Results for "Smithsonian Collections Blog"
Arthur Wilson Stelfox: Another Gift from the United Kingdom
- Date: July 23, 2020
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: With a large personal collection of specimens, Arthur Wilson Stelfox took steps to ensure his work will go on for decades to come.
Is there a place for paleography in archives?
- Date: January 23, 2018
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: As we digitize the Archives’ collections to make them available online, I am constantly being exposed to handwriting from the past two centuries. As a result, I have a deeper appreciatiation of how many different things influence the way a person’s writing appears on the page, things beyond the quality of their penmanship. Writing on the deck of a ship, on horseback or on
- Blog Post
Robert Ridgway – From Protégé to a Leading Ornithologist
- Date: February 27, 2020
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: As a teenager, Robert Ridgway was tapped by the Smithsonian’s Assistant Secretary to be an expedition zoologist. In 1881, when the US National Museum opened its doors, he was the curator of Birds. Download and reuse some of bird illustrations today through Smithsonian Open Access.
Transparency in the Archives: From Our Earliest Days
- Date: August 16, 2018
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: From the point in 1838 when the United States Congress accepted James Smithson’s bequest, it was recognized as a cultural resource, a public trust held by the federal government. Smithson had stipulated that the funds be used for an “establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Being a cultural resource set aside for public use, the government bore the
Where Are Archives Going? Impressions from SAA 2012
- Date: August 30, 2012
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: Impressions from the Society of American Archivists 2012 Annual Meeting on how archives are transforming themselves in the 21st century.
Pursuing Knowledge in Unfamiliar Country
- Date: November 15, 2018
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: In mid-19th century America, some believed that world-class discoveries came exclusively from Europe. But early Smithsonian leaders had a sense of urgency to disseminate an authoritative body of knowledge, pursue further discoveries, and provide a deeper understanding to the public at a time when American society was changing.
Understanding growth in insects: Dyar’s Law revisited
- Date: March 21, 2017
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: How Smithsonian entomologist Harrison Dyar's field notes, now available on the Smithsonian Transcription Center, are improving present-day research done by Smithsonian Resident Research Associate Dr. Jorge Santiago-Blay.
We Are Not Alone: Progress in the Digital Preservation Community
- Date: October 2, 2018
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: An international community of researchers and practitioners are driving the professional practice of digital preservation towards greater maturity and opening doors to new levels of access.
Staff Matters: Meet Our New Additions
- Date: August 15, 2019
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: Meet the newest members of the Archives team in our continuing series on introducing new staff.
- Blog Post
Collaboration’s Value in the Pursuit of Science and Peace
- Date: September 19, 2019
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: Advancing peace requires a strong, wide, and active network.
- Blog Post
Discoveries Don’t Happen in an Armchair
- Date: November 27, 2018
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: The 19th century was a transformative time for the natural sciences. New discoveries didn't just happen in an armchair. Scientists adventured into unfamiliar territory by land and sea on expeditions, and their new findings fed new theories. Groups like the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences formalized America's place
Where Will This Lead? Exhibits, Zoos and Video-dating
- Date: January 14, 2020
- Creator: Ricc Ferrante
- Description: Investigating digital files from the 1980s turns up software that let people play matchmaker–for endangered species. Let’s see where this leads.