BDN reports on Fogler Library gathering materials about Mainers’ COVID-19 pandemic experiences

The Bangor Daily News included the Raymond H. Fogler Library at the University of Maine in a report about libraries in Maine archiving residents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthew Revitt, special collections and Maine shared collection librarian, said he has been collecting revised syllabi from classes that went online, screenshots of web pages and emails from various UMaine academic and administrative departments, and personal stories from alumni gathered with help from UMaine’s Alumni Association. These materials can be viewed on the library’s website. “I wanted to be able to show the broad response from the university itself, and then how individual departments adapted, as well ordinary people,” Revitt said. “We want to get a kind of big picture of what happened, so that people in 10, 15, 100 years time that are researching this moment in history can really get a sense of what life was like, and how the university at all levels reacted.” To share a story, send materials to matthew.revitt@maine.edu. The Piscataquis Observer shared the BDN report. The Forecaster also included the Raymond H. Fogler Library in its story about libraries around the state collecting items to archive for future generations to study what it was like to live through the coronavirus pandemic.