FRIENDS of UMAINE LIBRARIES NEWSLETTER

May 22, 2026

In This Issue:

• UMaine Libraries librarians present at annual MLA conference
• Student artwork on display in Fogler Library
• New from Special Collections and Projects: Northeast Archives offers new online collection
• New Exhibit in Fogler
• Fogler Library celebrates Maine Day of Service with a morning of garden cleanup

UMaine Libraries librarians present at annual MLA conference

Fogler Library librarians Lindsay Decker and Matthew Revitt and Jerry Lund, head of Fogler’s Circulation Department, presented at the annual Maine Library Association (MLA) Conference on Monday at Thomas College in Waterville. Their presentation was titled “Exfoliating Fogler: Large Scale Deaccessioning with the Internet Archive” and described Fogler Library’s work earlier this year. 

Also participating were Maine InfoNet executive director James Jackson Sanborn, who served as a panelist for a discussion on “Digital Content Discussions in Maine Libraries,” UMaine Libraries Open Access librarian Casey Koons, who spoke on Tuesday about “How to Protect Digital Privacy on a Hostile Web,” and UMaine Libraries Open Educational Resources librarian Tom Hardy who, along with David Smith of Thomas College, presented “OER Basics for Librarians.”

Photo: (Left to right) Lindsay Decker, Matthew Revitt and Jerry Lund deliver their presentation

Student artwork on display in Fogler Library

Alexandra Boman with “A Quiet Perch”

Liz Cambron with “Pair of Mallards”

A new exhibition in Fogler Library’s north-south hallway showcases the work of four talented student artists who participated in classes given by the Department of Art over the past year. The display will run through the 2026-27 academic year. We would like to thank Professor Diana Baumbach for her ongoing partnership in bringing student work to the library. Please stop by to view this collaborative installation when you are on campus.

Max Chapman with “Running Wolves”

Rosemary Lavin with “Downstream”

New from Special Collections and Projects: Northeast Archives offers new online collection

Special Collections and Projects is pleased to announce the availability of a new oral history collection from the Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History. The Discovery Research program (MF161) was funded by the Maine Arts Commission from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s. The program was created to document artists and cultural institutions across Maine and laid the foundation for the creation of several cultural tourism trails promoting the state’s ethnic, occupational, and arts history. The collection includes descriptions of contemporary and traditional artists, and local cultural organizations, including the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. The collection contains 181 series and more than 1,900 images, including over 400 images from the Save Outdoor Sculpture! project documenting public art by more than 50 artists from Richard W. Bock to William Zorach. The Discovery Research collection provides primary documentation of the impetus of Heritage Tourism in Maine in the late 20th century.

Color photograph of members of the University of Maine Alumni Band performing in the parade opening the 13th Annual La Kermesse Franco-Américaine, held June 23-25, 1995, in Biddeford, Maine. Spectators stand along the curb, watching the procession pass on a tree-lined street. Photograph taken June 23, 1995, by Julien Olivier. (See NA4640.)

New Exhibit in Fogler



Fogler Library is hosting a new exhibit located at the north entrance of the library titled “Moments That Made US.” This is a special exhibition during the America 250 commemoration that explores how generations of Americans have given meaning to the ideals set out in the Declaration of Independence. The exhibition looks back across centuries and highlights both challenging and celebratory times from the colonial era to more recent generations. The exhibition explores five themes drawn directly from the Declaration of Independence: “Created Equal;” “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness;” “Free and Independent States;” “Consent of the Governed;” and “We Mutually Pledge.” The featured moments from American history inspire curiosity about the events that shaped the nation. They remind us that our story was never inevitable, we shaped it at every turn.

The exhibition was developed through a multi-state collaboration to ensure that Americans throughout the nation would have the opportunity to meaningfully engage in the nation’s 250th anniversary. It adapts the acclaimed “Moments That Made US” exhibition created by History Colorado and currently on view at the History Colorado Center in Denver into a format that allows host venues to customize it for their audiences and connect local history to the

nation’s story.

Archivists from the Special Collections & Projects Department have selected historic items related to the themes being explored, starting with “Created Equal;” “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” and “We Mutually Pledge.”

Fogler Library celebrates Maine Day of Service with a morning of garden cleanup

On April 28, Fogler staff continued a tradition started in 2025 and celebrated the annual Maine Day of Service by cleaning up the gardens at the library’s east entrance. Joined by a staff member from another unit, a friend of UMaine Libraries and around 20 students, including an exchange student visiting from Montenegro, staff raked leaves, pulled weeds and planted pansies around the bench donated by the late Professor Irv Kornfield. Many thanks to everyone who gave of their time to help us beautify our surroundings, and to Josh Young, Facilities Maintenance Manager, for his help in organizing the event and for providing the flowers.

Support Fogler by funding an item from our staff-curated wishlist, created to highlight the library’s most timely needs and the resources that will make the biggest impact.

UMaine Libraries is composed of Raymond H. Fogler Library, Merrill Library in Machias, Maine InfoNet, and the University of Maine Press.