Reference Request
Finding Aids to Oral Histories in the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 9620
American Association of Museums Centennial Oral History Interviews, 2006
Introduction
The Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives' record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program staff conduct interviews with current and retired Smithsonian staff and others who have made significant contributions to the Institution. There are also reminiscences and interviews recorded by researchers or students on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American Association of Museums (AAM) and the 30th anniversary of the Museum Studies Department, The George Washington University, oral history interviews were videotaped with eleven of the AAM's Centennial Honor Roll honorees as a part of a special Museum Studies graduate seminar taught by Smithsonian Institution Archives historian, Pamela M. Henson. Interviews were recorded in digital video and deposited in the Smithsonian Institution Archives Oral History Collection.
Descriptive Entry
The AAM Centennial Honorees that were interviewed were Nina M. Archabal, Director of the Minnesota Historical Society; Rebecca A. Buck, Chief Registrar, The Newark Museum; Lonnie G. Bunch, Director, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution; Robert R. Macdonald, former Director, Museum of the City of New York; Marie C. Malaro, former Smithsonian Institution General Counsel and former Director, Museum Studies Department, The George Washington University; Kathleen McLean, Principal, Independent Exhibitions; Keith E. Melder, former Curator, National Museum of American History; Harold K. Skramstad, former Director, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village; Kathy Dwyer Southern, Director, National Children's Museum; James M. Vaughn, Vice President, Stewardship of Historic Sites, National Trust for Historic Preservation; and W. Richard West, Director, National Museum of the American Indian. The interviews document their careers and reflections on the museum profession.
Graduate students Melanie M. Blanchard, Lauren A. Boegen, Reagan M. Furrow, Natascha L. Guluk, Heather T. Hawkins, Arthur Kim, Anthony Sankston Wallace, Elizabeth A. Pierson, Erica I. Nuckles, and Kimberly I. Robinson, from the GWU Museum Studies Program and the course instructor, SIA Historian Pamela M. Henson, conducted the interviews.
These interviews discuss their careers as outstanding museum professionals.
The AAM Centennial Interviews consist of 13.0 hours of digital video interviews and 379 pages of transcript. The original digital video files are preserved in security storage with Windows Media Video files available for reference.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Archabal, Nina Marchetti, 1940-
- Buck, Rebecca A., 1946-
- Bunch, Lonnie G.
- Macdonald, Robert R.
- Malaro, Marie C.
- McLean, Kathleen
- Melder, Keith E.
- Skramstad, Harold K.
- Southern, Kathy Dwyer
- Vaughn, James M.
- West, W. Richard
- Blanchard, Melanie, interviewer
- Boegen, Lauren A., interviewer
- Furrow, Reagan M., interviewer
- Guluk, Natascha, interviewer
- Hawkins, Heather, interviewer
- Henson, Pamela M., interviewer
- Kim, Arthur B., interviewer
- Nuckles, Erica, interviewer
- Pierson, Elizabeth Annie, interviewer
- Robinson, Kimberly, interviewer
- Wallace, Anthony S., interviewer
- Smithsonian Institution. Office of General Counsel
- Independent Exhibitions
- American Association of Museums
- Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village
- Minnesota Historical Society
- Museum of the City of New York
- George Washington University. Museum Studies Program
- National Children's Museum
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- National Museum of American History (U.S.)
- National Museum of History and Technology
- National Museum of the American Indian (U.S.)
- National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States
- Newark Museum
Subject
- Museums -- Administration
- Museums -- Employees
- Oral history
- Anniversaries
- Museum exhibits
- Historic preservation
- Museum curators
- Museum directors
- Museum registrars
- Interviews
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9620, American Association of Museums Centennial Oral History Interviews