Maine Archives and Museums Quarterly

Home , Kennebec Valley, Rufus Porter (inventor)

MAY 2020 | VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 2 Maine Archives and Museums Quarterly

EMPATHY IN RESPONSE BY JOANNA ROBINSON-CLARKE Prioritizing Staff Support in Emergency Planning Museums have response plans. Ask any collections manager, and they will tell you about the many binders, websites, books, and folders associated with their organization’s disaster response plan. Many will follow up by saying that, amongst all of the disasters for which they had prepared, a global pandemic had not been a priority. This is fair; the impact of COVID-19 is unprecedented. Many response plans are ready for salvage operations, assuming a massive natural disaster that is threatening the collection. What do you do when it is not the collection, but the people and the organization under threat? Our priority is creating a response to COVID-19 to answer the basic questions asked by our staff: Are we putting ourselves or the public at risk? How are other organizations handling this? What do we do? Through a series of conversations, we set out to answer these questions and the many others that came up in their wake: How can our resources help others? How do we keep ourselves safe without jeopardizing our livelihoods? How should our mission inform our response? Our priorities are staff and public safety, communicating clearly and effectively, and adjusting for financial impacts. To us, safety means not only reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19 for our staff and their communities, but also keeping them safe mentally and fiscally. In a seasonal area such as ours, our year-round Guest Service Associates may rely on the open hours of the museum for income. Closure due to COVID-19 would put their income in jeopardy. (As of the creation of our plan, the state was discussing but had not yet implemented response measures for COVID-19.) So now to answer the question: What do we do? Best practices coming out of places hit by COVID-19 emphasized isolation and sanitization, so our first step to keep our staff safe was to adjust to those norms. We created a cleaning schedule and made cleaning supplies available in all areas of the museum. We have systems in place to allow our administrative staff to work IN THIS ISSUE from home, so we immediately decided that anyone who needed to work from home to preserve their safety, or the safety of those around them, could do so. We also The Conference is Coming 4 determined that if the museum were to close, all staff would be expected to work from home. “If the museum is closed to the public, all staff are to work from home Member Spotlight 5 and maintain their duties as reasonable. Staff are only to come into the office as needed, and are to use staggered schedules when in the office spaces.” This specific Upcoming Workshops 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 IN THIS ISSUE

Empathy in Response �� Cover Restoration of Car No. 14 ��8

Dispatches �� 3 Yarmouth HS Pilots VAMONDE App �� 9

Save the Date: MAM Conference �� 4 Online Resources for Social Distancing �� 9

Member Spotlight �� 5 Dispatches, Continued �� 10-11

Book Review ��6 New MAM Board Member �� 13

Upcoming Workshops �� 7 Open Call: MAM Conference Session Proposals �� Back

MAINE ARCHIVES & Our Board of Directors PRESIDENT: John Taylor MUSEUMS QUARTERLY Cipperly Good (1st term 2019-2020) (1st term 2019-2020) 207-474-7133 May 2020 | Volume 23 | Issue 2 207-548-2529 x212 [email protected] [email protected] The mission of Maine Archives and Museums is to develop Kate Herbert and foster a network of citizens and institutions in Maine VICE PRESIDENT: (2nd term 2020-2021) who identify, collect, interpret and/or provide access to Renee DesRoberts 207-712-9494 materials relating to history and culture. This quarterly (2nd term 2019-2020) [email protected] newsletter is a benefit of MAM membership. 207-284-4181 rdesroberts@ Katie Donahue CONTRIBUTE mcarthur.lib.me.us (1st term 2020-2021) Content contributions from members are encouraged. 207-633-0820 Our next edition is August 2020; submission deadline SECRETARY: [email protected] is June 30, 2020. Send content to editor Erin Rhodes at Erin Rhodes [email protected] (1st term 2019-2020) Kate Raymond 207-859-5151 (1st term 2019-2020) [email protected] 207-774-1822 x216 NEWSLETTER STAFF [email protected] Erin Rhodes & Abby Dunham, Editors TREASURER: Dela Murphy, Nuf Sed, Typesetting & Design Starr Kelly Katie Worthing Bangor Letter Shop & Color Copy Center, Printing Services (2nd term 2020-2021) (1st term 2019-2020) 207-288-3519 207-846-6259 [email protected] kworthing@yarmouthhistory. To purchase copies of this newsletter: org [email protected] Abby Dunham Kate Webber THIRD CLASS POSTAGE PAID IN BANGOR, ME. (1st term 2020-2021) (1st term 2019-2020) 207-326-9247 207-287-8110 adunham@ [email protected] wilsonmuseum.org Larissa Vigue Picard MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS Anastasia Weigle (2nd term 2020-2021) P.O. BOX 784 (2nd term 2020-2021) 207-729-6606 PORTLAND, ME 04104 207-671-8244 director@ [email protected] pejepscothistorical.org [email protected] Arielle Kellerman Matthew Revitt (207) 400-6965 (1st term 2020-2021) (1st term 2020-2021) 207-865-3170 207-581-2665 WWW.MAINEMUSEUMS.ORG [email protected] [email protected]

2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 Dispatches Our members from across Maine report on recent news, awards and achievements.

AUGUSTA Kennebec HS Receives Corporate Sponsorship from CMP

The Kennebec Historical Society has received a $3,167 corporate donation from the Central Maine Power Company (CMP) to purchase new computers and scanners to assist in processing the society’s growing collection. The society will use the funds to supplement its operating budget to purchase two desktop computers and two flatbed scanners and replace equipment that is outdated and inefficient to properly preserve documents, photographs, scrapbooks, maps, manuscripts, books, and ephemera. On Monday, February 10, 2020, CMP Vice President Eric Stinneford visited KHS headquarters - the Henry Weld Fuller, Jr. House - and received a tour and information about the proposed expansion plans for the building. The tour included a trip through the current archive areas, the closed stack library, and information on the current exhibits and recent acquisitions. Following the tour, Stinneford presented KHS President Patsy Crockett and Administrative Director Scott Wood with the donation and a copy of The Light from the River, a history of Central Maine Power’s first 100 years of service, written by Clark T. Irwin, Jr., for the KHS collection. Upon learning that KHS had been selected to receive the donation from CMP, Crockett said, “I’m very pleased that these funds will allow KHS to begin a cycle of replacing our aging equipment and provide volunteers with the tools necessary to preserve and catalog the society’s many collections.” She added, “Our older computers are slow and quite frustrating to the many wonderful volunteers at KHS.” The initial request for the funding was submitted to CMP’s Corporate Communications Committee, which reviews funding requests as they look to support non-profits working in the central Maine area. According to CMP’s Facebook TOP: From left to right, Administrative page, “CMP has been part of the Kennebec Valley in Maine for over 100 years. We Director Scott Wood and KHS President are pleased to support the Kennebec Historical Society’s efforts to purchase the Patsy Crockett accept a check from CMP equipment needed to properly preserve the history of the region.” Vice President Eric Stinneford For more information, please contact Scott Wood, the society’s administrative MIDDLE, BOTTOM: Cover and interior page of the Eastern Ski Annual director, at 207-622-7718.

BETHEL Ski Museum of Maine Periodicals Highlight Our Skiing Past

The Ski Museum of Maine’s new curator, Karen Campbell, has begun to sort, file, and catalog various periodicals from the museum’s holdings. One item which came to light recently was a 1960 Eastern Annual for the United States Ski Association, a periodical that provides an interesting glimpse into Maine skiing sixty years ago. The opening pages feature a full page advertisement for the NEW Sugarloaf, touting a NEW Ski Slope (what we now know as the Landing), a NEW T-bar (#3) and a NEW trail (Tote Road). Other advertising features Pleasant Mountain (with Maine’s FIRST chair lift). The listing of Maine’s Ski Areas in the 1960 Annual seems limited... and curious. While the Annual lists 108 operating ski areas from Quebec to West Virginia, only

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY 3 SAVE THE DATE: MAM CONFERENCE & ANNUAL MEETING OCTOBER 9, 2020 This year, MAM’s Annual Conference will be “Looking Forward from the Bicentennial” to explore what’s next for the state’s museums and archives industry. The 2020 conference will offer a mixture of sessions, workshops, networking opportunities, and a dynamic keynote address that will leave you feeling recharged, connected, and inspired with new ideas to assist you in the care and management of your collecting institution. See the back of this newsletter for details on how you can submit a session proposal to bring your knowledge, expertise and experience to your colleagues! Share your ideas about how to make our institutions as vital and vibrant as they can be well into the future. Nobody can know for sure what path the COVID-19 pandemic will take this year, but the Association of Maine Archives and Museums is determined to host this conference on October 9, 2020. If we can get together in person, we’ll host the event in Portland at the University of Southern Maine. If gathering in groups is still not safe by October, we will offer this event online via video conferencing.

Stay tuned to www.mainemuseums.org for details in the coming months! RAINEY TISDALE: KEYNOTE SPEAKER MAM is happy to announce this year’s conference keynote speaker, Rainey Tisdale, who will speak on the topic of “Active Collections for Complicated Times.” Rainey is a museum consultant specializing in interpretive & strategic planning, content & collections curation, institutional capacity building, and igniting the creative process. Her holistic approach to museum work has been called slow food, divining, poetry, and a secret weapon. Rainey has held curatorial positions at the AFL-CIO’s museum, the US Senate’s Office of Senate Curator, and the Bostonian Society, and she taught in the Museum Studies Program at Tufts University. She was a Fulbright Fellow in Helsinki, Finland, and a Community Fellow in the Center for Public History at Brown University. In 2013 and 2014 she led #BostonBetter, an effort by 25 Boston-area cultural institutions to provide programming commemorating the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing. Her work on #BostonBetter and the exhibition Dear Boston: Messages from the Marathon Memorial won awards from the New England Museum Association and the American Association for State and Local History. Rainey leads for change on a number of field-wide museum issues, including place-based interpretation, creative practice, collections stewardship, and the impact of museums on lifelong well-being. Her books Creativity in Museum Practice (Routledge, 2013, co-authored with Linda Norris) and Active Collections (Routledge, 2017, co-edited with Trevor Jones and Elee Wood, winner of the 2020 National Council on Public History book award) are essential texts for museum workers in the United States and abroad. You can find her ideas and opinions in Exhibition, the Journal of Museum Education, and History News, and online at Active Collections and TEDxBoston. g

4 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: NOWETAH'S AMERICAN INDIAN MUSEUM & STORE Nowetah’s American Indian Museum and Store Interview is taken from a letter written by Mrs. Nowetah Cyr, December 18, 2019. When and how was your institution established? Nowetah’s American Indian Museum and Store, located in New Portland, Maine, was established in 1969. Owners and curators are Nowetah Cyr, Abanaki, and Tom Cyr. “My great, great, great grandparents on my mother’s side of the family came from Odanak Abenaki Indian Village in Quebec, Canada. They were St. Francis Abenaki…migrating to Connecticut over the years, and some intermarried with Paugussett Indians.” Mrs. Nowetah Cyr, a gifted artist, makes jewelry, leather-beaded moccasins and hand-dressed Indian dolls, and vests. She is also an accomplished hand-glass blower. Encouraged by others, Nowetah turned her crafts into a small business. Her first shop was in Connecticut, where she lived. “I opened my small gift shop in 1969,” said Nowetah. The gift shop was a refurbished old shed that Nowetah restored with her own hands. The Indian Museum started its life in Nowetah’s home. “I turned the first room in my home in Connecticut (the living room) into a small Indian museum.” With the changing demographics of the Connecticut shoreline, Nowetah sold her home and moved to Maine in 1975. There she purchased 51 acres of land in New Portland, Maine, in 1976. Nowetah continued collecting and contacting Indian reservations around the country, building the museum’s collections of Native Nowetah Cyr, owner and curator of Nowetah's American Indian American artifacts. Nowetah also does research, cataloging, and Museum and Store labeling of the artifacts. There is more to Nowetah’s story, filled with strength, resilience, perseverance, and hard work. Suffice do anything to ever see we are here.” it to say, from her small beginnings of hardship, hard work, and investing her own money, the Nowetah’s American Indian Encouraging local residents to visit the museum and gift store is Museum and Gift Store boasts 800 early Maine Indian ash splint, another challenge. “Here in this rural town is a lack of interest,” quill and bark baskets, American Indian Arts, along with a full gift said Nowetah. “In all these years, I could count on one hand how shop. “I am open every day, 10 AM to 5 PM, 7 days a week for the many town people have been here to see what we have.” However, past 50 years.” new community members who have settled in New Portland have visited Nowetah’s American Indian Museum and Gift Store. What is the most unusual object in your collection? “I think I would have to say the piece of Buffalo vertebra with the arrowhead One challenge most small museums face is something Nowetah that is piercing between the joint section. It was found on a conveys clearly. “As with most small museums, there is lack of farm in Hudson, Wyoming, when a man was plowing his field. money or limited money. We do not charge admission, to give It was in the 1800s. I can just imagine some Indian years ago, everyone a chance to learn regardless of their income. But, we still on horseback shooting his bow and arrow at buffalo for food have the light bill to pay, the property taxes to the building, and (and later the hide for clothing or tee-pee shelter), and then this the commercial insurance on the place and upkeep. [We] just had farmer years later is plowing a garden and unearthing this piece of a new roof put on a couple of years ago, and this past October, we vertebra with the Indian arrowhead stuck in it. It is not a beautiful had workers come in to do building leveling and replacing some of art piece like some of the beadwork or fancy Navajo sand paintings the framework. That was quite expensive but needed to be done.” are, but it is unique.” What is your favorite object in the collection? “This is a What is one of the biggest challenges your institution faces? hard question for me really because I love so many items in the Nowetah shared several challenges pertaining to the rural area museum; it is hard to pick just one. But if I had to pick, I think and interest in the museum. “For us here, I would have to say it would be items made of deer or moose hide with moose hair our rural area. This town of New Portland is really just a drive embroidery such as the peace-pipe bags, moccasins, and other through town. We have no gas stations, no banks, no school, no pieces. The workmanship of so long ago is wonderful, and each restaurants, no food store, so no one has to come to this town to CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY 5 Book Review

BY ANASTASIA S. WEIGLE, PH. D. conservation of paper-based prints and drawings. Some of the paper conservation issues covered in chapter two include poor- REVIEWING: Ellis, Margaret Holben. 2nd edition. The Care quality pulp, residual processing substances, unstable sizing, and of Prints and Drawings. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, additives. External issues covered include acidity, air pollution, 2017. 293 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4422-3970-8. Available through temperature and humidity levels and fluctuations, light, and https://rowman.com insects. Symptoms covered include brittleness, discoloration, and foxing, to name a few. During the 2017 MAM conference, I attended a Chapter three, “Conservation Problems Related to the Materials professional development and Techniques of Prints,” addresses how to recognize the workshop titled symptoms and diagnose the causes of damage to prints. Ellis uses Curators, Registrars, and a classification system of material types and processes to organize Conservators. Presenters the chapter into sections. The conservation concerns of materials Lauren Lessing and covered in chapter three include relief, intaglio, planographic, Paige Doore of Colby stencil, digital prints, chine collé, color, and colored prints, College Museum of among others. Art; Nina Roth-Wells, Conservator; and Ron Chapter four, “Conservation Problems Related to the Materials Harvey of Tuckerbrook and Techniques of Drawings,” addresses how to recognize the Conservation discussed symptoms and diagnose the causes of damage to drawings. This the challenges met by chapter is organized into two groups. The first section covers dry conservators who work drawing media such as charcoal, graphite, copy pencils, crayons, in a variety of materials. and paint stick. Section two covers wet drawing media such as During this workshop, inks, watercolors (including opaque), tempera, oil, and synthetic Margaret Holben Ellis’s polymer paint. book was recommended as an excellent source of information for archivists and conservators, Chapters five and six provide preventative guidelines for the whose responsibility was with the care of paper-based art paper conservator at the item level, advising on rehousing materials. As an archivist and book conservator myself, The Care materials for preservation to preventative conservation and risk of Prints and Drawings has become a go-to source of information assessment. Chapter seven brings it all together with hands-on, in paper conservation. basic paper conservation procedures. Ellis also discusses how to find a paper conservator or collections care specialist, providing Margaret Holben Ellis is the director of the Eugene Thaw Paper the reader with a list of criteria to determine the conservator’s Conservation Center and Professor of Conservation at the knowledge and credentials before hiring. Morgan Library & Museum at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Her research in art materials and practices A glossary follows the chapters, defining relevant terminology attests to her knowledge in art conservation. This is a revised used in the care of prints and drawings. However, Ellis does edition of her 1987 book and still contains the previous content. recommend the reader consult the Descriptive Terminology for However, a noticeable addition is the in-depth and robust content Works of Art on Paper: Guidelines for the accurate and consistent on preventative conservation methods found in chapters five and description of the materials and techniques of drawings, prints, six. and collages. The Philadelphia Museum of Art provides a free digital copy of the 2014 edition. An excellent resource, Ellis’s book contains seven chapters, two appendices, a glossary, an index, and detailed figures (a total of Following the glossary are the two appendices. Appendix 1: 75), providing readers with visual content to give clarity to topics “How to Make Starch paste and Methyl Cellulose Adhesive,” discussed. Chapter one, “Supports for Prints and Drawings,” written by Katherine Sanderson, Associate Conservator of introduces the reader to the basics of paper preservation and Photographs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and, Appendix conservation by describing the properties of various materials 2: “Suppliers of Paper Conservation Materials and Equipment,” such as parchment and organic (cellulose) papers. A brief history compiled by Catherine Lukaszewski, Laboratory Coordinator, of paper-making is also presented in chapter one. It is important Getty Conservation Institute at J. Paul Getty Trust. to note that synthetic papers (polyester) are not discussed, nor is a valuable asset to are materials not commonly used as a substrate for prints and The Care of Prints and Drawings archivists, curators, and conservators who want to broaden their drawings (i.e., birch bark and woven silk). understanding of paper-based material conservation. For the In chapters two, three, and four, the author discusses how to book conservator working primarily with bound and unbound recognize and diagnose the deterioration of materials, offering materials, Ellis’s book will expand their knowledge of paper- various preventative methods to use in the preservation and based conservation as an allied field. g

6 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 UPCOMING WORKSHOPS Rehousing & Preserving Photograph Collections June 16, 2020 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Hosted at University of Southern Maine, Glickman Family Library, 314 Forest Avenue, Portland

Cost: $40 MAM Member; $55 Non-member Register online today at www.mainemuseums.org! Anastasia Weigle, Assistant Professor at the University of Maine, Augusta, and an archival consultant, will offer a hands-on, practical workshop on the preservation of photographs to current and potential members of Maine Archives and Museums. The workshop is intended for those who work with collections that contain various photographic formats, including paper, glass, and metal photographs. Environmental conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, and UV light all play a part in the deterioration of these types of collections. Participants will have the opportunity to handle various types of photograph prints, negatives, and film. Workshop topics include: 1) how to identify photographic processes; 2) what causes deterioration of photographic materials; 3) basic preservation methods to protect various types of photographs; 4) types of rehousing materials for different photograph formats; and 5) different preservation needs of physical photographs and their digital counterparts.

Grants Research 101: An Introduction to Finding Foundation Grants in Maine Date & Time TBA. Hosted at University of Southern Maine, Glickman Family Library, Room 518 (Computer Lab), 314 Forest Avenue, Portland

Cost: $20 MAM Member; $30 Non-member

TOP: Unidentified woman, ambrotype Stay tuned to www.mainemuseums.org for registration details! (Source: Creative Commons website) This workshop will prepare attendees for that critical early step in finding grants MIDDLE: Anastasia Weigle and new funding partners: research. Even the best-written proposal won’t get far when submitted to a funder who is not a good fit. We’ll begin with an overview of BOTTOM: Images courtesy Maine philanthropy in Maine to give context to the slice of the pie we’ll focus on: foundation Philanthropy Center grants. Then we’ll take a deeper dive into the usage of two valuable research tools: MPC’s Directory of Maine Grantmakers and Candid’s Foundation Directory Online. The session will conclude with ample time for hands-on research. Attendees will come away with a deeper understanding of the context of foundation giving, strategies to employ when researching potential funders, hands-on experience using two indispensable grant research tools, and maybe even a list of high-quality prospective funders gathered during the individual research period. This workshop is geared toward Maine nonprofits and consultants who are new to grant seeking. No prior experience is required, but basic computer literacy is necessary to successfully utilize the databases and make the best use of available time. You do not need to bring a computer -- one will be provided for each attendee, but feel free to bring a laptop or pen and paper to take notes. Presenter Robert Burnett is the Administrative and Research Manager at Maine Philanthropy Center (MPC), where he researches and prepares annual reports on philanthropy in Maine, maintains the Directory of Maine Grantmakers, and conducts regular free trainings on grant research basics. Robert has 15 years of research experience, underpinned by his scientific background, and has worked professionally in the nonprofit sector since 2013. g

VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY 7 Restoration of Car No. 14 In 1912, W. Scott Libbey, the intrepid businessman of Lewiston, Maine, with his business partner, Henry Dingley, was constructing a state-of-the-art, high-speed electric interurban railroad between the two major cities of Lewiston and Portland. Libbey submitted an order to build four luxury passenger coaches, for operation on the line, to the Laconia Car Company Works in Laconia, NH, in April of that year - the same month the RMS Titanic set sail and sank, and the Boston Red Sox started playing their home games in Fenway Park. Libbey personally oversaw the artistic design of the interior appointments of the original majestic coaches. Featuring forty ornate, leaded stained glass windows, the interior passenger compartment, with seats upholstered in green mohair plush, was encircled with walls and trim boards of Santo Domingo mahogany panels each with decorative bands of holly and ebony inlay. Overhead, arching ceiling panels, painted Nile green with their corners adorned with gold leaf fleur-de-lis, connected to handsome brass-plated luggage racks. Underfoot, a colorful, alternating red and green interlocking rubber-tile flooring. These elegant coaches were, without doubt, the largest and finest electric railway passenger cars in Maine. And, Libbey decided, each of these grand coaches was deserving of having its own name so that patrons would recognize each coach by name and therefore develop an affinity for it. Libbey’s daughters, Gertrude and Alla, encouraged their father to name the cars after his favorite flowers, and he did. So, in addition to their numbers, each of the Laconia-built cars were given names: No. 10, Arbutus; No. 12, Gladiolus; No. 14, Narcissus; and No. 16, Clematis. These four stalwarts of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI) line operated with distinction from 1914 until service came to an end in 1933. Today, the sole-surviving vestige of railway equipment from the prestigious electric railroad, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, is No. 14, Narcissus. The Narcissus was the coach that carried the PLI’s most famous passenger, former president of the United States Theodore Roosevelt. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Narcissus is undergoing restoration at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport. Seth Reed joined the Museum’s restoration staff early in 2019. Seth brought with him his years of woodworking in the historic trades since the mid-1980s. Starting at Old Sturbridge Village as a cabinet maker and blacksmith, Seth worked with senior tradesmen on a variety of items, both making reproductions and repairing/restoring original period pieces. From Sturbridge, Seth moved on to Hancock Shaker Village and worked in their cabinetmaker, blacksmith, and oval box makers facilities. Over the years, Seth has had his own woodworking shop, doing restoration and making reproductions for museums. For a number of years, Seth conducted workshops for museum staff, teaching wood joining and woodturning. For several months now, Seth has been working on the hundreds of original mahogany pieces from the interior of the Narcissus. Hundreds of hours were spent meticulously removing the layers of paint, stain, shellac, and varnish coating the various panels, doors, window sash, trim boards, and trim strips. Once the coatings were removed and each piece was returned to its original state, an assessment was made of its condition, need for repair, or other action. Seth has recently been working on making various repairs to original mahogany pieces and also has started making reproductions of mahogany pieces that were either missing or were Detail of image from Seashore Trolley damaged/rotted beyond the threshold of sound historic woodworking preservation Museum O. R. Cummings Collection - standards/practices. the interior of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, No. 10, Arbutus circa 1912 CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

8 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 YARMOUTH HISTORY CENTER PILOTS VAMONDE APP, OFFERS TOURS Over the last several months, Yarmouth History Center has participated in MAM’s new pilot partnership with the web-based destination marketing group VAMONDE. This new benefit offers MAM member institutions a chance to launch content onto VAMONDE’s website and mobile app. For many organizations, this content takes the form of tours (VAMONDE refers to them as “adventures”) that could include historic sites around town, notable works of architecture, or even artifacts within a museum. As History Center staff considered what our contribution might be, we realized that we had several existing walking tours that could be easily adapted for use on VAMONDE. These tours showcase just a portion of our extensive collection of historic photographs and link them to many places around Yarmouth. Yarmouth History Center created walking tours using VAMONDE platform, a sample of which is displayed above, courtesy VAMONDE. Links to these tours may be found at yarmouthmehistory.org, through VAMONDE's website at www.vamonde.com, or on the CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 mobile app. Explore on foot or from the comfort of your home! OPEN CALL: ONLINE RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING At home due to the COVID-19 pandemic? In light of the many Submit Online Resources From Your Collecting Institution schools and collecting institutions that have closed because of the pandemic, people across Maine are seeking learning and Think about what your organization already has available that engagement opportunities online. may appeal to students, teachers, and the general public stuck at home. MAM can help you share those resources with a broader Maine Archives and Museums is gathering a growing list of audience! online resources from collecting institutions across the state. Check it out to find online lesson plans, podcasts, exhibits, Please send us submissions so we can direct people to your archives, arts & crafts activities, lectures, and more! From Pre-K website. We encourage both MAM members and non-members kids to adults, there’s something to interest everyone. to submit. Visit MAM’s website to submit online resources from your Ideas include (but are not limited to): organization or view the online resources list: s Online lesson plans or activities www.mainemuseums.org/OnlineResources s Virtual tours of your site s Videos or podcasts s Digital archives How to Use the Online Resources List s Articles s Live interactions (video chat with a curator or educator, etc.) Scroll through to find different types of resources identified by age level and content. Check back often - the list will keep We hope this will be a simple and meaningful way to keep growing over time! Mainers engaged and educated, as well as a way for all of us to connect with our audiences during these tough times. g

VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY 9 Polis,” follows the final section of the author’s 1857 canoe trip on " DISPATC H ES" the Penobscot River, made famous in his book . CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 The Maine Woods Like Thoreau, historians and educators will learn about Wabanaki 11 are included for Maine, probably fewer than the actual number heritage and connection to Maine’s woods and waters under the of local slopes and tows operating in Maine towns, as skiing was wing of Penobscot guides. Days are spent in cultural activities; not yet a ‘destination’ sport here. According to the USSA listing, evenings in a talking circle around the campfire. there were only 14 lifts in Maine: 1 chairlift, 3 T-bars, and 10 Limited registration. Cost is $300 per person; includes all but rope tows. Pleasant Mountain had the 1 chairlift and a T-Bar; personal gear. To register, contact the Moosehead Historical Sugarloaf two T-Bars; and rope tows were scattered among the Society, 207-695-2909 or [email protected]. other 9 areas. Curiously, Sunday River and Saddleback Mountain are listed by name only, but with no facilities and only a note that both were ‘new’ that year. The Annual also mentions with pride and exponential expansion, Sunday River celebrated 60 years of HIRAM operation in the current season, and Saddleback plans to reopen Bicentennial Commission Funding Enables Hiram Historical for the next. Society Book, Community Events These snippets are but a glimpse into past periodicals of the Ski Hiram Historical Society is pleased to announce an award of Museum’s collection, a trove of details and potential stories from $4,500 from the Maine State Bicentennial Commission, which a time long before the Internet, and a temptation for readers to will partially fund publication of the book Faces of Founders: visit the Ski Museum to follow a reference or a story of family and Hiram, Maine in 2020. Matching funds and in-kind services are friends from Maine’s skiing past. planned to celebrate the bicentennial with two community events:

A theatrical event, Faces of Founders, originally scheduled on BRIDGTON Sat., May 16 at 6 p.m., has been postponed to Sat., November Rufus Porter Museum Recognized by Maine Preservation 7 at 6 p.m. At the Faces of Founders event, we will introduce 20 of the families of early settlers – the men who debated and voted On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, The Rufus Porter Museum on statehood and the women who supported them. With the received an award at Maine Preservation’s annual Honor Awards help of SAD55 High School and Middle School, students and ceremony for revitalizing the John and Maria Webb House, ca. adults will present brief sketches of settlers who helped forge the 1830. Acquired in 2011, the house had suffered from long years town of Hiram. There will be costumes, period music, period of vacancy and significant structural repairs were required, along refreshments, and lobby art by the High School art class. David with an extensive interior rehabilitation and exterior restoration. Foley will play and sing songs he’s written based on Llewellyn The building was veering close to condemnation, and a portion A. Wadsworth’s poems. A fun evening at Hiram Arts Center, 8 of the building was fire damaged. The house was listed in the Hancock Ave, Hiram. See you there on November 7! National Register of Historic Places in 2013 for its architectural A historic house tour by trolley of 20 buildings standing in 1820 significance as an intact example of a residential building that that still stand in 2020 is planned for Sat. and Sun., Aug 1 and 2. exhibits a transitional mix of Federal and Greek Revival style features. Other Events: The Rufus Porter Museum truly is the little museum that can - Saturday, June 13 at 1:30 p.m.: Guest speaker John Babin of due to the hard work and diligence of its volunteers. Through Maine Historical Society will give a talk on Henry Wadsworth frequent staffing changes over the years, and coming up with Longfellow. Longfellow was the grandson of General Peleg creative ways to raise money, the volunteers kept their eye on the Wadsworth, a founder of Hiram, with whom Longfellow spent prize: a museum campus, in the center of Bridgton, that provides summers. The program follows a business meeting at 1:00 p.m. educational opportunities for all ages. The honor award for the Location: Great Ossipee Museum of Hiram Historical Society, Webb House acknowledges the Rufus Porter Museum staff, the 20 Historical Ridge, Hiram Village 04041 (off Main Street Route project participants, and all of its dedicated volunteers. 117). Saturday, June 20: Great Ossipee Museum of Hiram Historical GREENVILLE Society will reopen for the season from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Museum is regularly open on the third Saturday of months Moosehead HS, Penobscot Nation Collaborate for Thoreau May to October. The scheduled May opening was cancelled due to Wabanaki Cultural Trip in July the Coronavirus pandemic. From Saturday, July 25 to Monday, July 27, the Moosehead Tuesday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m.: David Buchanan, Jared Carr, and Historical Society and the Penobscot Nation are offering a Sean Turley will present a program on Natural Ciders. David canoeing/camping/cultural immersion program of learning and Buchanan and Jared Carr are cider makers. Sean Turley is an activities as part of the 14th Annual Thoreau Wabanaki Trail expert on heirloom apples. A tasting is planned. No business Festival. meeting. Location: Great Ossipee Museum of Hiram Historical Society, 20 Historical Ridge, Hiram Village 04041. “The Last Leg of Thoreau’s Trip with Penobscot Guide Joe

10 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 Saturday, July 18: Great Ossipee Museum will open from 9:30 Samuel Cates. Fundraising has begun with planned acceptance of a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the building anticipated (subject to change based on the current pandemic) for this spring. FMI, contact Sally Williams at 207-615-4390 or gardenlit@ gmail.com. The building will be placed on VHS property behind Betty Taylor’s barn, to the side of the harness shop. We are asking for your financial help to prepare the site and to PRESQUE ISLE pay for the building. The building and site work is estimated Maysville Museum Opens in May at approximately $45,000 total. Please help us preserve and maintain Vassalboro’s larger artifacts as we preserve and maintain Presque Isle Historical Society’s Maysville Museum, located at the smaller items. Any and all donations will be appreciated. 165 Caribou Road (US Route 1) in Presque Isle, opens for the Donors can opt to be named as a supporter in our newsletter and/ season on Saturday, May 30. There are several new exhibits this or our website. Donations will be acknowledged for tax purposes. year, including Maine’s Bicentennial and The Mighty Quill Pen. There is no admission fee and the museum is open Monday – Please send donations to the following address: Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. through October 24. Building Fund, PO Box 13, North Vassalboro, ME 04962 For Opening Day, in celebration of the Bicentennial, samples of FMI, contact Jan Clowes, VHS President, at VHSPresident@ Moxie, the Maine State beverage, and whoopie pies, the Maine hotmail.com. g State treat, will be served. “The Bicentennial Beat” As part of Presque Isle’s celebration of Maine’s Bicentennial, join EXPLORE MAINE Presque Isle Historical Society for “The Bicentennial Beat,” a series of acoustic music concerts in the garden at the 1875 Vera Estey House Museum, 16 Third Street. CULTURE WITH Concerts will be held June 18 (Common Crossing Duo), July 2 (Community Band Quintet playing patriotic selections), July 16 VAM ON DE! (Hoss and Lurleen), and July 30 (Brad Hutchinson). Concerts are 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Concerts are free and open to the public. Bring Over the past 3 months, museums around Maine have your lawn chairs and blankets! Food vendor will be available. come together to create digital tours and content through VAMONDE for their institution. Explore these stories, FMI, visit www.pihistory.org or call 207-762-1151. scavenger hunts and more at vamonde.com/maine-archives- and-museums.

SKOWHEGAN Margaret Chase Smith Bicentennial Show Up Through 2020 Add Your Own Content to Share with the World - FREE! To commemorate the Maine Bicentennial, the special exhibit at You can reach digital audiences by adding your content, stories the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan this year focuses and field trips to VAMONDE for free, through your MAM on the 37 United States Senators, including Margaret Chase membership. Smith, who have served the state since 1820. Join us for information sessions during the month of May at the “Dirigo: The Senators from Maine” will be up for the remainder following dates and times: of the year, so we invite readers to make time to see it once the Tuesday, May 5 at 12 p.m. pandemic has passed. Wednesday, May 13 at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at 12 p.m. Wednesday, May 27 at 1 p.m. VASSALBORO Join the call on a computer by using the following link: https:// Vassalboro HS Seeks Donations to Support New Building zoom.us/j/2966033536. To call in on a phone, dial 296-603- 3536. In September 2019 the Vassalboro Historical Society (VHS) Board of Directors voted to purchase a large (32’ x 60’ x 18’) The session will feature Kartik Ramkumar from VAMONDE 18-gauge steel storage building that will not only allow us to on the digital tools available and how museums around the state protect our larger items, but will also enable us to have them have used digital tools to amplify education and engagement. viewable by the public. This decision was precipitated by a generous donation of several large pieces of farming equipment FMI, contract Kartik at [email protected]. g that had once belonged to long-time Vassalboro resident Dr.

VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY 11 before been necessary and using them to space for our staff in which they feel valued " EM PATHY" model many potential futures. We are also and valuable, and progress together into CONTINUED FROM COVER closely communicating, day in and day out, our new normal. with all departments. As a small staff, we language relieved any guilt that might exist Joanna Robinson-Clarke is the Operations should someone else choose to be in the are at an advantage in that communicating with six people is more accessible than and Finance Manager of Abbe Museum. office, and also left leeway acknowledging g the strangeness of our situation. with sixty. Still, I encourage it for all organizations, regardless of the situation. Maintaining duties, as reasonable, COVER IMAGE: A closed sign on the door creates space for the staff to take care Communication is the final component of of the Abbe Museum of themselves as well. We have further our response plan and became the most emphasized that in daily communications, critical. In addition to communicating by encouraging staff to take time away from clearly with colleagues, we committed to " N OWETA H " their home desks and providing resources communicating calmly and effectively with CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 for both indoor and outdoor movement. our communities and the public. We are piece is such an object of art. I have also We also acknowledged, as a staff, that critically evaluating the information we things may take longer or be put aside, really loved objects made with porcupine share to establish its relevance and impact quills. It’s wonderful to think you can take and provided the space and agency for on our audience. We committed to only our colleagues to make that decision for something in nature and produce such share information from trusted sources, stunning works of art.” themselves. such as the Centers for Disease Control The other questions of safety, mental (CDC) and the World Health Organization Nowetah’s American Indian Museum and and fiscal, were easier to answer than we (WHO), as well as sources unique to our Store is much more than a museum. It is thought. Our Guest Service Associates are audience, like Wabanaki Public Health. A a piece of cultural history viewed through the first introduction to our space, they set COVID-19 page was added to our website the lens of Nowetah’s family and other the tone for everything visitors experience, to aggregate information and resources Native American people and their beautiful and they bear significant mental stress. To for the public. We also added targeted handcrafted work. “I feel good that we are us, it was simple: our front line is essential, resources for Indigenous artists, who are keeping alive American Indian History in this situation is out of their control, and experiencing a disproportionate loss of this western Maine area as well as other we should not penalize them for that. We, income from event cancellations. parts of the world.” Nowetah hopes that in the 2020-2021 year, people will take therefore, decided to pay them for hours In further conversations, we discovered they would otherwise have been scheduled. time to make a trip to see the museum in that our staff wanted to do more to help person. As response measures from the state are within our community. We identified our enacted, we have allowed any part-time resources and offered them to smaller staff who wish to be temporarily laid off and Nowetah’s American Indian Museum and nonprofits in our area. Rather than Store is located at 2 Colegrove Road in apply for unemployment. We have been eliminating the fund we use to provide very clear in these discussions: we will do New Portland, Maine. Call prior to visiting, coffee for the office, we have repurposed at 207-628-4981. g what the staff member finds best for them. it to give supplies to organizations in Some staff have taken us up on this; some need. Additionally, we are providing have not. access to some of our paid services to We added to our benefits plan coverage of small nonprofits in our area to help them "RESTORATION" COVID-19 testing for all staff, and paid continue operations. Through these CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 time off for any employees who needed to actions, we aim to add weight to the words quarantine, regardless of their eligibility of compassion with which we speak. Working with Seth on the Narcissus restoration is Ernie Eaton. Ernie is the for any other benefits offered by the We crafted all of this as an emergency museum. We also expanded our Employee restoration shop’s Narcissus manager. policy, subject to approval by our Finance Ernie coordinates and oversees all the work Assistance Program from its standard $200 Committee and Board of Trustees. Backing per year to $300, to allow for all staff to in the shop relating to the restoration of the from both groups ensures that not only are Narcissus. pursue mental health resources as needed. our trustees actively engaged in caring for None of this comes without financial our staff but also that our team receives Ernie is utilizing software that creates impacts. We have purchased additional the support and insurance of the trustees an animated, virtual 3-D model of the supplies, added potential expenses, and are in making difficult decisions. Engaging Narcissus. This program allows for images facing a reduction of potential income. We, our Trustees and volunteers in empathy- of individual Narcissus components and like many others, are anxiously watching based work further aligns our practices their minute details/measurements to the government and granting agencies for with organizational ideals, thus bringing us be incorporated into digital files. As an sources of income and relief measures. We closer to fulfilling our mission. example, a volunteer using the Solidworks software has recently added to the program instituted an emergency spending freeze to This is a challenging time. None of us know take effect as soon as the museum closed to files the mahogany components that what is coming next. By instituting clear, Seth has repaired. These data files can the public. We are spending time setting empathy-based policies, we can provide up forecasting systems that have never then be manipulated to produce images

12 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 and animated videos of the assembled components. The Narcissus can then be seen as a 360-degree virtual-reality WELCOME formatted video or as detailed images that can be viewed in layers, with each layer being viewable separately or collectively. TO MAM'S Nails, screws, handles, seats, window curtains, paint color, floor tiles; you name BOARD! it, if the component has been added to the program files, it is virtually available for Kate Webber has been a Lead Educator at inspection. The specs within the program the Maine State Museum just over a year. are such that if a replacement metal A native of Central New York, Kate moved component is needed, the component to Maine to attend Bates College and could be cast at a foundry simply by has worked for Museum L-A, the Maine emailing the component’s data file to the Humanities Council, and as a fellow with foundry. How incredibly cool is that?! the Island Institute. She has a Masters in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Want to learn more about the Narcissus, Graduate Program. Kate enjoys exploring its restoration, Theodore Roosevelt’s her adopted hometown, Lewiston. She connection to Maine, and electric railway and her fiance Steve run the monthly lines in Maine? Go to www.narcissus1912. storytelling event “The Corner” at a local blogspot.com. cafe, and they’d love to see you there! g Want to make plans to visit the Narcissus and see its restoration? Go to www. which succumbed to Dutch elm disease in website (yarmouthmehistory.org), through trolleymuseum.org. g 2010 at the age of 217 years. Photos of VAMONDE’s website (vamonde.com), or Herbie’s impressive crown enrich the tour via the free mobile app, which will enable " YA R M O U T H " and serve as a welcome reminder of more users to connect with other adventures CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 recent local history. around Maine and worldwide. So far, this has been an exciting way for the History For our first contribution, we selected our VAMONDE users taking any of the Center to offer content on a portable, Mills and Main Street tour, which is one History Center’s tours can choose to do digital format and provide a new way for of our longest running and most popular the whole tour or just selections, either our audience to access and experience walking tours. Its nine stops loop from the on foot or from the comfort of home. Yarmouth history. g History Center on East Elm Street, along Links to all the tours can be found on our the Royal River, up to Main Street, and back to the Center. In its earlier iterations as a paper pamphlet, this tour was a high- level overview of some of Yarmouth’s key historical themes: the development of the mills along the river and the growth of Main Street. However, as we moved it to VAMONDE’s platform, we quickly discovered that we could expand the discussion of each site, adding multiple historic photos and “then and now” photo comparisons, which really enriched the content. Since uploading Mills and Main Street, we’ve added additional tours that cover the development of Yarmouth’s harbor and its shipbuilding industry as well as the growth of the village around the intersection of Main and Elm Streets. Several stops on these tours discuss buildings and local attractions that no longer exist, enabling us to help users recreate history on the Image courtesy Gray Historical Society of the former president of the United States, spot. One of my favorites is the stop for Theodore Roosevelt, on the number-2 end of the Narcissus, leaning out of the train Yarmouth’s champion elm tree, Herbie, doorway, addressing the crowd of townspeople in Gray, Maine on August 18, 1914.

VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY 13 Serving Clients Nationwide

Conservation Treatment For books, photographs, manuscripts, maps, parchment, and works of art on paper Imaging Services Digitization of cultural heritage collections. Careful handling of fragile materials Audio Preservation Digitization of audio media using traditional and optical-scanning technologies Preservation Services Assessments, training, consultations, disaster assistance

100 Brickstone Square | Andover, MA 01810 | (978) 470-1010 www.nedcc.org

DIGITIZE YOUR COLLECTION LIKE A PRO

FROM HISTORYIT

All it takes is your iPhone 7 or newer and the new PASTPORT System to create, tag, organize and share preservation-quality images in seconds. Nothing is faster or more affordable. pastport.com

14 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP RATES SHOWN HERE EFFECTIVE AS OF JANUARY 1, 2016.

Maine Archives & Museums (MAM) is the only public. The support and participation of our BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS professional association representing muse- members enable MAM to provide ever-expand- Consultant (single-member firm) ...... $35 ums, archives, historical societies, and other ing services to Maine’s community of collecting Partnership (two-member firm) ...... $50 collecting institutions in the state of Maine. Our institutions. By working together, we strengthen Corporate (multiple employees) ...... $100 purpose is to develop and foster a network of our collective resources and realize our shared citizens and institutions in Maine who identi- mission. Additional benefits for Business members: fy, collect, interpret, and/or provide access to • Member rate for all staff to attend MAM events materials relating to history, living collections, MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES AND DUES • One highlighted listing on “Service Provider” and culture. All members receive: feature on MAM’s website • Quarterly newsletter • E-mail updates for up to 4 contacts Our vital services to Maine’s cultural community • Reduced rate for MAM events include: • Member rate for ads in MAM’s newsletter INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIPS • Quarterly newsletter, in print and on-line • Discounts at a variety of vendors All Volunteer ...... $35 • Annual Conference • Free event and job listings (print & web) Annual budget $15,000 or less ...... $35 • Annual professional development workshops • Regular e-mail updates Annual budget $15,001 – $50,000 ...... $50 through the state Annual budget $50,001 – $100,000 ..... $60 • Listings on our website INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS Annual budget $100,001 – $500,000 . $100 • Valuable member discounts on archival Basic/Student* ...... $35 Annual budget over $500,000 ...... $175 products at a variety of vendors Patron ...... $75 • Research and advocacy Sponsor ...... $100 Additional benefits for institutional members: Benefactor ...... $150 • Member rate for all staff and volunteers to Our members are Maine’s collecting institu- attend MAM events tions (museums, libraries, historical societies, Additional benefits for Individual members: • One free listing on “Find a Museum/Archive” archives) as well as students, volunteers, paid • Member rate to attend MAM events (one feature on MAM’s website and unpaid professionals, other cultural organi- reduced rate with Basic membership, unlim- • E-mail updates for up to 4 contacts zations, affiliated businesses, and the interested ited for Patron and Benefactor)

Member Information “Find a Museum/Archive” Information Questions? for Institutional Members Membership Type (See Membership Categories & Dues section; please check one): [email protected] MAM’s website features the Find a Museum/Archive search feature for the general (207) 400-6965 ___ Institutional (for non-profit, collecting organizations) public. Please provide information that will be accessible and useful for all. ___ Business (for commercial or for-profit businesses that support the field)* ___ Individual (for individuals not representing a non-profit, collecting organization) ______Name of Institution Check one: ■ New member ■ Renewing member Which membership is right for me? MAM encourages all organizations to become Institutional members because it ______provides benefits for the organization as well as staff and volunteers; dues are based on the organization’s annual Physical address for the general public operating budget. MAM welcomes individual memberships for those who wish to join as an individual in addition to ______( ) their organization’s membership or for those unaffiliated with an institution and not serving as paid consultants. Phone number for the general public ______Contact Name Contact E-mail ______E-mail address for the general public For Institutional and Corporate Members ______You may provide e-mail address for up to three staff/volunteers What’s your specialty? Check up to 10 boxes below for your listing in the Find a ______(in addition to the contact listed above) to Museum/Active search feature on www.mainemuseums.org. receive on-line communications directly from MAM. ______■ Acadian Culture ■ Literary ■ American Indian ■ Living History ______■ Aquarium ■ Local History Institution/Business/School (NOTE: all student membership applications must be accompanied by a copy of a valid Student I.D.) ■ Archaeology ■ Logging or Lumber ______■ Archive ■ Maine History Mailing Address ■ Art ■ Maritime ______■ Children’s ■ Military City/Town, State, Zip ■ Civil War ■ Museum (______)______■ College & University ■ National Register of Contact Phone Website ■ Ethnic History Historic Places ■ Fire/Police ■ Natural History Membership Category:______Dues enclosed $______■ Forestry ■ Recreation Example categories: Institutional under 15K, Corporate, Patron (see Membership Categories & Dues section) ■ Forts ■ Reenactments Please make your check payable to Maine Archives & Museums and mail with this form to MAM, PO Box 784, Portland, ME ■ Genealogy ■ Religion 04104, or register on-line and pay with a credit card at www.mainemuseums.org. ■ Historic House ■ Science & Technology Business Members: Please select up to three categories for the “Service Provider” feature on our website. ■ Historic Site ■ Shakers ■ General Museum Services ■ Appraisal Services / Assessment ■ Conservation, Storage & Climate ■ Historical Society ■ Sports ■ Historical Research of Collections Control Supplier ■ Industrial History ■ Transportation ■ Public/Educational Programs ■ Architectural Design/ ■ Conservation/Preservation Services ■ Library ■ Miscellaneous ■ Marketing and Public Relations Construction Consultants ■ Exhibit Design, Fabrication & ■ Lighthouse ■ Digital Services/Archiving ■ Human Resources/Pensions/ Resources ■ Professional Development Retirement ■ Fundraising/Development Describe your institution: ______■ Printing Consulting Describe your business:______

______VOL. 23, ISSUE 2 MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS QUARTERLY______15 NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID The Association of PERMIT 46 BANGOR ME MaineTHE ArchivesASSOCIATION and Museums OF P.O.MAINE Box 784ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS Portland,P.O. BOX ME 784 04104 PORTLAND, ME 04104

Change Service Requested

CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS!

2020 Maine Archives & Museums Annual Conference s Wabanaki issues “Looking Forward from the Bicentennial” s Sessions by organizations run by all/mostly volunteers s Use of new technologies Friday, October 9, 2020 s Fundraising Abromson Community Education Center, USM, Portland We are happy to also accept sessions on many other topics that relate Maine’s Bicentennial is finally here! This year, instead of to our theme, or that would be productive and dynamic for attendees looking backward, we will spend the 2020 conference focusing including (but not limited to): on the future of the state’s museums and archives industry. s Outside the box programming and events Submit a session proposal by May 22, 2020 to share your s Collections management and exhibit development ideas about how to make our institutions as vital and vibrant s Volunteer management as they can be well into the future. As a presenter, you’ll only pay the low $40 student rate if you wish to attend the whole Deadline for submitting proposals is May 22, 2020. MAM’s conference, and you’ll receive a goody bag and our thanks! Conference Committee reviews submissions and notifies applicants of the status of their proposal by mid-summer. Organizations/institutions of all sizes and capacities are invited to submit sessions geared toward any level in both Questions? Need to submit via mail? Contact us at info@ hands-on workshop formats or standard presentation format. mainemuseums.org or 207-400-6965 ALL sessions this year are limited to 45-60 minutes. Coronavirus disclaimer: Nobody can know for sure what path the Based on evaluations from the 2019 conference, proposals are COVID-19 pandemic will take this year, but the Association of especially sought on the following topics: Maine Archives and Museums is determined to host this conference on October 9, 2020. If gathering in groups is still not safe by s Decolonizing museums/social justice October, we will offer this event online via video conferencing. g MAINE ARCHIVES & MUSEUMS MAINE ARCHIVES AND MUSEUMS ACTIVELY STIMULATES THE FLOW OF KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT AMONG ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN MAINE WHO IDENTIFY, COLLECT, INTERPRET, AND/OR PROVIDE ACCESS TO MATERIALS RELATING TO HISTORY, LIVING COLLECTIONS, AND CULTURE, IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN AND PROMOTE ALL COLLECTING INSTITUTIONS IN MAINE. | DISCOVER MORE AT MAINEMUSEUMS.ORG