Description: [edan-image:id=siris_sic_9592,size=200,left]Did you know the Smithsonian was an early adopter of the telephone? In June of 1878, a system of electronic bells and telephones was installed throughout the Smithsonian Castle. The system connected several workrooms and offices to provide instant communications within the building. At that time, there were only 187 telephone lines
Description: November is here and the leaves seem to finally be changing, which heralds the end of October is American Archives Month. Our 31-day Blogathon was a smashing success, garnering about 10,000 visits, and even though Archives month has come to a close, we will continue to post about our profession, our stories, and our wonderfully unique treasures. [caption id="attachment_9907"
Description: Today is National Hug day! If you are feeling a little hug deprived don’t worry, we have scoured our collections to find you the best image of animals embracing the day.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="425" caption="Six children play on the sculpture "Uncle Beazley," the 25 foot long replica of a triceratops, placed on the Mall in front of the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), 1976, by Unidentified photographer, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 33, Folder: 23, Negative Number:
Description: Late 2015, the beta version of the Smithsonian’s Learning Lab, a new digital platform providing access to digital resources across the Smithsonian alongside tools for teachers and students, launched. I was delighted to see a related social media update hinting at some of the discoveries to be had with the Learning Lab, one of which showed Saul Steinberg drawings on Smithsonian
Description: Note: I'll be on vacation for the next two weeks, so look for Link Love to start again on July 22nd! We’ve been blogging about the Civil War and the Smithsonian for the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, and others across the Smithsonian have been doing the same. Over at NPR’s Picture show blog, photography curator Shannon Perich shares some incredible animated Civil War-era
Description: The Arts and Industries Buildings reopens this weekend with FUTURES, the first building-wide exploration of the future on the National Mall. Though we've written plenty about the building's past on our blog, today, we're diving into its more recent history in the 21st century.
Description: [caption id="attachment_12162" align="aligncenter" width="384" caption="A participant discusses a lock of hair from a member of her family with NMAAHC staff at a Save Our African American Treasures event held in Detroit, Michigan, by Michael Barnes, Courtesy of The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture."][/caption] [caption
Description: This summer witnessed an exciting find by interns Shereen Choudhury and Rachel Midura, who identified Teddy Roosevelt in one of the broken glass plate negatives they were inventorying. This glass plate comes from a collection of images that have all been numbered, but have minimal descriptive records indicating what they may represent.