Special Collections, found on the 3rd floor of Fogler Library, works to collect, preserve, and make accessible many types of materials related to the state of Maine. Established in 1970 as a repository for Maine-related material, virtually all available printed bibliographical, historical, and descriptive works on the state as well as literary titles by Maine authors are housed in this department.
While many researchers email or call us from all over the world, the first stop in accessing our materials for those who visit in person would be our Information Desk.
Subject Areas Actively Collected
Several topics have become strengths over the years as items have been donated by individuals and organizations. Subject areas actively collected include environmental history, gender studies, minority cultures in Maine, labor history, the history of education, the Maine art and literary scene, Maine politics, and university records. Find more information on how we define each of these areas, and the disciplines they are intended to support, in the Subject Areas Collected section of our department web page. Let us know if you’d like more information on what we have available on these topics.
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- Environmental History
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- Gender Studies
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- Minority Cultures in Maine
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- Labor History
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- Maine Art & Literary Scene
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- History of Education
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- Maine Politics
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- University Records
Image sources, from left to right: Seed Catalog Collection, 1974 Prism Yearbook, O’Brien Collection book by Miguel Covarrubias, Fisheries Postcard Collection, Ginia Davis Scrapbook, Lois LaBeau Papers, Benjamin Bubar Papers, University Photo Archive
Did you know? Fogler Library was completed in 1947. Previous libraries for the university were in Fernald Hall (1868-1888), Coburn Hall (1888-1906), and Carnegie Hall (1906-1947). Many items from these early libraries are now found in Special Collections.
