






Highlights from the 1980s include the relocation and expansion of the Archives, a survey of photographic resources across the Institution, and the creation of the Smithsonian Videohistory program in 1987. The Videohistory Program continues to document the Smithsonian’s involvement in American science through videotaped interviews. By the late eighties, the Archives' space in the Arts and Industries Building had been completely filled. As a result, in 1988 the Archives leased around six thousand square feet of warehouse space in Virginia. Over five thousand cubic feet of records were initially transferred to the new facility from Arts and Industries.


In 2003, the Smithsonian Center for Archives Conservation, initially funded by an endowment, was created to make conservation services available to all Smithsonian repositories. A formal Electronic Records Program was established in 2004, dedicated to the management and preservation of the Institution’s digital history.
The Institutional History Division made specialized databases of historical information and five thousand images available online through the Smithsonian Institution Research and Information Service, in addition to launching a combined history of the Smithsonian on the web.

Today the Archives holds some 5,096 collections comprising 35,161 cubic feet of archival documentation, as well as extensive digital resources.
Further Exploration
- Chronology of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Bibliography of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Historic Images of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Related Collections
- Smithsonian Institution Archives Records from the Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Additional Records and Collections of the Smithsonian Institution Archives Across the Smithsonian
Other Resources
- Smithsonian Institution Archives Blog, THE BIGGER PICTURE.
- Learn More about Our Current Programs and Staff