Link Love: 11/11/2011
- Why objects are important to storytelling: an old fork, “little to distinguish it from the other standard-issue Army silverware” in the National Museum of American History’s collections, leads a researcher to the harrowing tale of starvation and tragedy on the infamous 1881 Greely Expedition in the Arctic.
- A novel by an archivist for archivists (well, actually for anyone). The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, written by professional archivist Caroline Preston, is a period novel written around the writer’s personal collection of 1920s-ear ephemera [via Effie Kapsalis, SIA].
- The Powerhouse Museum describes Trove—an aggregator that provides a meta-search of library and cultural collections across Australia, and hosts a community of historians, genealogists, and enthusiasts that help transcribe documents, connect catalogue records, and add tags.
- And speaking of new tools, the Library of Congress launches Viewshare.org, “a free platform for generating and customizing views, (interactive maps, timelines, facets, tag clouds) that allows users to experience your digital collections.”
- Ever thought of using archives as inspiration for your creative writing? The National Archives taps into their amazing collections to give their top ten tips for writers.
- “78s, Photos, Even Sweat From Brow of a Legend”—the New York Times reports on a recent treasure trove of Louis Armstrong objects donated to the Louis Armstrong House Museum [via Marvin Heiferman].
- I work at the Smithsonian and I am still frequently amazed at the cool research our scientists are up to. Meet Rachel Collin, a staff scientist and director of the Bocas Research Station at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, who studies the evolution of marine gastropods (snails):
Comments (6) – Leave a comment
ViewShare is a great service!
Thank you also for the wonderful link to the Archives tips for writers. Good stuff!
Hi Maureen- Yes, I'll definitely be interested to see how others use ViewShare! Thanks for dropping by!
Best,
Catherine
Wow the concept of 'reverse' evolution had never occurred to me. But actually it would make sense if the adaptation was required. I wonder if its easier, for example, a snake to re-gain its legs than to lose then in the first place. I'd be interested to know more.
Hi Susan-
I had the same exact reaction! I've never thought about the fact that animals might "re-evolve" or reverse evolve as you so aptly put it!
Some of Rachel's publications are available here:
http://www.stri.si.edu/english/scientific_staff/staff_scientist/scientist.php?id=4
Best,
Catherine
Hi Rachel
It's all the mind perception. We see what we believe in. I read a book called: "AWARENESS" - Anthony DeMello. There is a sotry of a young boy who lost his legs. He had some animal (it was some sort of lizard - if I remember correctly ). This lizard could rebuild her own tail. Nobody told to this boy that he can't do it. So after some months or years he did it. He rebuild his legs. Anyway my point is : maybe we should look for answers inside ourselves and not outside. Good luck with your work.
Kind Regards;
Edwin
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