October 6, 2026

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Merrill Library's hours

Please note that Merrill Library's hours for the Fall 2026 Semester are as follows:

Sunday: 2-8 p.m.

Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m

Merrill Library receives major art book donation honoring Professor Bernie Vinzani



The University of Maine at Machias (UMM) recently received a generous donation of nineteen handmade art books from Rebecca Goodale — a celebrated Maine artist, educator, and former director of the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts at the University of Southern Maine (USM).

The donated books feature artwork spanning the past twenty years of Goodale’s career. She gifted the collection to UMM in recognition of Professor Bernie Vinzani’s significant scholarship in papermaking and book arts. Goodale and Vinzani have known each other for over two decades and have frequently collaborated to closely align the book programs at UMM and USM. Notably, Goodale was a keynote speaker when Vinzani hosted the national Paper and Book Intensive at UMM in 2010, an event that brought 75 book arts professionals to campus.

Vinzani plans to integrate Goodale’s books into his annual courses as prime examples of the craft. “Many of our students taking art courses include Creative Arts majors, but also science students in Marine Biology and Botany," Vinzani reports. "Last semester, Marine Biologist Dr. Kat Anderson had one of her classes present their research projects using a book arts format. They came to the book studio to learn introductory skills, then they took off with great results. Rebecca's books will contribute much to the interdisciplinary work being done by our students at UMM.”

When not being utilized in the classroom, the collection will be housed in secure, climate-controlled conditions used as a curating room for UMM’s art collection on the UMM campus, alongside other rare books held by Merrill Library. 

Photo: Art books donated by Rebecca Goodale to the University of Maine at Machias

New books at Merrill Library!

Merrill Library has added a variety of new fiction and non-fiction titles to its collection, with more to come in the near future. Titles now available include “Clear” by Carys Davis; “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Stockett; “Kin” by Tayari Jones; “The Common Uncommon: A Forest Journey” by Bernd Heinrich; “At Home on an Unruly Planet: Finding Refuge on a Changed Earth” by Madeline Ostrander; and “Is a River Alive?” by Robert Macfarlane. Titles soon to be added include “Cool Machine” by Colson Whitehead; “Under the Falls” by Richard Russo; The Birthing Tree” by Amanda Peters, and more. Patrons are invited to come by and browse through everything the library has to offer.

Images: 

(Top) Some of the new titles available at Merrill Library

(Right) New titles coming soon to the library

Merrill materials temporarily moved to Fogler Library for processing



A number of historical UMaine Machias related items including photos, publications, alumni information and memorabilia have been transported to Fogler Library’s Special Collections department for processing by archivists.



Once the materials have been cataloged, they will be returned to Machias and will be housed at Merrill Library and available to researchers looking at the history of the Machias campus.

Image: Boxes of UMM items awaiting processing at Fogler Library

The “Maine Bird Atlas” now available for pre-order

The “Maine Bird Atlas” is the result of a collaborative effort led by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IFW), with major contributions from Maine Natural History Observatory, Maine Audubon, Biodiversity Research Institute, and thousands of volunteers. The atlas is not only a bird book; it represents one of the largest natural history collaborations ever undertaken in Maine. (Adapted from the Maine Audubon website.)

At 744 pages and with a trim size of 9 inches by 12 inches, the Maine Bird Atlas is based on data gathered by professional biologists and thousands of citizen scientists between 2018 and 2022. The book is a comprehensive assessment of Maine’s bird diversity and distribution and includes hundreds of color photographs, charts, and maps. While it will serve as a reference for professionals and longtime birders, it is also intended for anyone who wants to learn more about the birds of Maine — and for those who simply love birds.

The book will be available in early November, but pre-orders are now being taken by the University of Maine Press, Maine Natural History Observatory, Biodiversity Research Institute, and Maine Audubon, as well as the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The book sells for $95.00 retail, and a shipping charge of $12.00 will be added to the order for one copy (or $20.00 shipping for two copies). Books will be shipped when they arrive from the printer later this fall.

For more information, contact Betsy Rose, director of the University of Maine Press, or find the atlas on the University of Maine Press catalog page.

Milton Bradley presentations across Maine

Patent and Trademark Resource Center representative librarian John Hutchinson has visited five Maine public libraries this year, giving presentations about the life of a famous Mainer: game publisher, inventor and early childhood education advocate Milton Bradley. The presentation covers Milton’s life from his birth in Vienna, Maine, through multiple career changes, and finally to his success as a game designer and advocate of kindergarten education. Since March, Hutchinson has gone to Liberty, Norridgewock, Windham, Rockland and Waterboro, driving over 1,000 miles, and will shortly be giving the presentation at Dirigo Pines in Orono.

In addition to an informative slide presentation, Hutchinson also brought along an antique Milton Bradley card game, an animation device called a Zoetrope (a very early predecessor to animated cartoons), and a poster of Milton Bradley’s first board game, “The Checkered Game of Life.” He also brought a copy of “The Paradise of Childhood” by Edward Wiebé, a book about how to approach kindergarten education. The book was originally published by the Milton Bradley company. It was instrumental in drawing Milton Bradley into the Kindergarten Movement in the USA.

In 2025, Hutchinson launched an online guide to Milton Bradley’s life as part of his series of guides about Maine inventors. He has also put up guides about Chester Greenwood, Percy Spencer and Margaret Knight and may deliver presentations about those inventors in the future. 

Hutchinson has also given a different presentation about the history of interesting inventions in American History, which covers famous inventions like the cotton gin and the Wright Brothers, as well as frozen foods, dishwashers and the Statue of Liberty, at public libraries in Rangeley, New Gloucester and Windham, with others planned for Eliot and Waterboro in the coming months.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5703 Alumni Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).