Description: [caption id="attachment_11206" align="aligncenter" width="219" caption="Bells Rock Lighthouse, Chesapeake Bay, c. 1880s, by Unidentified photographer, Photographic negative, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Negative number: MAH-48182H."][/caption] We recently digitized a series of lighthouse images that led me on a surprising research path.
Description: In honor of the Heritage Preservation organization’s annual MayDay initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters, the Archives will be highlighting how we deal with emergencies and how you can prepare yourself in a series of blog posts. Throughout the year, the Smithsonian Institution Archives reviews our plans for how we will deal with emergencies in Smithsonian
Description: Bloggers on The Bigger Picture often describe how, in the course of their work, they come across intriguing archival objects and artifacts that trigger new insights into history. “Hands on” encounters with compelling evidence from the past are thrilling and can be provocative. But so can different sorts of encounters, including those that are driven by data, rather than
Description: [caption id="attachment_8465" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Beth Antoine, Postgraduate Fellow in Conservation, conducts research on the letter or copy press books of Secretary Spencer F. Baird, Courtesy of Nora Lockshin."][/caption] One year ago on October 8th, after several years of planning, waiting, and building, the Smithsonian Center for Archives Conservation