Message from the Dean of Libraries

Since joining the exceptional staff at Fogler Library in October of 2022, I have been reflecting on our identity as an academic library within a land (and sea and space) grant university. We are the University of Maine flagship library and we are also open to the public. Fogler Library – an iconic building and the largest library in the state – accomplishes public outreach in many ways. We are the state-designated Maine Science, Business, and Technology Library. We are a regional federal depository library for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. And we are the only Patent and Trademark Resource Center in Maine. In short, we are a great resource for the University of Maine community as well as all residents of Maine and beyond.

These resources and services transcend our physical space and are part of Fogler’s effort to create digital bridges between academia and the public. Another key tool in this quest is our institutional repository, Digital Commons, which provides digital access to faculty publications, graduate theses, and our Special Collections. In this issue, we celebrate donors Ken Olson and John Webber whose generous donations are helping to sustainably support that connection.

A recent effort to welcome and connect with the public is the Lynch Room, which was reopened and re-envisioned with a new moniker: The Salon, a space for our community to congregate, discuss, and collaborate on ideas. Please join us at our upcoming multidisciplinary Salon Series featuring rich topical themes that I hope will foster the kind of conversations and action that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Also showcased in this issue are various initiatives headed by our dedicated staff. Christopher Clark shares the history of the Library Student Ambassadors who work with Fogler staff to support student outreach efforts.
Michael G. Dunn walks us through the interdepartmental collaboration that resulted in the student-requested Zoom space in our Information Commons.

With such a proactive and responsive team, there’s always something going on at Fogler. In our effort to learn what that means to you, we launched a “What’s your Fogler story?” social media campaign, which unearthed touching and comical moments that I hope you’ll enjoy reading about.

Thank you for being part of Fogler. You are welcome here.

Daisy Domínguez Singh
Dean of Libraries
University of Maine