Reference Request
Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 133
United States National Museum. Division of Correspondence and Documents
Publication Distribution Records, 1890-1907
Historical Note
The Department of Direction was created during the initial organization of the United States National Museum (USNM) in 1880. Its name was changed to the Division of Correspondence and Documents in 1886. The Division was in charge of the distribution and filing of correspondence of the Museum, including the acknowledgment of gifts, loans, and exchanges; the preparation of reports upon material sent for examination; replies to requests for technical information of all kinds; distribution of Museum publications; and the preparation, editing, and proofreading of the Annual Report of the United States National Museum. After the position of Registrar was abolished in 1919, functions relating to accessions, examination and reports on specimens, and the distribution of specimens were assigned to the Division. In 1956 the Division was renamed the Office of the Registrar. Chiefs of the Division of Correspondence and Documents (before 1886, the Department of Direction) included Randolph Iltyd Geare, 1882-1917; Herbert S. Bryant, 1917-1948; and Helena M. Weiss, 1948-1956.
Descriptive Entry
These records consist of logbooks documenting publications and publication distribution.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Bryant, Herbert S.
- Geare, Randolph Iltyd, 1854-
- United States National Museum. Department of Direction
- United States National Museum. Office of the Registrar
- Weiss, Helena M., 1909-2004
Subject
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 133, United States National Museum. Division of Correspondence and Documents, Publication Distribution Records