The Smithsonian Library
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PrintA brief history of the Smithsonian Institution Library which includes the role of the library in the Congressional debates and final Smithsonian legislation; the Board of Regents' emphasis on building the Smithsonian collection; influence of the first librarian, Charles Coffin Jewett, and his eventual resignation; transfer of the majority of the collection to the Library of Congress and its continued growth; beginnings of the United States National Museum library; donations to the collections and the beginning of branch libraries under Secretary Samuel P. Langley.
Smithsonian Institution History Bibliography
Written by the Smithsonian's librarian, Cyrus Adler.
The Smithsonian Institution, 1846-1896, The History of its First Half Century (Book)
Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu
1897