Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Vorlage:Refimprove Vorlage:Self-published The Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL) system comprises 20 libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. SIL's holdings include 1.5 million volumes as well as a wide array of digital resources. The collections focus primarily on science, art, history and culture, and museology. SIL is in the process of intensively analyzing its mission and goals in order to best meet the information and knowledge needs of new generations of users, to strengthen research, and to reach through cyberspace those unable to visit the Museums personally. The SIL Catalog is part of the Smithsonian Research Information System (SIRIS) from which one can search 1.89 million records of text, images, video and sound files from across the SI. In 2008, SIL celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Library branches and locations

Most of the Smithsonian's libraries are located in the Washington, DC, area, where most of the Smithsonian Institution's museums and research centers are. Other locations include New York City, Edgewater, Md., and Panama.

Rare book libraries include:

The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology

It contains 35,000 books and 2,000 manuscripts in the history of science and technology. Established in 1976 with a donation from Bern Dibner, the Library is housed in the National Museum of American History, which reopened in 2008 after a major renovation.

The Cullman Library of Natural History

Included are some 10,000 volumes dated pre-1840 in the fields of anthropology and natural sciences.

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  SIL resources support the creation of museum exhibits
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  SIL's main offices are located at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Digital initiatives

These are coordinated by SIL's New Media Office.

The Digital Library

It includes publications, collections and objects such as online exhibits, webcasts, finding aids, digital versions of print editions, bibliographies, etc. The Biodiversity Heritage Library, part of the Encyclopedia of Life, is among some of the most sought-after digital initiatives in which SIL is involved.

Smithsonian 2.0

The SI's Secretary, G. Wayne Clough, has shepherded a pan-institutional initiative to integrate the SI into the Web 2.0 universe. In January 2009, he convened a meeting called Smithsonian 2.0. Leading figures in the fields of internet technologies and social computing gave talks, went on tours of SI facilities, met informally with staff, and offered suggestions for Web 2.0 initiatives that would best contribute to bringing the Smithsonian's programs to a wider audience. Keynote speakers included Bran Ferren, Principal, Applied Minds, Inc.; Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody; George Oates, founder of Flickr Commons, Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired Magazine. Most of the event was webcast.

Some of SIL's already-implemented Web 2.0 initiatives include:

• “Alaska Native Collections” by National Museum of Natural History & National Museum of the American Indian

Members of Indigenous communities collaborate with the Smithsonian Institution and the Anchorage Museum in interpreting and contextualizing artifacts.

• “Arago” by National Postal Museum

Includes a collection and resource on philately and postal operations.

• CHANDRA X-Ray Laboratory Searchable Photo Database

Photos from NASA's flagship mission for X-ray astronomy.

• “Click! Photography Changes Everything” by Smithsonian Photography Initiative

Essays and stories on how photography shapes culture and lives.

• National Museum of Natural History Online Collections

Information about collections and research.

• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Office of Bioinformatics

Access point to all of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's (STRI's) scientific data and information. Includes map/GIS data.

Among other already-implemented initiatives are a blog, Facebook page, Flickr page.

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Fellowships and internships

SIL offers fellowships for historians, librarians, doctoral and post-doctoral scholars wishing to conduct research in the history of science and technology or in areas pertaining to other special collections. Also offered are internships opportunities for students and others.

Grammar

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries Fact Sheet states that the "Smithsonian Libraries, though a plural noun, is consistently followed by a singular verb because it is considered a system of libraries, with individual locations operating under the aegis of a central administration and adhering to a common mission.

External links

• Smithsonian Institution Libraries FAQ
• SIL Catalog
• Smithsonian Institution Libraries New Media Office
• Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board - List of Members, 2009
• Galaxy of Images