Smithsonian Libraries

Thoughts on the Library as Place

SIL is involved in several renovation projects--at the Cooper-Hewitt where the library is moving to new space; at NMNH where the main Natural History is also moving to new space; and at NMAH, where the library has been in the middle of a construction zone for a year and a half.

Consequently, I attended a meeting called "Tomorrow's Library in Today's  Space." The most interesting presentation was from Jay Shaffer, Director at the U. of Massachusetts, who created a "Learning Commons." He distinguishes this from an Information Commons, which a number of academic libraries are creating.  The latter, in his view, is just providing computer workstations anle to do searching on the library's website or the Internet, but no other software.  A "Learning Commons" is staffed by both librarians and computer staff and has workstations with Microsoft Office and other software needed by students to do their work.

These spaces are open 24/7 and the library has also put in a coffee bar or other food service near by.  Places for students to practice presentations are also included.

The operative word here is students, meaning undergrads.  The spaces are set up for individual and group study and to do group projects.  And they need these spaces because that is the kind of assignment undergrads are given.

I saw something similar at Georgia Tech recently.  And hearing about both, my main question is, what relevance does this have for the Smithsonian Libraries?  After all, with some exceptions, our on-site clientèle are largely  "faculty" (scientists, curators, historians)  and grad students (research assistants, fellows, interns).

The universities are thinking of this also.  Jay Shaffer says his next focus is on this community and what kind of spaces they require.  I've heard that from others as well, so we should see what kinds of ideas our academic library colleagues come up with.

Meanwhile, let me speculate.  Our new Secretary and other SI leaders have talked about the need for more cross-disciplinary activity within the SI, more collaboration, and thinking that is pan-Institutional.  SIL is a neutral space with a broad view of service to all. We are having the opportunity to renovate some spaces, and in some of our areas! We will be moving parts of the collections to our new housing location at Pennsy Drive.

Perhaps SIL could begin to provide not only study space in a reading room environment, but also collaborative spaces where groups can work together, workstations with larger tablespaces, even small enclosed rooms for meetings.  This certainly bears thinking more about, as we consider how to further support the Institution's mission.

Report from the ALA exhibits floor

One of the advantages of attending such a large conference is the exposure that is possible to issues and programs outside one's normal everyday interests.  The extensive exhibits are one place where vendors and publishers of all kinds promote their wares. I'm on the exhibit floor now, watching a presentation in the Library of Congress booth about LC's digital preservation program.

The big news in print publishing continues to be children's books and products; it's hard to find adult books (my personal interest) here on the exhibit floor.

Nevertheless, many publishers are giving away advance reading copies or uncorrected proofs, not to mention posters, catalogs, flyers and many other (heavy) items.  No wonder there is a post office right here, ready with boxes available for shipping.

The exhibit flloor is also a good place to catch trends.  I was struck by the growing specialty areas of gaming and  graphic novels and comics, as well as the increase in audiobook producers.  These are geared toward public and school libraries more than to a place like the Smithsonian, of course, but there may be relevance to our education programs.

Technology is big, of course, but there are furniture displays, architects, and much more.  Continuing presentations from authors and tech vendors can be engaging.  Finally, there seems to be a growing number of jewelry, clothing, and other commercial products, which adds to the fun, if not the business.

I'll be back with more serious stuff later.

- Nancy

Report for the ALA conference

I'm attending the annual ALA conference in Anaheim, where we're enjoying welcome relief from Washington's hot, muggy air.  ALA is so big that every attendee is going to have a highly individual view.  I only arrived yesterday (Friday) afternoon, but already I have several meetings under my belt.

My focus this time is largely on international activities, given my current role as a member of the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and as chair of it's Professional Committee.  So yesterday I sat in on the meeting of ALA's International Relations Committee, where there were numerous reports on how the association is reaching out to colleagues around the world.

I joined Sjoerd Koopman, IFLA's Coordinator of Professional Activities, in reporting on what IFLA was doing in many areas of the developing world to advocate for libraries and freedom of information.

IFLA has just published a world report on the status of intellectual freedom in over 100 countries.  IFLA is also helping to rebuild the library on the small island of Yap; it's library was completely destroyed in the
tsunami that caused a disaster in Southeast Asia several years ago.  Yap was overlooked in the rush to help the more publicized problems in the larger countries.  You can get more information at IFLANET, the association's website.

Right now (Saturday) I'm sitting in on a program about how to renovate library spaces to meet new needs in the future.  More on this and the exhibits later.

- Nancy

WiFi @ SIL

Smithsonian Libraries is very happy to announce that we can now offer both SI staff and visiting researchers wireless access to the internet in 11 of our library locations!
So, if you are coming to visit us in person at any of these libraries, you can bring your laptop!

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library (New York, NY)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library (Washington, DC)
John Wesley Powell Library of Anthropology (Washington DC)
Joseph F. Cullman 3rd, Library of Natural History (Washington, D.C.)
Museum Support Center Library (Suitland, MD)
National Museum of American History Library (Washington, DC)
National Museum of Natural History Library - main reading rooms (Washington, DC)
Smithsonian American Art/National Portrait Gallery Library (Washington, DC)
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Edgewater, MD)
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Library (Republic of Panama)
Vine Deloria Jr. Library, National Museum of the American Indian  (Suitland, MD)

The Botanist's Desire: Botanica Magnifica Redux

Back in May I posted a story about the exhibition of Botanica Magnifica in the Smithsonian Libraries' exhibition cases in the National Museum of Natural History. Well, in this month's Fine Books & Collections Magazine, Botanical Magnifica is featured in the cover story, "The Botanist’s Desire" by Jonathan Shipley (No. 34, July/August 2008).

In addition to a number of reproductions from the work, the article describes the process used by photographer Jonathan Singer in creating the work. Smithsonian botany curator John Kress also discusses the importance of the work.

Portraits of Scientists and Inventors

A little preview of Smithsonian Libraries images. These are available on the Smithsonian Flickr Commons as well as on the Scientific Identity: Portraits from the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology.

Smithsonian Libraries on Flickr

The Smithsonian joins the Flickr Commons project on June 16!

The Smithsonian Libraries provided a selection of photographic portraits from the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology. These portraits, part of a larger collection of over a 1,000 portraits in various media. The entire collection is available online at Scientific Identity: Portraits from the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology.

The Flickr Commons project provided Smithsonian staff an excellent opportunity for collaborations between our different museums and researcher centers. In addition to providing content, Smithsonian Libraries staff provided important technical and metadata skills which enhanced the success of the project.

• Visit the Smithsonian on the Flickr Commons
• See the Smithsonian Libraries "Portraits of Scientists and Inventors"

Flickr Commons is a new forum created by Flickr for cultural institutions to share their photographic collections. The Smithsonian was the fourth institution to join, following the Library of Congress, the Powerhouse Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum.

About the Dibner Library Portrait Collection (Ron Brashear)

The scientific portrait collection in the Dibner Library was assembled by Bern Dibner. The images formed a fine research complement to the thousands of scientific books and manuscripts in the library he founded, the Burndy Library. Bern Dibner obtained most of the portraits during the 1940s from print dealers in Boston, London, and Paris. By 1950 he had about two thousand images and arranged them into ten scientific subdivisions: Botany, Chemistry, Electricity, Geology, Mathematics, Medicine, Philosophy, Physics, Technology, and Zoology. The portraits are of various types: woodcuts, copper and steel engravings, mezzotints, lithographs, oil paintings, and photographs. Many of them are images that were printed as separate items, used as gifts to send to colleagues and admirers. The exchange of portraits among scientists in the eighteenth century became a very popular form of correspondence. A number of prints also served as frontispieces of books and, unfortunately, a few of the prints in the collection had originally been bound as pages in books and removed some time in the distant past.

(photo above left: Portrait of Felix Nadar (1820-1910), Photographer and Aeronautical Scientist; see the picture on Flickr or in Scientific Identity)

Alexia MacClain Wins Gala Tickets

I am happy to announce that Alexia MacClain, SIL staff member at the National Museum of American History, was the winner of the trivia contest held at the Libraries' 40th anniversary celebration in April at the Smithsonian Castle.  Her name was drawn from among all those who had answered the questions correctly.  She won two free tickets to the SIL "Paint the Town REaD!" ruby gala, to be held on October 30 at the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.  Congratulations, Alexia!                        -- Nancy Gwinn

Mark Catesby's America

David Elliott, Nancy Gwinn, Leslie Overstreet,
and Cynthia Neal
2008-06-09-dscn4174
Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Smithsonian Libraries presented "Mark Catesby's America: Symposium and Panel Discussion" on June 9, 2008.

The symposium featured Dr. Storrs Olson (National Museum of Natural History), D. Therese O'Malley (National Gallery of Art), and Leslie Overstreet (Curator of Natural History Rare Books, Smithsonian Institution Libraries).

Dr. Alan Feduccia, professor of Biology and Department Chair at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, presented the keynote address, "Mark Catesby and his Natural History of Carolina ... : an Introduction and perspective."

The event, held at the Freer Gallery of Art, was attended by over 150 guests.

Following the symposium, the audience was treated to the Washington premier of The Curious Mr. Catesby. The documentary film, introduced by producers David J. Elliott and Cynthia Neal. The film, an excellent overview to the life and work of Catesby, features Leslie Overstreet and the Cullman Library.

A reception followed at the Freer Gallery of Art.

View images from the Smithsonian Libraries' copy of Catesby's Natural History.

Panama Canal Zone Post Office Finding Aid

We have also created a finding aid for the Panama Canal Zone Post Office collection -

• Which consists of correspondence, newspaper and journal articles, government documents, stamp design files, photographs and other illustrations. The files cover the history of the Panama Canal Zone Post Office from 1904 to 1999.

Please look at the finding aid - http://www.sil.si.edu/digitalcollections/NPM/ - and post your comments in the comment box below.