Description: When I started working with museums in 2005, the concept of crowdsourcing was in its infancy. That year, James Surowiecki ‘s book, “The Wisdom of Crowds,” was published and there were tiny experiments in crowdsourcing occurring in the cultural heritage sector. There were hesitations and objections about the whole concept within the GLAM (gallery, library, archive, museum)
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.
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: In celebration of Preservation Week 2016, here’s a brief overview of surveys and their role in preservation, as well as a look into an audiovisual survey currently taking place right here at the Smithsonian.
Description: Link Love: a weekly post with links to interesting videos and stories about archival issues, technology and culture, and Washington D.C. and American history.
Description: One of the things we do here at the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) is keep track of original records about donors and the objects they have given to the Smithsonian—and so we have donor and accession records dating back to our earliest years. Because of this, it’s common to receive a reference request beginning something like, “My great-great grandmother donated a