Smithsonian Institution Libraries Research Articles

Using a Local Electronic Resource Management System to Manage E-journals: Can It Get Any Better Than This?

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL) use a locally developed and maintained database for managing electronic resources. Journal and database titles, vendors, interlibrary loan, usage, and SIL persistent URLs are collected and tracked for free and subscribed content in one central access tool. This session discussed the current workflows along with the pros and cons of such an arrangement, and some possible future directions for SIL.

The Biodiversity Heritage Library: sharing biodiversity literature with the world

Ten major natural history museum libraries, botanical libraries, and research institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States joined in 2005 to develop a strategy and operational plan to digitize the published literature of biodiversity held in their respective collections and to make that literature available for open access and responsible use as a part of a global `biodiversity commons.' Headquartered at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is one of the cornerstones of the Encyclopedia of Life, a global effort to document all 1.8 million named species of animals, plants, and other forms of life on earth. This paper provides an overview of the BHL and its potential impact on biodiversity research, describes the BHL portal and its innovative search services, and provides a case study of the process from one of the members: the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University.

Chapter 12. Funding for Preservation

The paper describes a recent survey of members of the Association of Research Libraries that provides a relatively upbeat picture over the last five years, with several real achievements noted, along with future challenges. For example, the appearance of several preservation endowments on campuses signals better marketing of preservation needs and rising interest from individual donors. The paper describes the building of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' preservation program. Although initial attention focused elsewhere, one of the most valuable aspects for fund-raising has been the Libraries' book conservation laboratory. Donors find the work performed by conservators fascinating. Libraries can learn from museums how important the emotional appeal of the artifact is and how it can be used to convey the broader preservation needs to potential donors.

Edited by Kent C. Boese, Arts Cataloger, Cataloging Services Department, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, DC, USA

Edited by Kent C. Boese, Arts Cataloger, Cataloging Services Department, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, DC, USA

Creating a Winning Online Exhibition: A Guide for Libraries, Archives, and Museums (review)

Online exhibitions provide unique opportunities for institutions to promote collections, to recognize donors, and to further their educational objectives. This comprehensive guide to creating online exhibitions of library, archives, and museum collections addresses the challenges inherent in the design, creation, and execution of successful presentations. The increasing popularity and number of online exhibitions, and the continually evolving technological possibilities require information professionals to cultivate a wide range of organizational, curatorial, educational, and technical skills. From proposal design to the selection of exhibition materials, from textual descriptions to user interface design, this guide offers a useful overview of the digital exhibition development process. Author Martin Kalfatovic is Digital Projects Librarian at Smithsonian Institution Libraries and adjunct faculty member at the Catholic University School of Library and Information Science.

The Natural History and Ecology of Holarctic Galliformes Tetraonidae and Phasianidae of the USSR: Ecology and Morphology M. A. Kuz'mina

Journal Article Tetraonidae and Phasianidae of the USSR: Ecology and Morphology Get access M.A. Kuz’mina. 1992. Smithsonian Institution Libraries Translation Series TT-8 l- 52004, Washington, D.C. Price gratis [see below. Douglas Siegel-Causey Douglas Siegel-Causey University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Condor, Volume 96, Issue 2, 1 May 1994, Pages 570–571, https://doi.org/10.2307/1369341 Published: 01 May 1994

Zoogeography and Natural History of Siberian Birds Birds of the Chukchi Peninsula and Wrangel Island, Volume 2 L. A. Portenko

Birds of the Chukchi Peninsula and Wrangel Island, Volume 2 L.A. Portenko, 1989[1973]. Smithsonian Institution Libraries Translation Series TT-8 152 178, Douglas Siegel-Causey, Scientific Editor 379 pp. Washington, D.C. Price gratis [see below Douglas Siegel-Causey Douglas Siegel-Causey Univ of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Condor, Volume 96, Issue 2, 1 May 1994, Pages 569–570, https://doi.org/10.2307/1369340 Published: 01 May 1994

The books of the fairs: materials about world's fairs, 1834-1916, in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries

The wealth of information in this collection should be mined for generations by social scientists and historians of science, technology, and industry. It not only introduces the literature to the scholar, but provides a guide to a varied range of exposition publications. Commission reports, catalogues, scholarly studies, guides, photograph albums, art books, manuscripts, and other primary sources document the great international exhibitions held between the 1840s and World War I, as well as regional and local exhibitions that were stimulated by them. Dr Rydell opens with an introduction that places the development of world's fairs in an historical context, arranges thematically the scholarly literature on world's fairs, and describes the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' (SIL) collections of world's fairs. The second half of the book contains an annotated bibliography of the nearly 1700 titles that make up the holdings at the SIL. The book serves also as a guided to the microfilm collection published by Research Publications, Inc. under the same name. Most listings include a microfilm number, allowing for the first time selective borrowing of the material from the microfilm set. Numerous illustrations preserve the appearance and flavour of many artifacts of early industral technology. These pictures are in themselves valuable documentation of the 19th century's romance with technology. Along with a scholarly text, the illustrations should make this work a treasure trove for all readers.

The Fragility of Paper: Can Our Historical Record Be Saved?

ACID. The harshness of the word underscores its negative properties, suggesting burning sensations or blistering skin. Yet paper, harmless and everyday useful, contains enough acid literally to burn itself up. This is the message of Slow Fires, a documentary film that aired on public television stations in the United States in 1987, and more recently of Turning to Dust, a Canadian film broadcast in March 1990 as part of a series called The Nature of Things. This was also the message delivered to the United States Congress on March 3, 1987, helping to pave the way for large increments of federal funding to begin to solve the problem. And this was the message I received when I stumbled onto the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' 1,800-volume collection of nineteenth-century world's fair publications. The yellowed, brittle text of President Ulysses S. Grant's Message to Congress about the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition bore no resemblance to the flexible, white paper that carried St6phen FlachetMony's fine line drawings of furniture, silver, and glass displayed at the 1834 Exposition des produits de l'industrie francaise in Paris. Because it contains high levels of acid, the paper used after 1850 in books, journals, newspapers, and other printed materials sitting in the stacks of research libraries, along with the manuscripts, records, and other documents housed in archives, is slowly drying out, turning brown, cracking, and crumbling. The process has been hastened by the effects of poor storage conditions and decades of environmental pollution, espe-

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries: Afoot in Three Camps

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries: Afoot in Three Camps

The Art Libraries and Research Resources of the Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution, a public organisation established in 1846 “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge”, includes ten museums and several research bureaux. Most but not all of the associated libraries are linked through the Smithsonian Institution Libraries; they include several art libraries which contribute significantly to the overall provision of art library service to the American people but do not of themselves constitute a “national art library”. Most of the Smithsonian’s libraries enter their records in a database (SIBIS) which is accessible online via OCLC. Co-ordinated collection development has been pursued since 1984. In two areas in particular, American and African art, Smithsonian libraries aim to provide a national service.

Manuscripts of the Dibner Collection in the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

<i>Manuscripts of the Dibner Collection in the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries</i>.

National Museum of American History Branch Library

The National Museum of American History Branch Library, a part of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries system, acquires and maintains a dynamic collection in support of the research pursued in this museum. Subject concentration is in the history of science and technology and American history, with emphasis on material culture and on documenting and servicing the museum's collections. Special collections include trade literature and exposition materials. The library collection is developed and viewed as a national resource, with access available to all scholars in need of its materials.

National Air and Space Museum Library

The National Air and Space Museum Library, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, provides materials and services to support the varied research programs of the National Air and Space Museum. Brief histories of the Museum and of the branch library and a summary of Museum programs provide a background for an overview of current library users, resources, and services.

National Museum of African Art Branch Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, DC, U.S.A.

The National Museum of African Art Library, a Branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL), is a special research collection of materials concerning the arts of Africa which not only serves the curatorial and education staff of the Museum, but also reaches out to the larger community of African art scholars, curators and students. Founded in 1971, the Library grew modestly in its first decade without benefit of a regular budget. Shortly after the Museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979, the Library became officially linked with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. From that time its mandate and audience widened, its acquisitions budget increased, and it embarked on a collection development program to enrich its holdings in keeping with the “national” library it had become. Being part of a public and a national institution, it seemed appropriate to develop the collection to match its enhanced stature.

Telefacsimile Experiment at The Smithsonian Institution Libraries

An experimental telefacsimile network of four nodes is described. Slow-speed equipment at four branches of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries was used to transmit journal articles to speed delivery. The study concludes that telefacsimile can be justified for its capability to meet urgent needs but that these are infrequent. Good planning and monitoring are essential.

Program for Interns and Volunteers in the Field of Special Collections Cataloging in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Program for Interns and Volunteers in the Field of Special Collections Cataloging in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries

History of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, with special emphasis on the natural history

THE BEQUEST On 17 December 1835 President Andrew Jackson sent a message to Congress informing it that the United States was the recipient of the estate of an English chemist and mineralogist named James Smithson and requesting Congressional action on acceptance or rejection of the bequest. This news of the beneficence of an almost unknown Englishman was received with much surprise on the part of Congress and with little enthusiasm by some of the members. Indeed, a few were in favor of refusing the bequest, but the eloquence of John Quincy Adams, the former president and now representative from Massachusetts, helped convince his colleagues that the claim should be pursued. There has been much speculation about Smithson's motives in leaving his considerable fortune to a country he had never visited and with which he had no ties of personal friendships or emigrated relatives. Perhaps the circumstances of his birth and life made him look favorably toward the new country founded on ideas of equality and democracy. There is no clue in his will to the reasons for his encouragement of American scholarship and intellectual pursuits. James Smithson was born in Paris in 1765 to a Mrs Elizabeth Hungerford Keate Macie, a well-to-do widow; he was the illegitimate son of Sir Hugh Smithson, later the Duke of Northumberland. Mrs Macie was related to Sir Hugh's wife who was a Percy, but little is known of her relationship with Sir Hugh or the circumstances preceeding James's birth. The boy was known as James Macie. When he was around ten, he was naturalized a British citizen; his father's name was not mentioned in the naturalization papers, which contained an unusual clause prohibiting him from entering politics, the Civil Service, the Army, Navy, the Church, and the Privy Council. Macie matriculated at Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1782 and received his M.A. in 1786. He was a very good student, interested in chemistry, geology, and mineralogy. A few months after graduation he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society, the youngest man to have been nominated up to that time. He had the use of the laboratory of Henry Cavendish and later the laboratories of the Royal Institution, of which he was a charter member.

History of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, with special emphasis on the natural history

History of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, with special emphasis on the natural history