Results for "Databases"
- Blog Post
Dependent on the Kindness of Strangers: Smithsonian Volunteers
- Date: April 19, 2018
- Creator: Pamela M. Henson
- Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_12022,size=250,left]Volunteers have been an integral part of the Smithsonian since its earliest years. The Institution has always been “dependent on the kindness of strangers.” Volunteers make tremendous contributions to Smithsonian operations every day in virtually every corner of the globe. The Smithsonian's paid staff of some 6,000 employees is
- Blog Post
Digital Humanists Dive Into Archives
- Date: August 3, 2011
- Creator: Marvin Heiferman
- 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
- Blog Post
Now you see it, sometimes you don’t, but thank goodness for archives
- Date: May 13, 2010
- Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="370" caption="Churchill High School Pep Rally, 1978, Geoff Winningham, Gelatin silver print on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.1667."][/caption] Years ago, when the National Endowment for the Arts had a Visual Arts Program to give out individual artist grants, a week
#AskAnArchivist 2019: The Year of the GIF
- Date: October 3, 2019
- Creator: Emily Niekrasz
- Description: You asked. We answered. On October 2, 2019, five Archive staff members were excited and ready to answer questions on Twitter and Instagram for #AskAnArchivist Day.
- Blog Post
Records and Information Management Month: The Librarian
- Date: April 28, 2010
- Creator: Jennifer Wright
- Description: A clause in the last will and testament of English scientist James Smithson eventually led to his estate being left to the United States "to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” There was much debate as to what constituted such an establishment, but many of the proposals
- Blog Post
From a Humble Beginning: The Smithsonian’s first Internet Domain
- Date: September 17, 2015
- Description: The origins of the Smithsonian’s internet domain or address.
How to Fit a Forest in Five Boxes
- Date: February 11, 2014
- Description: Field maps illuminate the origins of the Smithsonian’s long-term forest-monitoring project.
- Blog Post
Passwords and Paper Printouts: Preserving the Electronic Records of the Devra Kleiman Papers
- Date: July 28, 2011
- Description: In the course of my internship at the Smithsonian Archives’ Digital Services Division I’ve worked with myriad digital records, converting both new material and past accessions into formats that can be more easily preserved. But the most exciting part of my time here came when I was given my very own accession, the Devra G. Kleiman Papers, to work on. My task was to copy all of
Preservation of Executable Files
- Date: July 24, 2012
- Description: As archives begin to receive executable files, archives must think about if and how to preserve them so their content lasts.
One Lens for Multiple Archives: A Pan-Institutional Survey of Born Digital Holdings
- Date: May 28, 2015
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: Summary of pan-Smithsonian survey of born digital collections holdings at archives and museums at the Smithsonian.
Assessing File Format Risk for Born-Digital Preservation Planning
- Date: August 3, 2021
- Description: In addition to physical damage and deterioration of storage media, the technological complexity and dependency of electronic records make them uniquely vulnerable to loss, corruption, and alteration (both accidental and malicious). To achieve long-term preservation of fragile born-digital materials, digital archivists need a plan.
Some Archival Career Advice
- Date: April 26, 2012
- Creator: Jennifer Wright
- Description: Commonly asked questions and answers about becoming an archivist.