out guidance review suggestions .
The spirit, loyalty, and high morale of COA faculty have been demonstrated
over the years. This is a coherent and collegial body, both personally and
professionally; enlargement of the faculty will serve to increase the diversity
of viewpoints and extend the range of Human Ecology as a discipline. Already the
natural sciences have a strong working program in evolutionary biology and
ecology. The Human Studies group has recently returned to strength with
appointments in philosophy, public policy, and education. The smallest current
area, Design, is currently the object of college-wide attention and promises to
see a vigorous renewal and re-direction toward the creative and performing arts.
Future appointments in this area, and in history, will return to the curriculum
some important disciplines lost through recent resignations .
The faculty has never been stronger as a whole than it is today.
Communication with the President and the Trustees is fluent and continual. The
College is confident that planned changes in policy and physical plant will
further increase support for the faculty in their attempt to construct a new
academic discipline and artictilate it in the form of an unique undergraduate
curriculum. For the more distant future, a group is being formed under the Title
III grant this summer to investigate possibilities of advanced studies in Human
Ecology. This move would bring another category of students to Bar Harbor, with
new demands and new possibilities that might well result in enrichment of the
undergraduate college. The faculty looks forward to this study with great
enthusiasm.
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LIBRARY
Description and Appraisal
Introduction
In the last four years, the Thomdike Library has made great strides in
recovering from the devastating 1983 fire that destroyed its physical facilities
and most of its collections. Today there is little evidence of fire damage,
depleted resources, or makeshift arrangements; the temporary quarters are
utilitarian but comfortable, and collections meet or exceed pre-fire strength.
Best of all, there is the growing excitement that comes from planning a new
library that once again will be the center of the College community.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the Thomdike Library stems from two basic premises.
First, because of the interdisciplinary nature of the College curriculum,
students are expected not only to learn some of the research methodology of the
social sciences, physical sciences, and humanities, but also to acquire an
understanding of the structure and extent of the literature of these disciplines.
Since the literatvire exists in a variety of formats, students need experience in
locating, evaluating, communicating, and documenting information regardless of
how it is presented.
The second premise is that library services at the College should adhere to
human ecological principles - such as using resources and space as efficiently and
wisely as possible. With this in mind, the new Thomdike Library facility has
been planned to have a 50,000-volume book collection, with some additional space
to store little -used items. Once the 50,000-volume mark is reached, a judicious
weeding policy will be employed to keep the collection as responsive as possible
to the College's needs. Collection priorities and the weeding policy are
outlined in the Thomdike Library Collection Development Policy (please see the
Appendix for a copy of this document) . To locate and obtain materials that are
not held in the Thomdike Library, library staff make extensive use of library
cooperative networks discussed elsewhere in this chapter.
88
Principles underlying the philosophy of the Thomdike Library, adopted by
the Library Committee, endorsed by the College cormiunity, and published in
library informational handbooks include:
Library resources are vital to a thorough college education.
The library is not solely a collection of books but rather an
information center containing materials in a multitude of formats .
The ability to use the library well is important to an undergraduate
education, and library staff are responsible for training students in
this area.
The number of volumes held is not as important as the appropriateness
of those volumes to the existing and future curriculum.
Organization and Administration
Because the library is small, its organizational structure is simple. The
regular staff consists of one professional librarian, one library assistant, one
library clerk, and 10-15 student workers. Since the fire, an additional
professional librarian has been added in a temporary position to catalog books
and to provide reference services during evenings and on weekends. By September
20 this position will be made permanent. Since 1983 a retired professional
librarian has volunteered her time one day a week to file cards and to work on
collection development. The work flow generated by a staff of this size allows
each person to do work appropriate to her education, experience, and pay level.
(See the job descriptions and resumes for each staff mei±)er on file in the Team
Workroom) .
The Librarian serves as the library's administrator and reports to the
Provost. She is assisted in the formulation of library policies, procedures, and
the operation of the annual book sale by the Library Committee, which draws its
members from the faculty, staff, stxidents. Trustees, and library personnel.
Although faculty and students are encouraged to recommend new purchases , the
Librarian is responsible for the acquisition of new books and periodicals. To
facilitate participation in the selection process, order cards are kept in a
prominent location in the library office, and as funds become available many of
these recommendations are followed. As part of the textbook ordering process,
facility are further encouraged to make reconmendations of books to support their
courses. Orders for class textbooks are processed through a local bookstore.
89
while books suggested as collateral readings are purchased by the library as part
of the general collection.
The College's small size and informal atmosphere allow problems with library
collections and services to be discussed freely by the community. Students who
have worked in the library for an extended period are given commensurate
responsibility and are directly involved in the inner workings of the office- -and
hence often recommend and institute more efficient methods for accomplishing
work. The Library Committee conducted a survey of library patrons in May of 1987
to determine community attitudes about current library service. There were very
few surprises from the 41 questionnaires completed (TW) . It is gratifying to
note that most of the negative comments were concerned with the library's
temporary facility. The new facility should do much to address these perceived
problems. Further opportunities for community evaluation of the library are
provided during the Personnel Committee's periodic contract reviews of the
Librarian and by the library's participation in the self- study process.
Full-time library staff regularly attend All College Meetings, serve on
campus coiimittees, and participate in student advising. The Librarian attends
administrative, Chairs, and faculty meetings, and works closely with the Library
Committee .
Because the library is currently in a town-owned building, we have attempted
to be thoughtful tenants; this has necessitated limiting library hours. During
the regular college year, the temporary library is open Monday through Thursday,
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m.; and Sundays 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A book drop is placed outside the
library for the convenience of after-hours patrons.
The building is located approximately one -half mile from the campus at the
intersection of Route 3 and Mt. Desert Street. The building is one story with a
large office in the front that serves as the library office and reception area.
The stack area is located in the rear, in what was once an industrial arts shop.
Study areas have been placed around the perimeter of this room. The reference
stacks, indexes and abstracts, newspapers, and copy machine share a comer of the
room near the entrance to the rest room and supply loft.
Non-enrolled members of the local conmunity are encouraged to use the
library, and may check out books. Whenever possible, they receive the same
instruction in library use as college patrons. The in- town location has allowed
more local people to take advantage of this opportunity, and many depend on the
90
library's subscriptions to out-of-town newspapers and scholarly collections, and
on the photocopy machine. We hope that they will continue to use the Thomdike
Library after it is relocated on campus.
Services
Library services include the acquisition, processing, maintenance, and
circulation of library materials; interlibrary loan service; reference and
instructional services; cooperative work with local and regional libraries; and
the processing of textbook orders. Unfortunately, subject searches of
computerized databases are not provided at this time; however, they can be
obtained through the library at the Jackson Laboratory, the Fogler Library at the
University of Maine, and the Maine State Library. Within the next two years, the
library hopes to add on-site subject searching through the Online Cataloging
Library Center (OCLC) system. Although the library does have some audio-visxial
resources, it does not provide audio-visual equipment services which are provided
elsewhere in the College.
In the past, new students were invited to attend a library orientation
session held daring the first week of each school term. This session was the
primary introduction to the library. Poor attendance and complaints that the
first week of the term was too crowded with similar events led to the development
of an additional approach to library orientation.
It was felt that most students feel a great deal more comfortable in asking
for help if they perceive the library staff as a friendly, service -oriented group
of people. To foster this perception, the library staff places brochures
describing the library and its services in each new student's box on the first
day of school. In order for new students to become familiar with her (and vice
versa) , the Librarian serves as one of the coordinators of the September Student
Orientation Seminar. Other library staff members introduce themselves to each
new person entering the library and offer to give a conducted tour on the spot.
It will be difficult to tell if this more personal approach will effectively
supplement the more formal and traditional orientation; the large number of new
students who visited the library in the early weeks of the fall term and felt
free to ask for help suggests that it has worked thus far.
Workshops on term papers, making classroom presentations, and assisting
individxials by appointment are the main ingredients of the library instruction
program. Students are encouraged to come in for help early in the term so that
91
they can make good use of interlibrary loan and other nearby libraries should
Thomdike Library resources prove inadequate. In spite of this encouragement,
the ten-week term has often proved to be too short to give sufficient service to
students who either receive term paper assignments late in the term or who get a
late start on their work.
In their capacity as local residents, students and faculty members
frequently use the nearby Jesup Memorial Public Library and the library at the
Jackson Laboratory. These two libraries are particularly valuable since the
emphases of their collections are quite different from that of the College
library. The only drawback in this arrangement is that both libraries have
limited service hours. The Jesup Library has approximately 20,000 volumes in its
collection, including a special room devoted to books on Maine culture, history,
and literature.
The Jackson Laboratory is a nationally known center of mammalian genetics
research. Its collection includes approximately 4,000 books, 350 journal
subscriptions, and a 46,000-item reprint collection. Because the Laboratory's
titles include Biological Abstracts . Index Medicus . and Science Citation Index ,
many science stiidents use this library- -thus enabling the Thomdike Library to
channel its own resources into more specialized indexes and abstracts in ecology,
natural history, environmental science and technology, and marine science.
When local resources prove inadequate, students and faculty make use of the
Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono. The Fogler Library holdings
consist of 860 , 000 books , 6 , 500 periodical subscriptions , and 1 , 500 , 000 United
States and Canadian documents in their Federal Regional Document Depository.
Members of the COA conmunity are eligible for library cards at Fogler and make
frequent use of this library. If a trip to Orono is not convenient, and
frequently it is not, materials can be obtained through interlibrary loan using
the OCLC system.
The library became a member of the New England Library Information Network
(NELINET) in December of 1982. Through NELINET, the library gained access to the
Online Cataloging Library Center (OCLC) . All classification and cataloging of
books, production of catalog cards, and interlibrary loans are now done through
the OCLC system. With the OCLC terminal, books and periodicals can be obtained
from 6,000 libraries all over the country in a relatively short time. However,
since nearly all of Maine's college and larger public libraries are online with
the system, many loans are accomplished within the state. Furthermore, because
92
COA participates in the NELINET system, there is no charge for most of these
transactions. The addition of interlibrary loan service through OCLC has proved
to be extremely valuable, particularly for students working on senior projects or
independent studies .
In addition to the NELINET system and the cooperative arrangements with
Island libraries, the College is linked to other libraries in Maine by its
membership in the Northeast Library District established by the Maine State
Library. Membership in the District gives the College full and free use of the
interlibrary loan and reference services of a statewide library network throu^
the auspices of the Bangor Public Library. With participation in MAINECARD,
members of the College community can also borrow materials directly from many
Maine libraries.
93
LAbrai^ Activity Sumnvary
1982-83 1983-84 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87
Books & Documents 1,052 8,102 8,411 2,691 1,782
Processed
Interlibrary Loans 25 24 140 294 487*
to other libraries
Interlibrary Loans 687 673 656 710 965*
borrowed from
other libraries
Library Circulation 5,188 2,535 4,050 4,779 5,225
* Does not include any figures for June 1987
Library Collections Summary
Totals as of June 18, 1987
Books and Documents 20,931
Periodical Subscriptions 376
Standing Orders 67
Microform Titles 30
Foreign Language Materials
Introductory Conversational 10
Auto -tutorial Courses . 7
94
Collections
As of May 30, 1987, the library had approximately 20,931 processed books and
documents in its collection. Library staff, work-study students, and faculty
devoted extraordinary amounts of time to sorting gift books in order to ensure
that the books added to the collection were appropriate to the needs of the
College. This task of sorting gift books was aided by the fact that many
individuals in the scholarly community who donated books did so with a fairly
accurate sense of what would be useful to the College. While more than two-
thirds of the donations were placed in the Library Committee's book sale and not
on the shelf, the remainder were invaluable, for they represented many books that
are no longer in print but which are nonetheless considered basic to the Human
Ecology ctorriculum and/or to a small liberal arts collection.
With the addition of the private library of Philip Darlington, a noted
evolution scholar, the library gained an extraordinary collection in evolution,
natural science, philosophy, and history of science. Professor Darlington's
collection consisted of over 3,000 volumes. Because the bequest also included
monies for processing the books , the library staff has been able to catalog the
entire collection far more quickly than would ordinarily be possible.
Two other notable memorial gifts also have added immeasurably to the
collection. The Dorcas Crary Collection allowed the library to add an excellent
selection of natural history field guides and gave it new depth in horticulture
and garden design. The Richard S. Davis Collection added important monographs in
philosophy. Other areas of the collection that benefited from large private
gifts were literature, religion, history, psychology, geology, environmental
science, education, botany, and introductory mathematics.
Once the bulk of the gift books were processed, the library staff began to
assess the collection. Working from questionnaires completed by faculty members
concerning subject priorities, key titles, and authors, the staff began
purchasing materials essential for current and future classes . Once most of
these items were pvirchased, we began a program of systematic ordering for
targeted areas of the collection by working from standard book lists, the old
shelf list, and the previous periodical holdings list. Areas receiving priority
included the reference collection, backfiles of science periodicals, philosophy,
American and English literature, art, botany, zoology, and natural science. A
subscription to Choice was purchased in January of 1987 so that this systematic
ordering could continue for current purchases .
95
Subject areas that have been Identified by faculty as cunrently needing
attention are: contemporary poetry, public policy, marine mammals, landscape
design, anatomy and physiology, curriculum materials in education, oceanography,
atmospheric science, and art history surveys. Some progress has been made in
these areas but more will be needed in the next several years so that the entire
collection at the Thomdike Library can measure up to its strength in the areas
mentioned earlier.
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Library Expenditmres
CATEGORY
1984-85
1985-86
1986-87
Books and Docs.
8,988.21
19,696.41
22,148.07
Periodicals
15,584.89
14,677.22
13,963.01
Supplies
604.87
1,162.90
1,048.01
Equipment
106.91
446.09
713.79
Salaries
Professional
21,200.04
25,299.96
25,299.96
Clerical
33,545.72
34,046.37
33,625.12
Work Study
8,905.05
9,148.99
10,097.65
Comparison of Library and College Expenditures
1984-85
1985-86
1986-87
Total College Expenditures 1,731,711.17 1,926,739.02 2,021,375.98
Total Library Expenditures 83,749.39 131,575.08 114,525.83
Library Expenditures as a
% of Total Expenditures
4.8
6.8
5.6
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Projection
The College has consistently made a strong commitment to the growth of library
collections. In addition, it has provided adequate staff both to process those
collections and to assist patrons . The addition of the OCLC system proves that the
College is concerned about the quality of service. Unfortunately, we hsr/e not been
as successful in providing a high-quality physical plant. The library that is now
planned for construction in the new Kaelber Hall will remedy this .
Prior to the fire, additions or renovations in library facilities were limited
by the physical constraints of the existing building. Following the fire, the
design of the new building allowed us to think in terms of what the best possible
library facility would be; in the last two years we have translated that thinking
into final plans.
The new Thomdike Library will have features that address many of the problems
noted in previous self-stvidies. First and foremost is the inclusion of over forty
seating spaces in the library reading room and stack area, with thirty of these
spaces designed as quiet, individual study carrels. Other features that have long
been desired are a completely equipped audio-visual classroom, a large reading room
with adjacent porch overlooking the ocean, sufficient stack space, a microform
room, a basement storage area for book sale books , and a music/ language lab .
Because the new library is at least a year away from completion, short-term
iiqjrovements have concentrated on adding an extra range of shelves to accommodate
an additional year of acquisitions and on beginning to purchase furniture that will
be needed in the new library. A new copy machine, card catalogs, and file
cabinets for vertical files and microforms have been added thus far. The next
pxirchases will be audio -visual equipment and a microfiche reader-printer.
Future collection development for the new building will be aided by the
infusion of additional monies from the FIPSE and Title III grants for educational
materials, the growth of the R. Amory Thomdike Endowment for humanities materials,
and the establishment of a new fund in 1986, the Thomas and Mary Hall Fund for the
purchase of science and history of science books. Both of these funds continue to
grow as each year half of their income is returned to principal. At present the R.
Amory Thomdike Fund totals approximately $105,000 and the Hall Fund totals
approximately $50,000. These funds will do much to ensure the continued upgrading
of the collection.
98
PHYSICAL FACILITIES
Description
Innnediately after the fire in July, 1983, Daniel Scully of Scully/Jtonahan
Architects was hired to develop a comprehensive Master Plan for the campus. The
Board of Trustees appointed a special committee, the Rebuilding Committee, to
work with Mr. Scully. The committee consisted of trustees, staff, and students.
After completion of the Master Plan in 1984, the Rebuilding Committee was
disbanded. Responsibility for continued refining of the plan and establishment
of building priorities was given to the Building Committee and to the College
community generally.
After numerous hearings and College-wide discussions, it was agreed that the
most immediate need was to replace lost classrooms. In 1984 renovation began on
the so-called Carriage House. This building was then incorporated into a larger
structure, which houses modem science laboratories, art and design studios,
classrooms, and faculty offices. This project was completed in September, 1985,
and added 15,000 sqiiare feet of fully equipped academic program space. In
addition, a 2,500 square foot Buildings and Grounds Shop was constructed on the
southeastern comer of the campus .
The new Kaelber Hall, incorporating the Thomdike Library, is scheduled for
construction in late sunmer of 1987. With a projected cost of three million
dollars, it is the largest of the projects planned thus far.
By an All College Meeting action in April of 1987, the Building Comniittee
was renamed the Campus Planning and Building Committee (CPB) to more accurately
reflect its role. The comnittee regularly reviews and updates the Master Plan,
and suggests changes in parking policy, road circulation and use, and campus
landscaping and maintenance. All proposed work is submitted to the ACM in the
form of committee minutes for community discxission and/or approval. It is then
submitted to the Board of Trustees in cases where their approval is necessary.
Through the work of the CPB, the College has begun to create a long-range plan
for physical facilities for the first time in its history. (A list of the
committee's suggested priorities, with a proposed timetable for action is
available in the Team Workroom) .
99
All items, except Kaelber Hall, must still be developed in further detail
and presented to the Board of Trustees for their consideration.
The CPB also has responsibility for assuring that all new construction meets
fire and safety regulations and is accessible to the handicapped. If it is
discovered that handicapped individuals are involved in programs that have been
scheduled in buildings where many areas are inaccessible, those programs are
rescheduled to a space with better access and facilities. The Director of
Buildings and Grounds is responsible for campiis fire and safety planning and
training. He holds fire and safety meetings for all students housed on campus
each fall, as well as periodic fire drills in all campus facilities. He and his