History
The Acadian Archives / Archives acadiennes is a regional history and cultural archives operated by the University of Maine at Fort Kent. We were established in 1989 by an act of the Maine State Legislature (L.D. 1552), and we opened to the public in July 1991. Our mission is to document, preserve, celebrate, and disseminate information about the history and cultural heritage of Maine's Saint John Valley. "The Valley" (as it is known locally) borders a 70-mile stretch of the Saint John River along the international boundary between the United States and Canada. Settled in the 1780s, it is home to a predominantly French population which traces its roots to Acadia and Québec. The Archives offers services in both English and French.
A professional unit of the University of Maine, the Archives is located in a new building attached to Blake Memorial Library on the Fort Kent campus. It contains a reading/reference room with open book stacks, an exhibit area/classroom, a climate-controlled collections storage facility, an audio-visual laboratory, a collections accessioning room, staff offices and a workroom. The Archives has photo duplicating equipment, audio/video duplicating and auditioning equipment, and audio and video field collecting kits. Fully computerized, it offers computer and Internet access to patrons. The Archives is staffed by two full-time professionals, with assistance from temporary employees, workstudy employees, and occasional outside research contractors.
We collect manuscript and audio/visual materials relevant to the history, culture, and folklife of the Saint John Valley. We also maintain a library of reference books and other publications, including U.S. and Canadian census records, genealogical repertoires, and microfilm editions of local newspapers.
We offer an active outreach program of presentations, workshops, and school activities focusing on local history and culture or on preservation and use of primary sources. We also offer technical support and consultation on archival issues, and we create preservation microfilm editions of important local historical documents held in private collections. The Archives accepts occasional research and consultancy contracts from individuals, educational institutions, U.S. and international governmental organizations, and businesses.
Mission (disponible en version française)
The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent documents, preserves, celebrates, and disseminates information about the culture, way of life, and history of the Upper Saint John Valley. In pursuing this mandate of cultural conservation and affirmation, it focuses particular attention on the Acadian presence. A repository for manuscript materials, audio-visual documentation, and transcriptions relevant to regional folklore, folklife, and history, the Archives serves the University community as well as individuals and organizations regionally, statewide, nationally, and internationally.
Functions
- The Archives is a repository for audio-visual documentation and manuscript materials relevant to the folklore and folklife of the Upper Saint John Valley. It collects original documents and copies of pertinent archival materials pertaining to the history of the region. The Archives also maintains a library of relevant reference books and publications (i.e. rare or out-of-print books and publications as well as reference tools which are required on a daily basis).
- The Archives is a resource center, offering on-site consultation of archival collections and information about regional folklore, history, and folklife.
- The Archives is a documentary research development center which researches, documents, and produces studies and collections of regional folklife and oral history (e.g. surveys, books, audio-visual materials, etc.); the Archives also produces research tools to assist in the development of regional history studies.
- The Archives is a community outreach center for regional folklife and history. It organizes and produces public events and activities to honor and celebrate regional folklife and history (for example exhibits, concerts, demonstrations, festivals, media productions, etc.). The Archives also encourages local folklife and history initiatives by providing expertise and technical assistance (on-site consultation, resource directories, curriculum development, teacher workshops, equipment loans, etc.).
Language Policy
The Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes provides on-site bilingual services. Transcriptions and detailed catalogues of archival documents are done in the original language of the document.