A Newsletter for Friends of the Library
Vol. 40, No. 4

As we welcome winter, the staff of the Margaret Chase Smith Library is working on many exciting events! National History Day in Maine is headed to another contest season, we continue to update the facility, we hosted the Leeke-Shaw Lecture, artist Jerri Whitman’s exhibit “Painting an Inclusive History: Maine Women in Politics” is now closed, but a new exhibit featuring Frances Perkins will be available soon!

In this issue, you will learn about our recent library activities, educational opportunities, and various researchers and visitors. Each staff member has written what they have been doing over the last few months. Be sure to scroll all the way down and check out our up coming events section to see what’s on the horizon.

Directions

by Chris O’Brien

Since arriving in September, 2024, we’ve had an excellent and very busy fall. We began with a well-attended Hail and Farewell, hosted by the Margaret Chase Smith Foundation. Speakers included Foundation Chair Charlie Cragin, UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Governor Janet Mills, former director David Richards, and yours truly.

We followed up with the annual Leeke-Shaw Lecture which, due to Maine being Maine was moved to Zoom at the last moment so folks did not have to drive through the snowstorm. Speaker Claude Berube informed and terrified us all with am analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the US Navy in the years leading up to WWII and today.

As we look out to the coming year, much is happening. We will be engaged in updates to our building, our software suite, and our grounds. In addition, we hope to revive our internship and docent programs as we could certainly use a few good hands to help with the work. Interested? Give me a call, I’m happy to explain.

Happy holidays and the very best in the New Year!

Communication Corner

By John Taylor

National History Day in Maine 2025
As we settle into the winter months planning for the upcoming 2025 National History Day in Maine season continues to roll on.

In November, my colleagues Nicole Rancourt, Harper Batsford, and I made the trek to Presque Isle to conduct a workshop with Aroostook County teachers. It was a successful day with many in attendance. They learned the “nuts and bolts” of NHD, skills on exhibit building, and were introduced to many resources from the Margaret Chase Smith Library and the Acadian Archives.

This workshop is a key piece in the expansion of the program. This year we are adding a regional contest to the mix! We now have four regional showcase demonstrating our ever growing presence in the state. Registration for all contests will open on January 6, 2025. A call for judges will be going out at that time. If interested please contact me at john.m.taylor@maine.edu. I will gladly put you on my mailing list. Remember, you do not have to be an expert. Librarians, historians, archivists, educators, and armchair historians are all welcome to participate. We will provide an orientation on contest day and supply you with the necessary tools for judging as the event approaches. As of this writing, the contest dates are as follows:

Southern Regional (Portland)-March 8
Central Regional (Bangor)-March 22
Northern Regional (Presque Isle)-April 2
State Contest (Orono)-May 3
National Contest (College Park, MD)-June 8-12

2024 Margaret Chase Smith Library Essay Contest
In other news, our annual essay contest has begun! This year we are asking Maine high school seniors to write about free speech.

In 1952, Senator Joseph McCarthy was at the height of his political power due to his baseless witch hunts in search of subversive communists working within the United States Federal Government. That same year Senator Margaret Chase Smith gave a speech to the National Newspaper Editorial Association as tension continued to mount during the red scare. She noted, “Suspicion and division…petrifies our country, our people, and our thinking today. This suspicion and division, that has been bred by irresponsible name-calling motivated by selfish political desire” Furthermore the Senator stated, “Freedom of Speech has become more of a hollow phrase now than a vibrant reality. People don’t dare speak their minds for fear that mere expression of difference of opinion will make them targets for smears.”

Our current cultural and political landscape is rife with misrepresentation, hate speech is on the rise, and people are verbally attacked on various fronts. Much of this is occuring under the guise of “Freedom of Speech.” Keeping in mind that Americans have historically had differing viewpoints about personal freedoms, The Margaret Chase Smith Library invites students to provide their opinion on what are the rights of speakers in the public square. Should people be allowed to express anything they desire no matter the ripple effect their words may cause? Or, should there be limitations on speech? If so, how far is too far?

For more information and contest guidelines you can click here. Please pass this along to any high school seniors you may know. Essays are due April 4, 2025. First prize is $1,000!

United State Senate Youth Leadership Program
Finally, every year we have the privilege to host ten of the brightest high school juniors and seniors in the state for the United States Senate Youth Leadership Program. This year was no different. Representatives from Senator King, Senator Collins, and the Secretary of State’s offices served as judges interviewing the students and assessing their impromptu speeches to determine which two will receive $10,000 scholarships and an all expense paid trip to Washington, DC to see how the government works. Personally, it’s one of my favorite days. I wrote this year’s speech prompt asking them to defend their thoughts on free speech. I also spent time giving a small lecture on interpreting primary source material and about the life and career of Margaret Chase Smith. Already looking forward to hosting once again in 2025!

learning Lounge

by Kim Nelson

John, Nicole and I participated in Maine Fest in Augusta. We had cardboard Margaret holding a basketball next to a basketball hoop with balls for children to “be like Margaret” playing basketball. We also had a photo of Senator Smith fishing and children could color wooden fish that they could then take home. Even though it was rainy, we had more than 50 children plus their adults stop at out table.

My colleagues never disappoint when I ask them to personally donate money to allow us to purchase books for the Skowhegan Public Library Annual Fall Book Drive. We purchased four books covering a variety of topics. Each book has a book plate stating it was purchased by the 2024 Margaret Chase Smith Library staff. A great way for us to give back and to help promote our Library. Here are two of the books purchased: The other two are currently backordered.

Margaret Chase Smith Library purchased advertising space on a newly created Skowhegan Puzzle, Some Kind of Wonderful. The Library is on the box cover and was worked into the puzzle.The puzzles are $35.00. Please reach out to Mollie for more information mollie@mainstreetskowhegan.org. This is another way we keep the Library active within our community.

Field trips will return in the spring. If you know of a teacher or school who would like to visit have them reach out to the Library to reserve a day. We are free and we do have a school bus fund to pay for bussing.

In September, I reached out to the Frances Perkins Center to inquire on their traveling exhibit. I am excited to say that the Library will host this exhibit through the winter. A special thank you to Nicole and John for retrieving the traveling exhibit as well as adding information about Senator Smith to create a cohesive exhibit that highlights these two incredible women. Please consider calling the Library to make a reservation to view this new exhibit debuting in the near future. More information on this collaborative exhibit will be announced soon.

Research Roundup

by Nicole Potter

Exhibitions: Closing and Opening

I would like to start with a final shoutout to our now closed 2024 exhibition, “Painting an Inclusive History: Maine Women in Politics.” This exhibition featured portraits created by Jerri Whitman. Based in Dresden, Maine, Whitman is a longtime artist who works in oil, pastel, acrylic, colored pencil and graphite. Presently, Whitman is working to create a portrait of every woman from Maine who has been elected to the Maine Legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives, or the U.S. Senate. The first twenty-six of these portraits were featured in the exhibition which was on display at the Margaret Chase Smith Library from May 20th until November 29th, 2024.

The Margaret Chase Smith Library received a fantastic response in regards to these portraits. We thank everyone who attended our opening reception in June, who attended Whitman’s artist talk in August, or who stopped by to view the exhibition during open hours. Our hope is to explore more opportunities to display works by contemporary artists that fit with the mission of the Library.

There will be a new exhibition opening at the Margaret Chase Smith Library in January 2025. The Library will be hosting a traveling exhibition from the Frances Perkins Center which is located in Newcastle, Maine. A contemporary of Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Frances Perkins was President Franklin Delanore Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor, the first woman to serve as a Presidential cabinet secretary. From the Frances Perkins Center, “[she] was the driving force behind the New Deal, credited with formulating policies to shore up the national economy following the nation’s most serious economic crisis and helping to create the modern middle class.”

This exhibition will be accompanied by materials from the Margaret Chase Smith Library’s own collection that highlights the connections between Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Frances Perkins. An official announcement will be sent out by the Library in the new year with more information about the exhibition including the official opening date.

MAM Conference

In October 2024 I was able to attend the Maine Archives and Museums (MAM) Conference in Lewiston, Maine, alongside my colleagues Kim Nelson and John Taylor. It was wonderful to learn from colleagues across the state and engage in active conversations about the field of cultural heritage preservation. Both proposals I had previously submitted to the MAM conference organizers had been accepted and I was able to speak on two separate panels during the conference - one on educational opportunities for students at libraries and museums and one on exhibiting contemporary artwork at historic institutions. The presentations, entitled “Student Engagement at the Margaret Chase Smith Library” and “Historical Organizations as Platforms for Contemporary Art and Artists: The Margaret Chase Smith Library,” were well attended by MAM members and sparked lively discussions during the question and answer portions of the panels. I was thrilled to have the occasion to represent the Margaret Chase Smith Library at this conference in addition to the opportunity to participate in such active dialogue with my fellow library, archive, and museum professionals.

MCSL Book Group

I was very excited this past fall to take over the coordination of the Margaret Chase Smith Library’s book group after Dr. David Richards retirement. For the Fall 2024 series the book group read titles with a shared theme of paintings and other visual arts which was inspired by the Library’s 2024 exhibition, “Painting an Inclusive History: Maine Women in Politics.” These titles were, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, The Art Forger by Barbara Shapiro, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the discussion of these novels.

The Margaret Chase Smith Library’s book group takes place on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, unless there is a scheduling conflict at the Library. Book group meetings are from 6:00-7:30 pm and are hybrid. Zoom links for attending meetings virtually are sent out a week beforehand. If you’re interested in joining the Library’s book group then please email the Library at mcsl@mcslibrary.org.

The Margaret Chase Smith Library's book group will be going on hiatus after the December 2024 meeting until April 2025 due to staffing conflicts. There will be two meetings in the spring, on April 22nd and May 20th, and these will be led by Kim Nelson. Do note that the April meeting is on the 4th Tuesday of the month (rather than the 3rd) due to a scheduling conflict. The Spring 2025 series will be focused on historical events in Maine. The book group will be reading Maine to Cape Horn: The World's Most Dangerous Voyage by Charles H. Lagerbom for the April meeting and The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon for the May meeting. More information will go out to the book group members in the spring.

I thank everyone who’s participated in the Margaret Chase Smith Library’s book group previously and I hope more of you consider joining!

Upcoming events

Featured