Worker collects crude gum on turpentine farm, 1880s.

When talking about institutional transparency, two things are essential — well-preserved original records and meaningful access to them.

Senior Curator and Historian Portia James (1953-2015) pioneered a community-based approach at the Anacostia Community Museum and led the exhibitions, publications and collections programs. She researched African American material culture. #Groundbreaker

The equipment, technology, and process that goes into digitizing field books, from an intern’s perspective.

Smithsonian Secretary Samuel Pierpont Langley at Quantico, Virginia, on the day of the test flight of Aerodrome No. 5 on the Potomac River, May 6, 1896, by Alexander Graham Bell.

A Happy 172nd Birthday to the Smithsonian! 

Curator of Craft Nora Atkinson, Smithsonian American Art Museum, researches the role of the handmade in modern culture and was responsible for bringing the large scale art of Burning Man to the nation's capital for the first time. #Groundbreaker

Stereo slides present unique challenges for digitization. Here are a few tips for documenting your collection.