Before submitting a question to us, please review this list of Frequently Asked Questions. Links are provided here to appropriate web sites.

1. How much is my old book worth?

2. Does the Smithsonian Institution offer free appraisals of personally owned artifacts?

3. How do I find out what is in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' collection?

4. How may I borrow materials from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

5. How may I make an appointment to visit a branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

6. How can I access the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' databases and electronic journals from my personal computer at home?

7. What kind of funding for research is available through the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

8. Can you send me an application for an internship at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

9. Can you help me research my family history with the Smithsonian Institution's resources?

10. How do I treat personal books and paper I would like to preserve?

11. Do your libraries have resources about local post offices and/or postmasters?

12. Can you send me more information on the following art or artist?

13. How can I get a job at the Smithsonian Institution?

14. Whom do I contact to contribute to the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

15. How did the Smithsonian Institution come to be?

16. How may I purchase a Smithsonian Press publication?

17. Where can I purchase a copy of the Smithsonian Institution's "Contributions to Knowledge." Series?

18. How can I get an article from the Smithsonian Magazine?

19. Whom do I contact if I am having problems with my Smithsonian Magazine subscription?

20. Whom do I contact for permission to use a Smithsonian Institution published image or photograph in a publication?

21. Which Smithsonian Institution office produces recordings for purchase?

22. How do I purchase Smithsonian Institution products?

23. How do I schedule a tour of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

24. How do I plan a visit to the Smithsonian Institution?

25. Whom should I contact if I have a media related inquiry about the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

26. How do I learn about volunteer opportunities with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

1. How much is my old book worth?

Please see the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' "Information on Old Books" web page http://www.sil.si.edu/SILPublications/old-books.htm

Though the Smithsonian Institution does not endorse these companies, you might also utilize web-based used book services such as:

Advanced Book Exchange http://www.abebooks.com

Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America http://www.abaa.org

Bibliofind http://www.bibliofind.com

Bookfinder.com http://www.bookfinder.com

2. Does the Smithsonian Institution offer free appraisals of personally owned artifacts?

The Smithsonian Institution does not, as a matter of policy, offer monetary evaluations. Please see this helpful list of Frequently Asked Questions posted by the Smithsonian's Visitor Information & Associates' Reception Center http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/id-obj.htm

The Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education also has a web page http://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/appraisal.html with more information and resources on artifact appraisals.

3. How do I find out what is in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' collection?

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries' web-accessible online public access catalog is a part of the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS). http://www.siris.si.edu.

4. How may I borrow materials from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

If you are not Smithsonian staff or an affiliated user, please utilize the inter-library loan services of your local or affiliated library to request our materials. For more information, see Borrowing Material from Smithsonian Institution Libraries: Information for non-Smithsonian Institution Staff http://www.sil.si.edu/research/ill/nonstaff.htm

5. How may I make an appointment to visit a branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries has twenty branches. Please check this web page http://www.sil.si.edu/libraries/ for contacts relating to the appropriate branch library you may be interested in. If you are unsure of what library may have holdings in your subject area, please e-mail libmail@si.edu.

6. How can I access the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' databases and electronic journals from my personal computer at home?

Many databases and electronic journals accessed through the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Indexes, Abstracts or selected Full-Text Databases web page http://www.sil.si.edu/eresources/ed_index.cfm are restricted to Smithsonian Institution staff and affiliated users who are using workstations on the Smithsonian's internal computer network.

If you are not a Smithsonian staff member, please inquire with your local or affiliated library for information on how to access databases you are interested in.

7. What kind of funding for research is available through the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

Please see the web page, Research Grants and Internship Opportunities at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries http://www.sil.si.edu/ResearchIntern

If you need a hard copy version of these documents mailed to you, please send your request and postal address to libmail@si.edu.

8. Can you send me an application for an internship at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

Please see the web page, Internship Opportunities Smithsonian Institution Libraries http://www.sil.si.edu/ResearchIntern/internship.htm for information and a downloadable application.

If you need a hard copy version of these documents mailed to you, please send your request and postal address to libmail@si.edu.

9. Can you help me research my family history with the Smithsonian Institution's resources?

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries does not specialize in genealogical materials.

Two helpful web resources for genealogy are:

The National Archives http://www.archives.gov/genealogy

Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet http://www.cyndisList.com/

10. How do I treat personal books and paper I would like to preserve?

For information on how to care for your books and family papers, etc., please see the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education's Paper-Based Materials Guidelines: http://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/index.html

The Library of Congress' Preservation Directorate also has good information on this topic: http://www.loc.gov/preserv/careothr.html

11. Do your libraries have resources about local post offices and/or postmasters?

For information regarding the history of individual post offices and postmasters, please contact the USPS Historian:

Historian, Corporate Information Service
United States Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20260-0012.

Phone: 202.268.2507 or 2537.

12. Can you send me more information on the following art or artist?

Please see the Smithsonian American Art Museum's excellent "Ask Joan of Art" web page. http://americanart.si.edu/search/search_ajoa.cfm

For inquiries on art and artists that are not related to American art, please utilize other resources outside of the Smithsonian Institution, such as the National Gallery of Art. http://www.nga.gov/

13. How can I get a job at the Smithsonian Institution?

For a listing of job openings at the Smithsonian, please see the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Human Resources Smithsonian Vacancies Listing http://www.sihr.si.edu/job.htm

14. Who do I contact to contribute to the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

Details are available from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries Development Office http://www.sil.si.edu/giving

15. How did the Smithsonian Institution come to be?

For the history of the Smithsonian Institution, please see the Smithsonian Institution Archives' Institutional History Division web site http://siarchives.si.edu/history/main.html

Another resource is the From Smithson to Smithsonian: The Birth of an Institution Exhibition web site http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Smithson-to-Smithsonian/

Another excellent site related to this topic, about the last 150 years of Smithsonian research in Latin America, is the Natural History Museum Anthropology Department's Smithsonian Exhibitions web site http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/laexped

16. How may I purchase a Smithsonian Press publication?

From the Office of the Under Secretary for Science, May 2005: “Like many other academic presses, Smithsonian Institution Press (SI Press) experienced financial difficulties for a number of years. As a result of the financial drain on the Institution's trust funds, SI Press was closed as a separate office in January 2005."

“An interim editorial board, appointed by the Under Secretary for Science, David Evans and led by NASM's Ted Maxwell, has undertaken a review of current scholarly publishing at the Institution and will make recommendations to Evans for future initiatives."

“Smithsonian Business Ventures (SBV) will oversee the publishing and distribution of trade (popular and general interest) books. SBV recently formed a partnership with HarperCollins Publishers and successfully concluded the agreement on Feb. 10, 2005."

For further information on titles still in print, please see http://www.si.edu/sipress/

17. Where can I purchase a copy of the Smithsonian Institution's "Contributions to Knowledge." Series?

Please see the Smithsonian Institution Contributions and Study Series' web site: http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions

18. How can I get an article from the Smithsonian Magazine?

Issues of Smithsonian Magazine (from 1995 to the present) are available online at:http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian/issuesbydate.html

For earlier articles, see your local or affiliated public or academic library (the magazine has a large circulation).

For receiving articles from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, please see our Borrowing Material from Smithsonian Institution Libraries: Information for non-Smithsonian Institution Staff http://www.sil.si.edu/research/ill/nonstaff.htm

19. Who do I contact if I am having problems with my Smithsonian Magazine subscription?

Please see the Smithsonian Magazine's web page. http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/ for contacts.

20. Who do I contact for permission to use a Smithsonian Institution published image or photograph in a publication?

There are over a hundred different departmental sources of photographs at the Smithsonian Institution. If possible, please try to determine what subject area is appropriate to the photograph (for example, for airplane photographs, see the National Air and Space Museum), find and then contact the appropriate Smithsonian department archives by starting with the Institution's main web page http://www.si.edu

21. Which Smithsonian Institution office produces recordings for purchase?

Most Smithsonian Institution recordings and information about them are available through Smithsonian Folkways. http://www.folkways.si.edu/

22. How do I purchase Smithsonian Institution products?

Please see The Smithsonian Store online http://www.smithsonianstore.com/

23. How do I schedule a tour of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

For more information about scheduling a tour of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, contact the Director's Office at 202.633.2240 or by fax at 202.786.2866.

24. How do I plan a visit to the Smithsonian Institution?

For more information about visiting the Smithsonian Institution, please visit the SI website.

25. Whom should I contact if I have a media related inquiry about the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

For more media related information about the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, please contact:

Public Information Officer
Telephone: 202.633.1522
E-mail: libmail@si.edu
Website: http://www.sil.si.edu/press/

26. How do I learn about volunteer opportunities with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries?

For more information about becoming a volunteer with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, please click here.