| Fall/Winter 1996 | Smithsonian Institution Libraries | page 5 |
The long-awaited construction of the new library, expected to be completed in early 1998, will allow the Libraries to concentrate in a single area its rare books and manuscripts covering all aspects of natural history, many of which are both valuable and irreplaceable. Among the holdings are a major collection of plates by John James Audubon; many exceptional titles in ornithology, botany, mollusks, mammalogy, ichthyology, and the invertebrates; and extensive works depicting early scientific exploration and systematics. A number of books in the collection were donated by Mrs. Patterson herself in previous years, representing decades of careful acquisitions by Mrs. Patterson and her late husband, a State Department diplomat who served in Europe and China among other posts. Many of the rare books -- often objects of beauty in themselves -- also frequently document the Smithsonian's artifact and specimen collections. Acquired primarily for research, rare natural history books are of great interest in public exhibitions, where the museum visitor can see at close range the results of human observation and the working of the artistic hands of the past.
The new library will occupy approximately 3,000 square feet, with provisions for a library stack area, reference desk, staff offices, reading room, workroom, and lockers. The stacks will contain both space-saving compact shelving and specialized conventional shelving for oversized volumes such as those of John James Audubon. The reading room, open to Smithsonian staff and other researchers by appointment, will have study space for at least eight people and will allow for consultation at computer terminals, affording access to the Libraries' online catalogue and other databases and hook-ups for individual portable computers. A workroom will allow a part-time conservation technician to work on stabilization and preservation projects. The library will meet state-of-the-art specifications for environmental preservation.
In making her commitment to support the Curator of Rare Books, Mrs. Patterson has ensured that the new library will benefit from knowledgeable leadership in caring for and enhancing the specialized natural history collections for the use of current and future generations of scholars. Her generosity, following on years of support for other components of the Smithsonian, is most welcome. Mrs. Patterson hopes that others will be inspired by her early gift and come forward to support other needs of the natural history rare book library, including gifts and endowments for preservation, acquisitions, library furnishings and equipment, and public programs.
Gwendolen R. Leighty
Development Officer