Guidelines for Production Companies Working with
Archival Units at the Smithsonian Institution

Getting Started

1. An initial consultation with archives’ staff early in your project is essential. Refer to the Guide to Smithsonian Institution Archives, Libraries and Special Collections for collection descriptions and basic contact information http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/siasc/. Please note that these guidelines do NOT apply to producers working for, or under contract with, Smithsonian Networks LLC. Smithsonian Networks production companies should refer to "Guidelines for Smithsonian Networks Production Companies Working with Archival Units at the Smithsonian Institution."
2. Many still images are available online through the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System http://www.siris.si.edu/. The Cross Catalog Searching Center http://siris-collections.si.edu/search/ is a good starting point where you can search for images only or see all listings for collections that include other documents and media.
3. After you have conducted preliminary research, contact the staff at the archival unit or special collection where the materials are located and make an appointment with the appropriate archivist(s) before requesting materials for your production. Each archives operates independently within the Institution and, therefore, practices and procedures will vary from archives to archives.

Initial Consultation

Set up an initial consultation with the archives you think may have appropriate assets for your project. That way, staff will have time to prepare for your visit and have materials available for you to see. For your initial consultation with archives’ staff, please provide or be prepared to discuss the following:

1. The timeline for your production: When is the rough cut due? When is the fine cut due?
2. What is the focus of your project and how you think the archives can help?
3. Who is the primary contact who will be managing the production?
4. General requests for assistance will be attended to in the order they arrive. Staff is limited so production companies should allow as much as 10 working days for a response to a given request.

Access to materials

• The visual and audio assets in the archival units are not equivalent to a typical stock footage / audio / photo house and it may take weeks, not hours or days to get the materials you need.
• Many audio and visual assets are located in remote storage facilities. These facilities are not open to researchers. Once materials are requested for retrieval, it can take up to 10 working days for the materials to be made available to researchers.
• SI archival units do not supply video or audio clips. They only provide full duplicates of still images, moving images and audio recordings.
• Archival units may deny access to or use of material based on physical condition, issues of cultural sensitivity, or donor restrictions.

Costs and Rights Clearance

• Archival units will be charging cost recovery fees for duplication of requested materials. See each unit for fee schedule. The archivist and producer must agree in writing in advance on these estimated costs.
• Archival units may charge separate use fees for reproduction of requested materials. See each unit for fee schedule.
• Archival units may charge separate fees for research services provided to production companies. See each unit for fee schedule.
• The cost of off-site duplication of still image, moving image, or audio, is the responsibility of the production company and transacted directly with the vendor.
• Archives will provide the names of approved vendors and a dub master if one exists.
• If a dub master does not exist, the production company will pay for one to be made for the archival unit to its specification.
• Archival units may require that a reference copy (if one does not exist in its reference collection) be made, and paid for by the production company, at the time of initial duplication and provided to the archives.
• The rights to some materials in SI archives’ collections may not belong to SI. The archivist will provide any information in its possession regarding rights to the producer.
• Rights clearance is the responsibility of the production company.

Contacts at Archival Units and Special Collections

Archives Center, National Museum of American History – Wendy Shay shayw@si.edu [see also FAQ]; or Kay Peterson petersonk@si.edu

Archives of American Art - Megan McShae McShaeM@si.edu

Archives of American Gardens

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art – Amy Staples staplesam@si.edu or elisofonarchives@si.edu

Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, avref@asia.si.edu

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Archives

National Museum of the American Indian

National Air and Space Museum Archives

• Mark Taylor taylorm@si.edu – moving image [see also FAQ]
• Kate Igoe igoek@si.edu – still images

National Anthropological Archives (NAA) & Human Studies Film Archives (HSFA)

• naa@si.edu (NAA)
• hsfa@si.edu (HSFA)

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heriatge - rinzlerarchives@si.edu

Smithsonian American Art Museum Slide and Photo Archives - artref@si.edu

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Smithsonian Institution Archives – Ellen Alers osiaref@si.edu

More Smithsonian Contacts for Commercial Licensing of Images

Anacostia Neighborhood Museum : Jennifer Morris morrisj@si.edu

Archives Center : Wendy Shay shayw@si.edu

Archives of American Art: Wendy Hurlock Baker hurlockbakerw@si.edu

Archives of American Gardens: http://www.gardens.si.edu/horticulture/contact.htm

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum : Jill Bloomer bloomerj@si.edu

Freer & Sackler Galleries of Art: Cory Grace gracec@si.edu

Hirshhorn Museum : Amy Snyder snyder@si.edu

National Air and Space Museum Archives: Kate Igoe (still image) igoek@si.edu

National Air and Space Museum Archives: Mark Taylor (moving image) taylormr@si.edu

National Museum of African Art: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/siasc/eepa_nmafa.htm

National Museum of American History: Michael Annan annanm@si.edu

National Museum of the American Indian: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/siasc/nmai.htm Lou Stancari stancaril@si.edu

National Museum of Natural History:

Paleobiology: Raymond Rye ryre@si.edu

North American Mammals: Don Wilson wilsond@si.edu

Global Volcanism Program: Stacia Largen largens@si.edu

Botany: Rusty Russell russellr@si.edu

National Anthropological Archives/Human Studies Film Archives: Daisy Njoku njokud@si.edu

Handbook of American Indians: Joanna Scherer schererj@si.edu

Collections Manager: Carol Butler butlercr@si.edu / Sally Shelton sheltons@si.edu

Human Origins Program: Richard Potts pottsr@si.edu

Geology, Gems, and Minerals: Jeff Post postj@si.edu

Anthropology: Felicia Pickering pickerif@si.edu

National Portrait Gallery: Lizanne Garrett garrettl@si.edu

National Postal Museum : Jim O’Donnell odonnellja@si.edu

National Zoological Park : Sarah Taylor tailors@si.edu / John Gibbons gibbonsjp@si.edu

Smithsonian American Art Museum : Leslie Green greenlg@si.edu / Richard Sorensen rsorenso@si.edu

Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies: Darren Milligan milligand@si.edu / Steve Binns sbinns@si.edu

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center : Kimbra Cutlip cutlipk@si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Archives: Ellen Alers osiaref@si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Books: Kate Antony antonyk@si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Folkways: Margot Nassau nassaum@si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Magazine: Andrea Georgiou georgiou@si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Website: Dennis Hasch haschd@si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Libraries: Erin Rushing rushinge@si.edu

SISP and Contributor’s Series: Debbie Stultz stultzd@si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service: Frederica Adelman adelmanf@si.edu

Smithsonian Photographic Services: photos@si.edu

Revised December 12, 2008