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Maine Cultural Affairs Council Member Agencies

Maine Arts Commission

The Maine Arts Commission strives to give people of all ages the opportunity to come in contact with the arts; build a support base for the arts; use partnerships to expand audiences and develop new funding sources; and further the cultural, educational, and economic goals of the State of Maine.

Maine Historic Preservation Commission

The U.S. National Historic Preservation Act became law in 1966. It created the National Register of Historic Places and established mechanisms to enable states to identify and preserve significant cultural resources.

Maine Historic Preservation Commission, created by Maine’s 105th Legislature in 1971, now administers Maine's historic preservation program. It assumed that responsibility from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Recreation, which had operated it since 1969.

Maine Historical Society

The Maine Historical Society, incorporated by the State of Maine in 1822, is a charitable, educational, non-profit corporation. It devotes its resources to the discovery, identification, collection, preservation and interpretation of materials that document the history of Maine and its people. Located in Portland since the late 19th Century, the Society is now housed in three buildings on Congress St., which together comprise the Center for Maine History.

Maine Humanities Council

The Maine Humanities Council is a private, non-profit organization, based in Portland, with a mission to engage the people of Maine in the power and pleasure of ideas. It meets this mission with community programs in cultural heritage, contemporary issues, reading and literacy, and enrichment programs for teachers.

Founded in 1976, the Council serves as Maine’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its operations fall into two divisions: the Maine Center for the Book, and the Maine Humanities Council Grant Programs, which provide funding to a wide range of local projects in the humanities in every Maine county.

Maine State Archives

The Maine State Archives establishes rules, standards and procedures governing the creation, use, maintenance, retention, preservation and disposal of State and local government records. It assists these governments in making their operations more efficient and economical through the application of modem records management techniques, including:

  1. establishing disposition schedules under which agencies may systematically destroy records having no permanent value;
  2. providing technical assistance in specialized fields such as files, forms, general paperwork procedures and office equipment management; and
  3. providing centralized, secure, environmentally controlled storage and retrieval facilities.

Maine State Library

Maine State Library's purpose is to lead in efforts that will provide, broaden, and improve access to information and library services for all Maine residents. To accomplish this effort, the Maine State Library is divided into two divisions: Library Development and Reader and Information Services.

  1. The Library Development Division provides for the development of all types of libraries throughout the state. Specific programs include: the Maine Regional Library System (consultant services, direct free walk-in service, interlibrary loan, and federal and state aid for public libraries), special services (books-by-mail, video services, talking books and large print books), school library/ media services, Maine Info Net, and electronic database licensing.
  2. The Reader and Information Services Division provides for the delivery of quality information, reference and loan services to state agency personnel and the general public. This includes supporting and complementing the collections of all types of libraries throughout the state. Specific programs include: reference, circulation, government documents, collection services, and interlibrary loan.

Maine State Museum

The Maine State Museum mission of is to collect, preserve, and research objects of Maine’s natural and cultural history for the purpose of educating and inspiring Maine’s people and visitors, in order to promote an understanding of and respect for the past, which is essential for Maine’s future.

The Maine State Museum and its collections are a unique source of information on Maine’s natural and cultural history. Collections are exhibited in the Museum, State House, and Blaine House as well as loaned to other Maine museums for special displays.