News & Announcements

Maine Historical Society Awarded Prestigious Certificate of Commendation from The American Association for State and Local History


September 1, 2006

Maine Historical Society is proud to announce it is the recipient of an American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Certificate of Commendation for its online museum, Maine Memory Network. The AASLH Annual Awards Program is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. Award winners were honored at a banquet in Pittsburgh, PA, on Saturday, September 24, 2005. Accepting the award for Maine Historical Society will be its Executive Director, Richard D'Abate.

"We're tremendously pleased with this award. Maine Memory Network (MMN) is one of the first statewide online museum archives in the country, allowing unprecedented access to Maine's historical collections and exhibits," notes D'Abate. "The website allows us to serve a wider and more diverse public through education, community partnership and technology."

"Maine Memory Network is Maine's first and only online database of historical images related to state and regional history," noted MMN nominator Patricia Burdick, Special Collections Librarian at Colby College, Waterville, ME. "Since its creation in 2000, the project has provided critical services: historical repositories statewide have become more aware of each other's holdings; educators have incorporated primary source materials into their classes using MMN lesson plans; students, researchers and private individuals have gained online access to important and fascinating archival collections. The project is significant for its ambitious access and outreach goals, its solid technological administration and its ability to bring the power of digitization to even remote places in Maine through training and support activities."

Maine Memory Network, a project of Maine Historical Society, was one of 87 national award winners this year. With more than 10,000 images from over 100 Contributing Organizations, MMN is an essential educational resource, promoting historical preservation and connecting communities throughout a geographically large state.

For more information:

Maine Historical Society
489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
207–774–1822
www.mainehistory.org
www.mainememory.net

Maine Historical Society preserves and shares Maine's story to enrich life in contemporary Maine.