Merrill Library Newsletter

Online Events

You are invited to Fogler Library's events!

Building accessibility with Open Educational Resources: a workshop

Interested in learning how to make accessibility a strength of your course with Open Educational Resources (OER), or how to make sure your students are getting all they can out of your open textbook? Join Tom Hardy, Open Educational Resources Librarian at UMaine Libraries Tuesday October 13 at 4 p.m. in Fogler Library Classroom 1 or on Zoom, for an informational session that will showcase OER’s support for inclusive, accessible learning. This session will explore accessibility features on various platforms, some best practices, and tools you can employ to help all learners engage more with your content.

Register for this Session, or check out UMaine Libraries Workshop Page for more information on other events.

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

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.

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

UMaine Libraries new procedure for course-required films

UMaine Libraries will make every effort to find a Title II compliant version of your course-required films, which means that they employ captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions. If no version exists, we will reach out to streaming services to see if one can be made available by them. This can be a time consuming process. For that reason we require 6 weeks advance notice for all film requests. 

Please note that in some cases, despite our best efforts, no compliant version of a film exists. Should that happen, we will reach out to ask if you have a vetted audio description that we can add to your film, or we will work with you to find an alternative film.



We encourage you to check our film databases when building your courses. These can be found on our Database List and include Academic Video Online, Films on Demand, and Swank Digital Campus. In some cases, we are also able to acquire films through Kanopy as a last resort. Please be aware that films on Kanopy cost the Libraries $150 for a single year of access and are, therefore, not a sustainable option for procuring course materials.

 Thank you for your patience and understanding as we implement Title II updates into our Reserves practice. Please remember that you can always reach out to us for assistance finding materials for your courses, including films. We are happy to field any questions you might have.

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.

Featured Resource

Find unique databases and online resources available through the UMaine Catalog to enhance your research, teaching, and learning. Explore something in each issue!

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

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)