Link Love: 3/11/2011

• The CIA has a Flickr account —and it’s pretty strange. The CIA Museum set is particularly interesting [via C-MONSTER.net].
• The New Zealand earthquake disaster has unexpectedly revealed a secret message in a bottle—potentially historic messages were found inside of a toppled 19^th century statue in Christchurch.
• The Smithsonian's Field Book Project (a collaboration between the National Museum of Natural History's Department of Botany, and the Smithsonian Institution Archives) now has a blog, which will feature project updates and collection highlights.
• The Smithsonian's secretary, Wayne Clough, pays tribute to the accomplishments of women at the Smithsonian in honor of Women's History Month with the help of SIA's own Smithsonian historian, Pam Henson.
• Smithsonian curators from the National Museum of American History headed to Wisconsin to collect objects that document the protests over legislation that would curb the collective bargaining rights of most state workers.
• Our friend Penny Richards is doing an incredible job guest blogging on Scientopia about some of the new women scientists we recently added to the Flickr Commons. Thanks Penny—I always learn something new from you!
• Andy Masich, President and CEO of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh talks about how a childhood memories compelled him to write a letter to the Smithsonian, create a museum in his bedroom, and eventually take on a career in the museum field [via Center for the Future of Museums].

“My First Museum”, courtesy of Center for the Future of Museums’ YouTube Channel.