Joanne Waxman Library | Maine College of Art

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Welcome to the Joanne Waxman Library

Maine College of Art’s library is located on the second floor of the Porteous Building in downtown Portland. A full service library, it serves as the main research center for the college community and the general public and also provides exhibition space for student and faculty work.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Joanne Waxman Library, Maine College of Art is to support the educational mission of Maine College of Art by fostering excellence in library services and acquiring appropriate collections of print, electronic, audiovisual and special collections materials that serve the College and the art community in general.The Library aspires to promote information literacy and life-long learning in a changing information environment and to foster cooperative endeavors and resource sharing within the artistic and educational community.

Library History

Founded in 1973 while the college was still the Portland School of Art
Named for Joanne Waxman, the first full-time librarian, hired in 1972. She was instrumental in planning and creating a vision of what the library could be and its role in the college
Occupied a number of locations including the Baxter Building (formerly the Portland Public Library building funded through the Carnegie foundation) from 1972 to 2000
Moved to the current space in the Porteous Building in 2000, one of the first areas completed in the renovation.

Facts and Figures (as of August 2008)

Books: 32,130 volumes; about 27,000 titles
Magazines: 101 current subscriptions
Videos/DVDs: 310 titles
Artist: Books: 154 titles
Slides: Approximately 50,000

85% of the collection geared to the study of art and design
15% of the collection geared to support of the Liberal Arts programs
90% of the collection can be borrowed