Description: Very early "big data" tracking mortality rates in 17th-century London. [via Smithsonian Magazine]The Mellon Foundation has funded an $887,000 project to develop community-driven archives! [via Info Docket]See what questions archivists across the country answered yesterday for #AskAnArchivist. [via SAA]What album would you be....if you could preserve yourself in a vinyl record.
Description: A graphic designer's delight — a new exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt explores color perception. [via Smithsonian Libraries]33 museums from 7 countries, including our own Smithsonian Archives of American Art, have produced the largest collection of Frida Kahlo art and ephemera with Google Arts & Culture. [via Remezcla]A key figure in LGBQT activism who organized the first pride
Description: The Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum looks at the history of rapid change in Washington D.C., the ensuing inequality, and neighborhood activism with A Right to the City. [via Smithsonian Magazine]Check out the newly released 2018 National Design Award winners from the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt. [via Architect Magazine]There may be a developing love story at our
Description: Women's History Month edition, continued!The story of fossil seller and paleontologist Mary Anning (for whom the "She Sells Seashells" rhyme was possibly written), in Peeps. [via The Last Word on Nothing]A look at the WWI Women's Land Army composed of "farmettes" who went outside the home to address the national food shortage. [via LOC Blog]For 25 cents an hour, less than
Description: Travel with us to the Galapagos and the Marshall Islands as we launch some warm-weather scientific field books, diaries, and correspondence. While it’s not very wintery in Washington D.C., we’re hoping this will offer an escape to those entering the long remaining months of snow, sleet, and ice. And if you’re avoiding the cold, what a better way to spend your time than helping
Description: The research behind Michelle Obama's statement that the White House was built partly by slaves. [via Smithsonian Magazine]The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is hiring a beer historian, but it does require you to do more than just drink beer. [via Washington City Paper][WARNING NSFW] 20 bawdy art history tweets for modern times! [via deMilked]19th century
Description: [caption id="attachment_10960" align="aligncenter" width="376" caption="Peter Finkel, volunteer at the Smithsonian Institution Archives. "][/caption] Here at the Archives, we have 25 fulltime staff members, and half as many volunteers and interns at any given moment.
Description: Entertaining "Page Not Found' 404's from museums. [via Hyperallergic]Paleontologist Nick Pyenson, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, used museum collections to determine the reason baleen whales became gigantic. Plus you can help transcribe specimen labels from our Fossil Marine Invertebrates collection! [via NY Times] Harvard archivists found what they believe
Description: These photos just make you want to write solely in pencil. [story on one of America's last pencil factory via NY Times]It's hard to believe the Flickr Commons, a space in Flickr for archival photo collections, is 10 years old. [via Library of Congress]Scientists, including a fellow from our National Museum of Natural History, Ligiane Moras, have identified two new species of
Description: I was intrigued to receive a tweet from a digital colleague over at the NY Times pertaining to a family story that could very well be solved at the Archives. I’m continuously surprised at the variety of papers we hold here, but by now, I shouldn’t be given how far-reaching and varied the scope of the Smithsonian has been through history. Back to the story. THE elephant that