Maine Libraries Collaborate to Collect and Share COVID-19 Stories from their Communities
In an effort to document and preserve stories of how COVID-19 has reshaped the lives of Maine people during the global pandemic, a number of Maine libraries are working together on an unprecedented archiving project that will be made available online and preserved for access by future generations.
The project was made possible with federal CARES Act funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and involves creation of a Web platform at the Maine State Library that can be used by libraries throughout the State to host and publish collections that depict the impact of COVID-19 on the people of their communities.
Over the last several months, participating libraries have been working together to share expertise, create documentation around best practices, and develop a resource guide for other libraries.
Current participating libraries and their projects include:
-
Heart of Maine Community Stories- A collaboration between Hartland Public Library, Newport Cultural Center, Pittsfield Public Library, Skowhegan Free Public Library, and Thompson Free Library (Dover-Foxcroft) to document life in central Maine during the COVID-19 pandemic;
-
Isolating Together- Portland Public Library is inviting those across the greater Portland area to communicate how they are living with the present social distancing measures, and although everyone may now be physically distant, people can remain socially connected amidst this time of isolation during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic;
-
Biddeford COVID-19 Community Archive- The Archive is a joint project of the McArthur Public Library, the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center, and the Biddeford Historical Society that will document life in Biddeford during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community members submit stories, images, oral history interviews, and videos to the archive;
-
How's Your Week Going?- The Patten Free Public Library, in Bath, invites those who live, work, or feel at home in Sagadahoc County to share stories about how the COVID-19 epidemic is affecting them and their community;
-
Ogunquit Memorial Librarys COVID-19 Archive- The Ogunquit Memorial Library invites members of the Ogunquit community to tell their COVID-19 story. The pandemic is affecting local culture and tourism in unprecedented ways; this project allows for the documentation of these experiences;
-
Bangor COVID-19 Community Archives Project- Patrons and community members are invited to submit pandemic postcards to be exhibited virtually and in the library in September. COVID-19 stories are also being collected and shared, along with exhibits of historic collections relating to earlier pandemics;
- Fort Fairfield has recently added a SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) Community Impact collectionto their existing archive.
Lewiston Public Library, West Paris Public Library, and the University of Maine at Augusta are also developing sites. Check for new sites at the Maine State Library’s hub site.
Beyond the libraries in this project, many colleges and universities are also documenting the impact of the virus on their campus communities. The University of Maine has a COVID-19 Community Archive in Digital Commons.
Follow all of these libraries on Facebook at Maine during COVID-19: Our Communities and Archives.
This is just one of the many initiatives for libraries throughout the State of Maine that are having a positive impact in Maine communities. More information about these CARES ACT grant programs is available at the Maine State Library’s Web site.
$8 Million Investment from Coronavirus Relief Fund Directed to Child Care for Working Families
In combination with other federal funds, Maine's support for providers meets Bipartisan Policy Center recommendation for recovery
More than $8 million from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund will be invested to further boost access to childcare and support Maine's working families in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will provide an additional $8.4 million to more than 1,700 Maine childcare providers for the extra costs and challenges of operating during the pandemic.
Through the announced funding, center-based providers will each receive up to $9,200, while family-based providers will each receive up to $950 to cover COVID-related expenses.
The Maine DHHS will award the remaining $2.8 million from the previously announced $11 million in CARES Act funding for Maine, focusing on childcare providers that are open and providing care by September 8, 2020. Childcare centers will receive an additional $2,800 in aid, and family-based providers will receive an additional $550, with grants issued in August.
Taken together, the childcare reimbursement announced today from the Coronavirus Relief Fund and the CARES Act grants meet the Bipartisan Policy Center's recommended amount needed for childcare providers to remain open or reopen in the face of the pandemic. In a letter to Congress, the Bipartisan Policy Center calculated that providers would need up to $12,000 (centers) and $1,500 (family-based) to re-open and make needed adjustments for health and safety precautions.
As of recently, over 80 percent of Maine's approximately 1,700 licensed childcare providers are open, up from about 50 percent in April. This reflects, in part, robust support from the DHHS Office of Child and Family Services. The Office has awarded the bulk of the previously announced $11 million in CARES Act funding, available through the Child Care and Development Block Grant, providing a one-time stipend to all licensed childcare providers in April, subsidy support for essential workers through June 30, 2020, and grants to resume operations by June 30, 2020.
Recognizing the ongoing needs of the public while prioritizing children's safety, it has permitted childcare providers to remain open throughout the state of civil emergency to serve Maine families, including parents who are essential to Maine's response to the pandemic. It has distributed updated guidance to promote the health and safety of children, families, childcare providers, and their communities. The Office has also worked with childcare partners to match working parents with providers who remain open.
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Reminds Everyone about the Risk of Accidentally Spreading Invasive Species While Moving Firewood
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (DACF) wishes to remind the public about the risk of spreading tree-killing invasive species while moving firewood. New infestations of invasive pests or diseases pose a serious threat to Maine's landscapes, trees, agriculture, forests, wildlife, and the environment.
Harmful invasive species, some of which are invisible to the naked eye, can hide in or on firewood. While most cannot move far on their own, these pests and diseases can be carried long distances on travelers’ firewood and start new infestations. Native tree species and planted fruit trees and shrubs lack defenses against these new pests and diseases. Infestations can destroy entire forests, lower property values, and cost millions of dollars to manage.
Important steps towards slowing the spread of invasive species we can all take are:
- to realize that untreated firewood moved a long distance is a threat to trees and forests
and
- commit to using only local or certified heat-treated wood. Bringing untreated firewood into the State is banned, but in a state as big as Maine, the commitment to use local or heat-treated wood needs to be applied to movement of firewood within the State as well.
As camping resumes this year, the DACF urges all campers to look to source firewood locally, rather than bring wood with you. Typically, the firewood sold by in-state vendors is affordable, locally sourced, or heat-treated to eliminate pests and diseases. The Firewood Scout Web site can help you find local firewood at http://www.firewoodscout.org/.
Limit the spread of invasive species, leave firewood at home and:
- use firewood certified as heat-treated;
- buy firewood at your destination or gather it on-site where permitted; and
- burn all wood on-site, and do not take any home or to a new location.
Learn more about Maine's untreated out-of-state firewood ban online at http://www.maine.gov/firewood.
|
