This year, the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) hosted the 2026 Maine Archives and Museum Conference centering on the theme: “Revolutionary Resilience: 250 Years and Beyond,” on Friday, October 2, 2026.
Anastasia S. Weigle, Associate Professor of Information and Library Science and Pathway to Careers faculty member, was part of a panel discussion: “Preparing Maine’s Undergraduates for Work in Public Humanities,” along with co-presenters Dr. Ashley Towle and Dr. Kelly Hrenko (University of Southern Maine) and facilitator Jill Piekut Roy.
The session addressed workforce and capacity challenges across Maine’s cultural heritage sector. Dr. Weigle highlighted UMA’s ILS program, Pathways-to-Careers (PTC), as a model for workforce development and community collaboration. Together, the panel explored how aligning undergraduate learning with the needs of local archives and museums helps prepare students for public humanities careers while empowering Mainers to share the state’s history.
To date, Dr. Weigle’s coordination of the PTC initiative has led to practical capstone learning experiences for over 25 students and ongoing partnerships with 10 external organizations, including the Maine Armed Forces Museum and Military Historical Society, the Caribou Fire Department, the Whittier Museum, and the Belgrade Historical Society. UMA students have processed 1,100 primary sources, cataloged 1,531 artifacts and 985 books, and transcribed 1,732 documents for these and other cultural institutions around Maine.
For UMA students, this is the kind of hands-on experience that opens doors to meaningful careers and makes a lasting contribution to the small museums, historical societies, and community organizations that keep Maine’s stories alive.