LEWISTON – The Lewiston Public Library will host a demonstration of the Maine Memory Network at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in the Teen Room. The special program, free and open to the public, is part of the library’s Centennial Celebration honoring LPL’s 100th anniversary.

The Maine Memory Network (www.mainememory.net) is a project of the Maine Historical Society, the state’s most comprehensive repository for the study of Maine history.

Initially conceived as a way to make the society’s own rare and often inaccessible materials a treasury of Maine historical documents, images, maps, photographs and stories available to the public, the project expanded to include the potential participation of all collecting/interpreting institutions in Maine.

The presentation at LPL will be conducted by network Outreach Coordinator Kathy Amoroso. She will demonstrate the various components and features of the Web site. The program is designed to provide an overview and introduction to the network for cultural, historical and educational institutions and for any individuals who want to know more about the resource.

The Maine Memory Network allows museums, archives, libraries and historical societies around the state to present their archival holdings in a searchable, digital environment designed for educational and research use.

With 50 active contributing partners thus far – from the Fort Kent Historical Society to the Lewiston Public Library – and approximately 30 starting the process, the network promises to become one of the state’s major resources for Maine history.

The Web site has a section dedicated to Maine schools, which includes lesson plans, strategies for using the network to achieve Maine Learning Results and some ready-made portfolios of images and documents dealing with such themes as World War II and the ice industry.

The network can provide a connection between schools and their local historical resources. A library can prepare an online exhibit about local industry to support a teacher, and have it featured on the Web site. Students can have ready access to local historical photographs and documents, even when the local historical society is closed.

Tools on the Web site allow students to select images and documents, add their own text and present the result as a slide show on the computer. The link to the slide show may be e-mailed to their teacher or featured on their local historical society’s Web site.

For more information on the program, call the library reference desk at 784-0135, extension 3; for details on the network contact Kathy Amoroso at 774-1822 or [email protected].