usm.specialcollections@maine.edu
(207) 780-4269
Primary sources are an original work created during or around the event being studied. A primary source is not interpretive. It will not examine events as they happen (For example a primary source from the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement might tell you about the events from the first night of the Stonewall Riots, but it won't talk about the cultural impact of the start of the riots.)
Examples of Primary Sources:
You will need to make an appointment with Special Collections to access anything that is not digitized. Don't wait until the last minute to schedule an appointment.
Special Collections is located on the 6th floor of Glickman Library on the USM Portland Campus.
Masks are required.
Prior to the next class class you must:
Email Jill Piekut Roy: jill.piekut@maine.edu
You may request up to 3 Boxes from 2 different Collections for the class period.
In your email please include:
What class you're doing the research for (SOC 301)
Example: LG MS 11
Example: Northern Lambda Nord Archives
Example: Box 10
Example: Folder 5
Make sure you note which box goes with which collection
"I'm with the SOC 301 class. I would like to set up a time to look at the following:
LG MS 11, Northern Lambda Nord Archives, Boxes 5 & 10
LG MS 05, Maine Lesbian Feminist Archives, Box 1"
To make an appointment, email: usm.specialcollections@maine.edu
Special Collections will contact you to set up an appointment. At this appointment you will only be able to access one Box at a time, which an archivist will bring out for you.
You can search the collections by using the Search box in the top left. It will run a keyword search for anything in the collection in the center of the screen, in this case Querying the Past
Once your results come back and you choose one, if it's a document, you may have to run your search again to find where in the document your words are. You can do this with the little magnifying glass, or if you download the PDF, by using the Ctrl and F keys on your keyboard.
A Finding Aid is created by archivist who organize the collection when it comes to the collection.
All of the ones at Special Collections have similar information listed in them.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/lgbt_finding_aids/11/
The Call Number: LG MS 11
(where it lives on the shelves. You don't need to know this but the archivist getting the box for you does)
The Name of the Collection: Northern Lambda Nord Archives
(Usually who (a person or organization) collected all the materials that are in the collection)
Archivists names who processed the collection and wrote the finding aid: Michelle E. Smith & Kristin Morris.
(These are people to ask if you have questions about the collection)
In the Finding Aid, the collection is broken down into Series (a grouping of documents). These Series are then put into folders that are put into a box or boxes.
Series: 1. Administration
Box: 1
(An individual box will hold many folders. Sometimes Series will have more than one box in them).
Folder: 30 - 35
(All of these folders are in the same box, but they all hold different pieces. They will also run in numerical order in the box).
If you wanted to look at the meeting minutes from July 1991, you would need to request Call Number LG MS 11, Box 1. Once you get the box you would look for Folder 32.
Remember! Your greatest allies are the Archivists who work in Special Collections.
They are here to help you find useful sources, so reach out if you have questions:
The USM Glickman Library in Portland and the USM Library in Gorham each have collections of older newspapers which you can view using one of our microform machines. If you would like to use these machines and research any of these newspapers, please consult a Library Staff Member upon your arrival.
Due to their physical nature, these items are not available for online viewing unless they are included in a database listed in the related box.
The following newspapers are examples of what is available to view on microform. The collections on microform pre-date electronic digitization and so much of what available on microform dates from throughout the twentieth century and into the beginning of the twenty-first century. The dates below each newspaper may not exactly reflect library holdings, but are meant to be an example of likely date ranges.
Other items on Microform include: