Collection Highlights: New Additions to the Archives Website

The Smithsonian Institution Archives continually strives to add more collection information to its website. This is a periodic post highlighting new acquisitions and individual collection items.

Fiscal Year 2021 was again a challenging year with staff in extended telework mode. Reflecting on the past year, it is worth celebrating the wealth of information added to SIA's website during FY2021.

Almost 3,000 New Historical Images

We added thousands of new Images of Smithsonian buildings, exhibits, staff, and a wide varay of activites documenting the history of the Smithsonian.

76 Finding Aids with New Links to Digitized Material, including 46 Smithsonian websites, and 790 Revised or New Finding Aids Online.

New finding aids last quarter:

• Accession 20-085 - Renwick Gallery, General Correspondence, 1970-2015. This accession consists of general correspondence documenting activities of the Renwick Gallery during the tenures of Lloyd E. Herman, Director, 1971–1986; Michael W. Monroe, Curator-in-Charge, 1986–1995; Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge, 1995–2003; Jane Milosch, Curator, 2004–2009; and Robyn Kennedy, Chief Administrator, 2004–. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, and photographs.
• Accession 20-089 - William John McGee Papers, circa 1883, 1890. The McGee Papers are made up of four field books from the American scientist’s geological trip during the summer of 1890. that He traveled from Washington, D.C., to Pennsylvania, then on down to Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas. There is also one field book that contains his geological observations in Iowa. The field books document his geological observations and include occasional drawings and lists of expenses incurred during his travels.

• Accession 20-104 - Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Curatorial - Ceramics, Curatorial Records, 1972–2018. This accession containsrecords created and maintained by Louise Allison Cort, Curator, 1995–; Associate Curator, 1994–1995; Assistant Curator, 1989–1994; and Museum Specialist, 1985–1989. Topics documented in this accession include research, donations, appraisals, collaborations, and professional activities.  Materials include correspondence, clippings, picture postcards, notes, invitations, memoranda, brochures, proposals, photographs, sketches, lists, glass negatives, brochures, and related materials. 
• Accession 20-084 - Science Service, Records, 1955-1956. Beginning in the 1920s, Science Service staff wrote 15-minute radio scripts for the segments Science Service Talks and Science News of the Week, which were mailed every week to several dozen U.S. radio stations and then read on the air by local announcers or scientists. By the early 1930s, Science Service was producing a weekly live-broadcast program for CBS, which eventually featured interviews of scientists. CBS and Science Service renamed these programs Adventures in Science beginning with the May 6, 1938, broadcast. CBS controlled all writing and production, and CBS staff member Paul Woodbridge hosted the program until it was cancelled on September 30, 1938. Adventures in Science resumed as a weekly program on CBS on January 5, 1939. The format consisted of brief news bulletins followed by an interview conducted by Science Service Director Watson Davis. Programs were suspended during World War II and during football seasons in the 1940s and early 1950s. CBS cancelled Adventures in Science in December 1958. This accession consists of 1/4" audiotapes of recordings of Adventures in Science programs.

Related Resources

• “Collection Highlights: New Additions to the Archives Website,” Summer 2021, by Tammy Peters, The Bigger Picture, Smithsonian Institution Archives
• “Collection Highlights: New Additions to the Archives Website,” Spring 2021, by Tammy Peters, The Bigger Picture, Smithsonian Institution Archives
• “Collection Highlights: New Additions to the Archives Website,” Winter 2021, by Tammy Peters, The Bigger Picture, Smithsonian Institution Archives
• “Collection Highlights: New Additions to the Archives Website,” Fall 2020, by Tammy Peters, The Bigger Picture, Smithsonian Institution Archives