Earlier this fall, Roger Katz, current University of Maine System board trustee and former state senator and mayor, visited the University of Maine at Augusta.

He was invited by UMA Interim President Joseph Szakas to see the refurbished lettering outside of the Bennett D. Katz Library, named in 1999 for Katz’s father. The refreshing of the lettering on the building façade is part of several improvements undertaken at Augusta Campus over the past several months.

While on campus, Katz toured recent updates to the Katz building and Randall Student Center with Szakas and Jonathan Henry, vice president of Enrollment Management and Marketing.

The visit also provided an opportunity for Katz and UMA officials to review archived photos of the Katz family and recall the establishment of UMA and the 1999 dedication ceremony for the Bennett D. Katz Library.

The original building that houses the library was completed in 1974. A major addition in 1988 included new interactive television studios and the statewide ITV system control center, as well as a new wing of the library. The facility now also includes a state-of-the-art recording studio associated with UMA’s premier jazz and contemporary music program.

In 1999, the library was officially dedicated and named in honor of Bennett Katz, a legislator, local businessman, and founder of the University of Maine at Augusta. His contributions to the development of the university — while a state senator, chair of the Joint Legislative Education Committee, and University of Maine System Trustee — served as the basis for this decision.

The Katz Library collection focuses on the academic programs offered by UMA and has become an effective tool for study and research for the UMA community. The collection is developed in concert with the UMA faculty. As a result, it represents the research and study needs of students and its academic programs.