Millennium library catalog system interface, and automated cataloging and invoicing records from library vendors and OCLC. Jane also impresses her co-workers by walking more than a mile to and from work every day without fail, regardless of the weather. And usually with a heavy backpack, filled with a bunch of library books so she can keep up on a variety of intellectual pursuits!

Jane continues to work hard preserving the legacy of her father, Antarctic explorer and scientist Paul Siple, who may be best known for developing the concept of the wind-chill factor. In recent years she has traveled annually to the Byrd Polar Research Center in Ohio, the Smithsonian, and other institutions to meet with historians and donate artifacts and important papers. Jane also continues work here at UMaine with researchers on campus, organizing the fish collections and data left by her late husband, Dr. Hugh DeWitt, professor of oceanography and zoology.

Fogler Library and the University of Maine thank you, Jane, for your continuing service and your many years of outstanding commitment to the University community.

Dorothy (Dottie) McKenney
Dottie began work at Fogler as a Desk Attendant in the Circulation Department on February 14, 1980. She later worked in the Inter Library Loan Department. In 1986 she transferred to the Learning Materials Center which supports the College of Education and Human Development curriculum with a collection of educational materials for use with children from preschool through grade twelve.

Dottie has successfully managed the Center and its collections by providing exceptional service to the users - access to the collections through her webpage, the subject bibliographies she created, her new book lists, as well as her knowledgeable, cheerful and helpful presence in the Center. She is loyal and dedicated to the needs of the students and faculty and has earned the confidence and loyalty of the education faculty.
Dottie has always been ready to assist the students in their search for materials and has worked with the College of Education faculty and the Fogler Reference Department to ensure the collections meet the needs of the curriculum. She created an attractive space for the users of the Learning Materials Center and has always looked for ways to improve the Center. She also raised the visibility of the collections through her well-designed displays of the materials in the Center.

Dottie is also a team player beyond her own department recognizing when other departments may need help and pitching in to make certain that desks are staffed and the students are served.

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