A brief history on the invention and implementation of microfilm and our acquisition of a new, modern microfilm reader/scanner that enables us to provide digital access to and enhance the quality of SIA’s microfilm collections.

Our treasures can pose significant—and often unexpected—challenges, like when a map has been attached to a hotel linen. See how our staff tackled a complex intervention in progress!

Link Love: a weekly post with links to interesting videos and stories about archival issues, technology and culture, and Washington D.C. and American history.

See new collection highlights posted to the Smithsonian Institution Archives website.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has been located on the National Mall since 1974, but before that, Joseph and Olga Hirshhorn spent years considering which city or country the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden would call home.

Sure, you’ve heard of famed composer John Philip Sousa. But did you know that Sousa composed a march just for the Smithsonian?

In 1978, the Smithsonian began a collections inventory program to count how many objects are in our Collections.