Need
In the late 1990s a consortium of seven cultural organizations
in Maine conducted a statewide assessment of cultural resources
and needs. The consortium identified a need to improve access
to resources so that Mainers could become more aware of their
heritage. The assessment found that, as a rural and geographically
large state, it is difficult for residents to make use of
local historical collections.
The Maine Memory Network, a digital museum launched
in 2001, grew out of the Maine Historical Society’s
desire to improve public access to its vast historical collections.
The Maine Historical Society has one of the largest and most
important collections of historical material in the state,
including maps, photographs, letters, journals, diaries, official
records, manuscripts, and much more.
While developing the Web site, it became apparent
to Maine Historical Society staff that Maine Memory could
serve an even greater function; it could become a centralized
online gateway to Maine history and could enable historical
societies (there are more than 225), museums, archives, public
libraries, and other collections-based organizations across
the state to share their collections online. The Maine Historical
Society made use of an IMLS Learning Opportunity Grant to
provide cultural organizations with the software, training,
and support they need to add images and items from their own
collections to the Maine Memory Network. Local organizations
who are contributing partners have significant autonomy and
decide what materials and stories from their communities to
share.
Project Design and Goals
From the inception of the Maine Memory Network, Maine
Historical Society staff grappled with the question of how
to provide context for the individual historical items in
its ever-growing database. With IMLS funding the Historical
Society made a plan to create interpretive content for Maine
Memory that would enable teachers, students, and the general
public to explore and understand historical items in greater
depth. In essence, the goal of the 2002 National Leadership
Grant was to transform Maine Memory’s digital archive
into a full-fledged, statewide online museum.
Beyond that, the Maine Historical Society wanted
to facilitate the use of primary documents and Maine Memory
Network in Maine classrooms and enable Maine students to learn
about local, state, and national history through the eyes
and experiences of their own communities.
Fortunately, Maine has one of the best-developed
educational technology networks in the country, ensuring that
students and the general public would have access to these
online resources. The Public Utilities Commission provides
free, high-speed Internet to public schools and libraries,
and the internationally recognized Maine Learning Technology
Initiative distributes laptop computers to every seventh-
and eighth- grade student in the state and provides ongoing
training and support to their teachers.
Plan in Action
The Maine Historical Society tackled its plan for
developing interpretive online resources with a two-pronged
approach. First, it developed an infrastructure and system
that allow Maine Historical Society staff, contributing partners,
and even students to create and share online exhibits. These
online exhibits—of which approximately 70 have been
created to date— explore a diverse array of topics and
events in Maine history. They are based on rigorous research,
and are either reviewed or created by a project historian.
The second prong was to develop curricular resources
that would help teachers teach and students learn Maine history
through primary resources. One of the key items developed
is a resource called Finding Katahdin Online. It
is based on and accompanies a recently published Maine Studies
textbook created by the University of Maine Press. Maine Memory
now provides online access to hundreds of primary sources
keyed to each chapter and section of the book. It also provides
free online access to a major 500-page resource guide that
was developed by UM Press to complement the book. Finding
Katahdin Online includes more than 60 fully developed
lesson plans tied to State Learning Results in an easily downloadable
and free PDF format.
The project also provides innovative training
support for teachers, students, and community members to help
them research, prepare, scan, and upload historic materials
from their own communities. In the process, they learn about
preserving and sharing the history of their individual communities.
Participants determine specific resources that connect with
their interests, while Maine Memory Network staff provides
technical assistance, teaching materials, and historical society
resources. The program is promoted directly to students in
the classroom and through teacher professional development
programs, as well as through library conferences, educator
conferences, word-of-mouth, and press coverage.
Results
Since its launch in 2001, the Maine Memory Network has been
a great success: 160 organizations have contributed more than
11,000 historical items from their collections, and many educational
opportunities have emerged.
The Maine Memory Network is becoming, in part,
a community-centered program that includes a strong emphasis
on involving elementary, middle, and high school-age youth
in the study of their communities and helping to share that
history on line. Initial evaluations indicate that participating
youth developed a deep interest in their community’s
history and became involved with the preservation of that
history and how it informs present-day decisions for city
planning and development. Participation also reinforced key
academic goals and helped students develop a variety of important
skills.
Working with Maine Historical Society staff,
Laura Richter, a Technology Integration Specialist and former
Social Studies teacher for the Skowhegan Area Middle School,
collaborated with four other teachers to create a local history
course that guides youth to explore community history and
use online resources and media to share their research through
online exhibitions and narrative interpretation. The popular
course, which meets once a week, features guest speakers and
involves hands-on research with primary source materials at
local institutions.
When one student learned of the city’s
plan to demolish an historic building that was depicted in
materials at the Skowhegan History House, he decided to become
involved. He set about writing letters to the editor and short
pieces for the newspaper about the history of the building
and what the building meant to the community. He and other
students became outspoken advocates for the preservation of
city history and began attending and presenting at heritage
council meetings and eventually created the Skowhegan Junior
Historical Society.
The strong ties the students made with community
members formed the core of a relationship that continues.
When the Skowhegan Heritage Council began plans for a walking
tour of the Flat Iron District, council members turned to
the students to select and research 25 places of interest
to include on the tour. Over two years, about 18 students
participated on this project that utilized both online and
human resources available through the Maine Memory Network.
This year students are working on the production of a city
documentary for which they have already conducted in-depth
research.
The Maine Historical Society hopes to develop
a program and resources that make it possible for partnerships
in communities around the state to undertake such collaborative
projects and share their work through the Maine Memory Network.
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