Smithsonian Libraries :Staff and Contacts

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/Encyclopedia_SI/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/Galaxy.cfm?id=3.3 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 see :

http://webpmt.usps.gov/pmt021.cfm

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/jobs.cfm

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/Galaxy.cfm?id=4.2

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 or acquire Smithsonian-published products?

The Smithsonian Institution Press was closed as a separate office in 2005. Smithsonian Books and Harper Collins (http://www.smithsonianbooks.com/) currently publishes trade books by Smithsonian and non-Smithsonian authors. These books are available through the usual retail sources.

The Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press (http://www.scholarlypress.si.edu/) publishes scholarly works by SI researchers and curators, including the Smithsonian Institution’s “Contribution to Knowledge” series. A good synopsis about former and current Smithsonian publications is at: http://www.scholarlypress.si.edu/content.cfm?page=pubs

Out-of-print Smithsonian-published materials can often be borrowed through the interlibrary loan services of your local or affiliated library, or purchased through used book sources.

17. Where can I find issues of the Smithsonian Institution's "Contributions to Knowledge" Series?

Please see: http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/

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

Recent issues of "Smithsonian" magazine can be seen at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issue/archive/

For earlier issues, see your local or affiliated public or academic library. The magazine has a large circulation and is widely available.

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

For information on copyright rules covering Smithsonian content, please see:
http://www.si.edu/copyright/

21. Which Smithsonian Institution office produces recordings for purchase?

http://www.folkways.si.edu/

22. How do I purchase or find information on Smithsonian-branded products?

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