BUCKFIELD — The future of some historical documents and items collected over the years by the Zadoc Long Free Library remains uncertain until selectmen gather more information.
Town Manager Cindy Dunn told selectmen at their Tuesday night meeting that the Zadoc Long Free Library Committee has discussed what to do about the library’s inventory of historical items, which range from postcards to military records to the original journals of Zadoc Long Jr. The items have been stored in plastic totes and archival boxes in the library’s basement for years. Now they’re being stored at the Town Office to help preserve them.
The committee came up with four solutions for storage, according to Dunn. They include transferring some of the items to the Maine State Library, which would digitize the documents for all the world to see, donating them to museums, disposing of items or selling them to antiquarians and/or retaining local history items that do not need a climate-controlled atmosphere.
Peggy O’Kane, the digital collections supervisor of the Maine State Library, met with three Library Committee members, inspected the items and is interested in bringing several of them to her library in Augusta for preservation, Dunn said. They include three journals from Zadoc Long Jr., morning reports, a company order and descriptive book of the Charles H. Prince 23rd Maine Infantry, along with clothing from the company, correspondence between Zadoc Long and his son, Zadoc Long Jr., and the first catalog of books at the library.
“Personally, I think this is an ideal way for the town of Buckfield to store these very important documents in a controlled atmosphere and to give anybody the opportunity to see them,” Dunn said. Those wishing to view the documents could visit the Maine State Library.
Library Committee member Michelle St. Pierre said the committee’s desire to donate some items to the state library.
“Those particular items — the journals, the letters — were, of course, extraordinary. (O’Kane) would like to have them there for the obvious reasons that we can’t keep them here safely,” St. Pierre said.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Cheryl Coffman said some residents have reservations about the town losing historical items and therefore losing its identity.
Dunn asked St. Pierre if the town would retain ownership of the items donated to the Maine State Library.
St. Pierre was unsure and Coffman made a motion to table the issue until that information could be obtained and selectmen could review the town’s policy about selling assets.
The motion passed unanimously.
In other library news, selectmen unanimously adopted the revised Library Committee bylaws. They were amended recently after voters at town meeting in June approved making the library a full-fledged town department. The Board of Trustees was dissolved and replaced with the Library Committee.
“I think the bulk of this change is purpose,” Dunn said. “The way it read before is the committee itself would provide materials . . . that’s up to the library staff (now).”
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