UMA Libraries' Special Collections

The Katz Library at the University of Maine at Augusta is home to several special collections of rare books, manuscripts, print and 3D visual art, useful objects, and other materials. Many of these collections concern the history of Maine or the history of UMA since its inception in 1965; all collections are preserved and arranged here for the use of present and future members of the UMA community and the public.

For more information about these collections, see the corresponding links. To visit them in person, check in with the library staff at the Katz Library circulation desk.​

Browse Our Special Collections:

Click on the different headings to explore our Special Collections.

Andrea worked for UMA Libraries for over 20 years and had a passion for consumer health. These graphic novels are about various mental health, physical health, and consumer health issues. There is also a memory table near the display for patrons to leave memories of Andrea.

The Katz Library is home to both the Mary R & Francis Calvert Rare Book Collection and the Austin H Wilkins Rare Book Collection. Items in these collections are visible in URSUS and appear at the location, “UMA Spec Coll,” in the catalog. All rare books are on view in the Special Collections corner on the second floor of Katz Library.

The Katz Library is home to the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame gallery of portraits. A collaboration of the BPW/Maine Futurama Foundation and the University of Maine at Augusta, “the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame is dedicated to women whose achievements have had a significant statewide impact, have significantly improved the lives of women, and whose contributions provided enduring value for women. The annual Induction Ceremony, held on the third Saturday of March each year, is an outstanding public event where one or two women of achievement are honored.”

The Marcel Raymond Collection is comprised of French-language media and cultural materials donated by Raymond and his family in 2010. This collection resides not only in the UMA Katz Library but also in Maine school libraries, promoting awareness and study of the French language and culture throughout the state. Additional donations from the Raymond family have endowed in perpetuity the Marcel Raymond Scholarship for the Study of French at UMA.

The Margit Cronmueller Smith Collection is composed of manuscripts, audio recordings, an instrument, and other materials surrounding Smith’s late twentieth-century research into the musical traditions of West Africa, in particular the Mande kora of the Ivory Coast and Senegal.

The Katz Library is home to both the Mary R & Francis Calvert Rare Book Collection and the Austin H Wilkins Rare Book Collection. Items in these collections are visible in URSUS and appear at the location, “UMA Spec Coll,” in the catalog. All rare books are on view in the Special Collections corner on the second floor of Katz Library.

Established in October 1999, the Terry Plunkett Collection consists of books and videos by and about Maine authors. The primary focus of the Plunkett Collection is contemporary Maine fiction and poetry. It honors former UMA faculty Terry Plunkett’s accomplishments as teacher, poet, scholar, novelist, editor, and mentor.

The Katz Library permanent art displays include several paintings, prints, and sculptures created by established Maine artists and by former students in the UMA Art Department, as well as art books of student works from the 2010s. Some of the more notable art pieces include three alligator wood carvings by renowned Old Town, Maine painter, and sculptor, Bernard Langlais.

The Katz Library houses photographs, press, marketing materials, and other documents charting the history of the University of Maine at Augusta from 1965 to the present. Nottage Library houses historical information about the UMA Bangor campus, including photographs from earlier campus iterations and information about Bangor’s former Dow Air Force Base.