About

History  |  Officers  |  Committees

History

In 2007 a small group of central Maine librarians (TriCounty librarians) began to search for a replacement for their aging and no longer supported systems.

In 2008 Maine Balsam Libraries organized as 501(c)3 non-profit. Maine Balsam Libraries is a consortium providing Maine’s public, school, academic, and special libraries access to Evergreen, an open source Integration Library System (ILS) that facilitates the management, cataloging, and circulation of library materials, and through its online public access interface it helps patrons find those materials.

Initial funding from a Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation grant.

Other grants and assistance from Maine InfoNet, Maine Community Foundation, and the National Library of Medicine.

 

Officers

Officers are elected biannually by the consortium. We have general meetings at least three times each year. All of our members are encouraged to attend at least one of those meetings. We also have an executive committee which is elected by the general consortium.

Portrait of Nancy Grant.

Nancy Grant, President nbgrantme@gmail.com

Photograph of Trisha Cantwell in library stacks.

Trisha Cantwell, Vice President Co-Director, Thorndike Library, College of the Atlantic | tcantwell@coa.edu

Person icon placeholder for Chris Maas.

Chris Maas, Treasurer 207-924-4553 | chrism@roadrunner.com

 

Vacant, Secretary

 

Committees

Executive Committee

        1. Nancy Grant (President, Balsam Consortium)
        2. Trisha Cantwell (Librarian, Thorndike Library, College of the Atlantic)
        3. Chris Maas (Balsam Consortium Systems Director)
        4. Michelle Fagan (Children’s Librarian and KPAC, Thompson Library)
        5. Amy Ryder (District Librarian, Spruce Mountain RSU #73)

Cataloging Committee

        1. Hannah Stevens, chair (Technical Services Librarian, Thorndike Library, College of the Atlantic)
        2. Jeanne Benedict (Director, Henry D. Moore Library)
        3. Barbara Binotto (Katahdin Public Library)
        4. Trisha Cantwell (Co-director, Thorndike Library, College of the Atlantic)
        5. Nancy Grant (President, Balsam Consortium)
        6. Andrea Koltai-Price (Thompson Library)
        7. Chris Maas (Balsam Consortium Systems Director)
        8. Andrea Stark (Monroe Community Library)

Tech Committee

        1. Nancy Grant, chair (President, Balsam Consortium)
        2. Chris Maas, vice chair (Systems Director, Balsam Consortium)
        3. Trish Cantwell (Thorndike Library, College of the Atlantic)
        4. Jon Knepp (Director, Thompson Library)
        5. Amy Ryder (District Librarian, Spruce Mountain RSU #73)
        6. Ish Talmadge (Librarian, Penquis High School, MSAD41)
        7. Steve Wills (Systems Administrator, Balsam Consortium)