Description: Behind the archivists, technicians, and specialists of the museum field are an abundance of organizations that network ideas, connect professionals, and present new strategies to broaden the impact of museums (American Alliance of Museums, Society of American Archivists, etc.). Many associations focus on specific aspects of this dynamic field and help to push museum practice
Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_9988,size=500,center]While many people view the Smithsonian as a complex of museums in Washington, DC, it began as and still is an international organization devoted to research and education. A look at the Smithsonian Global website reveals where Smithsonian staff can be found today.Since the Smithsonian’s founding in 1846, the Institution has
Description: A collection of interviews from 2013 records the history of the Smithsonian Associates. One of recordings included Brigitte B. Blachere, the program manager of the organization. She detailed the youth and family programs she has developed for 23 years.
Description: Mary E. RiceSmithsonian Institution Archives Oral History Collection, SIA009622The Smithsonian’s Division of Worms welcomed Dr. Mary E. Rice (1926-2021) to the invertebrate zoology team in 1966. As she pioneered her way through her education and career, Rice seized every opportunity that came her way.
Description: Birds of a feather flock together, especially if they are a pair of patriotic turkeys who took up residency at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Description: In their efforts to document the history of computing at the Smithsonian, volunteers are interviewing former staff to preserve their stories and experiences. Ching-hsien Wang was a force that helped libraries and archives make their collections accessible online and here are some early excerpts from our interview with her.
Description: For the month of March, the Smithsonian Institution Archives will be posting about interesting women from our collections in honor of Women’s History Month. Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of watching the Smithsonian Institution Archives’ Video History Collection interviews while they were digitized. One of my favorites is Black Aviators (RU 9545) because of
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Fingers typing, by Simon Steiner, Creative Commons: Attribution 2.0."] [/caption] You know that sinking, then maddening feeling: you need to find something you’ve carefully put away, but can’t remember where you’ve stored it or how you characterized or labeled it. That common problem, when it’s blown up to institutional
Description: [caption id="attachment_10342" align="alignleft" width="228" caption="Miss Willey Glover DeNis, (1879-1929), Smithsonian Institution Archives, SIA2008-0987."][/caption] At the Archives, we often run across images that have minimal information associated with them. Sometimes it’s a number or a name (usually incomplete) or a year. It is rare to find a beautifully complete