Fall/Winter 1996 Smithsonian Institution Libraries page 2
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LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

The 150th and the Libraries

Barbara This has been a good year for the Smithsonian. It demonstrated a knack for celebrating in ways that educate as well as commemorate. The Libraries helped.

The Institution's establishment in 1846 is especially interesting from the Libraries' point of view. There was a point early in the discussions of the shape of the Smithsonian that a national library seemed its destiny. A battle royal was waged over this matter, resulting in the firing of the first librarian, resignations by members of the Board of Regents, arguments in Congress, and something of a heyday in the media. The first Secretary won out, but not completely. Secretary Henry saw the Smithsonian as a research institution. The second Secretary, Baird, was more interested in museums. Now we have both.

The library fared less well and it has taken nearly 150 years for the Smithsonian Institution Libraries to come into its own. This progress topped off the sesquicentennial year with a feature in the December issue of American Libraries, the widely circulated journal of the American Library Association. The emergence of the Libraries from relative obscurity to national recognition, and other signs of life, indeed, vigor, shown in the number of places and activities, that included the Libraries this year should assure its place in the Smithsonian for a few years if not 150. The centerpiece of the Libraries' 150th activities is the exhibition, "Smithson to Smithsonian: The Birth of an Institution," which opened in July 1996 in the Libraries' Gallery in the National Museum of American History. It closed there January 10 but will be "re-open" in its online version on the Libraries' Web site http://www.sil.si.edu/exhibits along with an educational package developed for 9th and 10th graders by the Smithsonian's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Web browsers will, in this case, have a history of the Institution at their fingertips for the foreseeable future. A "click" will give you the sound of the "Smithsonian Polka" composed in 1855 by a Washington music teacher.

In the midst of the many reminders on television this year was a feature from the Libraries' Special Collections. The CBS Smithsonian Minute, making viewers aware of Albert Einstein's hand-written responses to a personality questionnaire from about 1950, was shown repeatedly. Three books from the Libraries' Special Collections toured the country in the widely acclaimed exhibition, America's Smithsonian. They are Audubon's Bird's of America, vol. 5 (1839), Quadrupeds of North America, vol. 2 (1854) and Charles Wilkes's Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition, vol. 1 (1838). The fifth in the annual Dibner Library Lecture Series reflected on the future of science and the role publications can play in influencing scientific inquiry. No doubt a topic of general appeal in 2046 when analysis of the impact of science applied to information technology will receive attention as history.

Libraries' staff were visible in the year's celebration presenting lectures as America's Smithsonian visited about the country. Librarians talked about the unique collections we hold in the area of trade/merchandizing/manufacturing. The efforts of many staff permitted the debut of the Libraries' Electronic Editions featuring "Hairpipes in Plains Indian Adornment" http://www.sil.si.edu/elecedn. The Electronic Editions were demonstrated by staff in the Online Smithsonian tent as part of the spectacular event, the 150th Birthday Party on the Mall in August.

Finally, we distributed widely a traditional library memento, a bookmark noting the anniversary of the establishment of the Institution. (Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to us, noting the bookmark, and receive a bookmark in return!)

The Libraries' staff, its important special collections, its digital library efforts, its newly developed fundraising program all bode well for the future of the Libraries. Its many facets, services, collections, and its committed staff assure that the bicentennial celebration will find the Libraries playing a leadership role in the Institution, demonstrating innovations that affect our work, our services, scholarly communication, and research.

Barbara J. Smith Director

American Libraries

The December 1996 issue of American Libraries, magazine of the American Library Association (circulation 53,300) carried a feature article on "Smithsonian Libraries Celebrate Milestone: 150 Years" (pp. 38-41, by Ron Chepesiuk, contributing editor). Director Barbara J. Smith is quoted noting, "Our strength comes from the diverse roles we fulfill," and she commented on the increasing importance of raising funds from outside sources so that the Libraries can move ahead with projects like cataloging the world-renowned trade catalog collection. Others interviewed were curators from two museums, a University of Virginia professor, and Rhoda Ratner, one of the Libraries' department heads. Several photographs of unusual pieces in the Libraries' collections embellished the article, including a 1774 edition of a naturalist's collecting handbook, one of the 20,550 pieces that will be housed in the Libraries' new Natural History Rare Book Library, scheduled to open in the Museum of Natural History in 1998. An adjacent piece in the issue noted the acquisition by the National Museum of American History (NMAH) of an old library card catalog, an American innovation whose time has passed since the advent of online library catalog records. NMAH Branch Reference Librarian Amy Begg is pictured with NMAH curator Peggy Kidwell and Dottie Thompson of the Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, donor of the catalog to the Smithsonian.

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