Fogler Plus Newsletter — June 13, 2024

In This Issue:

• Fogler Librarian Speaks at ACRL New England
• LGBTQ+ Resources Guide
• New from Special Collections and Projects: Civil War Collections
• Temporary Requesting Down Time Due to Book Delivery Process
• Open to Collaborate

Fogler Librarian Speaks at ACRL New England

Earlier this month, Maine Shared Collections Librarian (and University Archivist) Matthew Revitt spoke at the Association of College & Research Libraries New England Chapter’s Annual Conference. He discussed these libraries’ shared print collaborations, which distribute the responsibility for protecting and preserving print collections, allowing partner libraries to repurpose library space while making available the program’s collective collection to local faculty, students, and scholars. Revitt’s  presentation focused  on the work of Maine Shared Collections Cooperative (MSCC), co-founded by UMaine, commiting over 330,000 books and 1,600 serials and journals. He also spoke about the Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST), the largest regional shared print program in the U.S. which stretches from Maine to Florida and has committed over 11 million titles for retention.

LGBTQ+ Resources Guide

As we celebrate Pride Month, we are again featuring Fogler’s LGBTQ+ Resources guide. The guide includes a variety of sources available through Fogler collections.  

New from Special Collections and Projects: Civil War Collections 

The Special Collections and Projects Department in Fogler Library has added three new Civil War collections to the online archival content management tool ArchivesSpace. The first is the diary of then 19-year old Richard Kimball, apparently of Old Town, Maine. Kimball enlisted with the 7th Regiment, Maine Infantry and his entries describe some of the battles the regiment was involved in: the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2–4, the Bristoe Campaign from October 9–22, and the Mine Run Campaign from November 26–December 2, 1863.

The second collection is a series of muster rolls, also from the 7th Regiment, Maine Infantry ranging from 1864–1865. These are primarily the individual records for Warren T. Ring. Mustered-in as a 2nd Lieutenant, Ring was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and mustered-out as Captain in the 1st Maine Veteran Infantry. The muster roll for the 1st Maine Veteran Infantry also includes payroll information for the entire unit.

And finally, the third collection is a series of letters from William D. W. Walker of Blue Hill, Maine. Walker enlisted with the 13th Regiment, Maine Infantry, Company H and his letters to his mother describe the regiment’s involvement in the Gulf of Mexico, ranging from Cuba, Florida, and Brownsville, Texas. Letters include descriptions of daily life and anecdotes of fellow soldiers with some description of action seen by the regiment.

Temporary Requesting Down Time Due to Book Delivery Process

Sharing between libraries is one of the best and most valuable services we provide you.

This works through a behind-the-scenes delivery process, run by a delivery service.

The contract for our book delivery service is held by the Maine State Library and is subject to State Procurement Laws and procedures. This year, it was required, by state procedures, to go through a competitive bidding process, and was subsequently awarded to a new vendor.

Because of the transition to a new vendor who won the competitive bid, and a legal appeal process to overturn that decision by an unsuccessful bidder, there will be an interruption to book delivery between libraries at the end of the current contract which expires on June 30th.

We do not currently have firm dates for the length of this interruption, but we expect that there will be no delivery for at least six weeks this summer, starting on July 1.

In anticipation of this interruption, the Maine InfoNet Board and the Minerva Executive Board have made the difficult decision to turn off all requesting between libraries within the MaineCat environment, including Minerva, MILS and URSUS, as of June 4th. This affects all UMS Libraries patrons as well as all public patrons.

You will still be able to request and place holds on locally owned items, but will not be able to request materials from other libraries. 

Turning off requesting between libraries will allow materials currently in transit to be delivered and will reduce the flow of new material entering delivery. This will help get as many items back to their owning libraries as possible and will help ensure materials are not stranded in the delivery system.

Please be assured we recognize and feel the same frustration with this challenging situation that you all are feeling. 

If you would like more details regarding this, please visit the Van Delivery FAQ.

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