Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) 2015

Anne Van Camp, Director

The Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) is the institutional memory of a unique American cultural resource and a steward of the national collections. In order to ensure institutional accountability and enhance public appreciation of a great national treasure, we are committed to serving the Smithsonian community, scholars, and the general public by: appraising, acquiring, and preserving the records of the Institution and related documentary materials; offering a range of reference, research, and records services; and creating products and services which promote understanding of the Smithsonian and its history. For information on SIA visit http://siarchives.si.edu/.

Institutional History

The Institutional History staff is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the history of the Smithsonian Institution. Historians conduct research, prepare reports, scholarly and popular publications, website resources, educational and public programs, and exhibits, and respond to public and scholarly inquires on the history of the Institution. The Oral History Program supplements existing documentation in the Archives through audio and videotaped interviews with administrative and scholarly staff. The Smithsonian Video History Collection documents the history of American science and technology.

Historians serve as advisors to scholars interested in the history of the Smithsonian, legal history of the Smithsonian, American social and cultural history, history of science, history of women in science, history of museums and oral history, and to interns interested in public history and oral history. For information on Institutional History programs and the history of the Smithsonian, go to http://siarchives.si.edu/history. For detailed information on Smithsonian events, images, legal documents, bibliography and Board of Regents, visit the History of the Smithsonian catalog at www.siris.si.edu.
Archives and Information Management
As the Smithsonian Institution Archives proper, the Archives section serves several major functions. It is a repository for records and papers of historic value about the Smithsonian and the fields of science, art, history, and the humanities, serving as the official memory of the Smithsonian and as a resource for scholars. The Archives team also engages in research and training in the administration of archives and manuscript collections.

The Smithsonian Archives was organized in 1967 to collect, preserve, and make accessible the official records of the Smithsonian. The archival collections document the full range of Smithsonian activities, including American history, art history, science and art related exhibitions, astrophysics, botany, ecology, tropical biology and zoology, and though particularly strong in nineteenth-century American science the team also documents the role the Institution played in twentieth-century astrophysics, biology, museum administration, research, and exhibitions.

The Archives contains a diverse collection of papers, which include Robert Goddard’s early work in rocketry and the papers of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, founder of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, as well as all Smithsonian secretaries. Secretarial records and papers include significant collections for Joseph Henry, Spencer F. Baird, Charles D. Walcott, and Alexander Wetmore, representing such scientific fields as physics, meteorology, ornithology, and paleontology.

The Archives has a number of collections that complement the official records of the Smithsonian concerning expeditions, international expositions, scientists, collectors, professional societies, projects and institutions. It also contains a substantial collection of photographs and small collections of architectural drawings, scientific illustrations, moving images, and sound recordings. It manages the historic photograph negative archives of the Institution, including arranging, describing, making accessible, and preserving the collection.

The Archives sponsors students interested in gaining experience in archival administration. Staff provides guidance and supervision in the full range of archival practices, including accessioning and appraisal, arrangement and description, preservation, and reference services. The Archives also supports research associates, fellows, and interns interested in scholarly research in its holdings in such areas as the history of science, cultural history, the history of art, and museology.

The Smithsonian Archives is open to all researchers. Descriptions of the Archives holdings are available electronically in SIRIS (Smithsonian Institution Research Information System), which is accessible at www.siris.si.edu. Detailed finding aids to collections can be searched on the Archives’ web site at http://siarchives.si.edu/collections. The staff offers research assistance and refers scholars to relevant sources of information elsewhere in the Smithsonian and Washington, D.C.

Collections Care
The Collections Care team provides support within the SIA and to research centers, museums, education and outreach programs, and administrative staff of the Smithsonian Institution in the preservation of analog records in all formats. Its purview includes concerns for the environment and security of archival collections, proper housing and shelving of records, reformatting of selected materials, and training.

Collections Care staff act as liaison to facilities maintenance at the various SIA locations, especially regarding collections areas. It also provides the liaison support for the Smithsonian’s nitrate roll and sheet film collections housed by the Library of Congress.

Collections Care staff expertise is available to any Smithsonian archival unit in need of conservation advice or treatment, offering a full range of preservation services to the Smithsonian archival community. This includes consultation and training and conducting condition survey assessments. The conservators on this team take in archival objects for conservation treatment, which includes examination and documentation, exhibit preparation, cleaning, deacidification, mending, and other stabilization efforts.

The Collections Care team hosts interns and fellows, works with national and international organizations to advance research in the proper preservation of records in all formats, and conducts workshops and other training opportunities.
Digital Services
The Digital Services team addresses the Smithsonian Institution Archives’ digital preservation, digital curation, online collection accessibility and crowdsourcing for cultural heritage. Staff are concentrated into three areas: Electronic Records Program; Web, New Media and Outreach; and Digitization Services.

Through the Electronic Records Program, the staff curates born digital records and preserves objects from a wide variety of formats for permanent retention and enduring access. It assists in the development of records disposition schedules and records appraisals. It contributes to the advancement of digital preservation best practices and technology through a variety of collaborative research projects.

The work of the Web, New Media and Outreach group promotes and enhances the Internet-based accessibility of our collections through websites, blogs, social media and mobile applications. This group works to facilitate both wider and deeper use of our collections by researchers and scholars, as well as inspiring new audiences to learn. Staff also provide leadership to pan-Institutional projects seeking to make the treasures of the Institution available to people all over the world.
The Digitization staff specializes in the digital preservation of textual, still image and video primary source materials. The team hosts interns and works with national and international organizations to advance research and standardization in the proper preservation and retention of digital records. It works with other units to develop strategies, standards and policies for Smithsonian-wide digitization and digital curation, a necessity for the successful retention of our digital cultural heritage.

RESEARCH STAFF

ALERS, Ellen, Archivist. B.A. (1982) St. John’s College, Annapolis; M.A. (2006) Johns Hopkins University. Research specialties: Smithsonian history.

FERRANTE, Riccardo, Information Technology Archivist & Digital Services Program Director. B.S. (1987) Northwestern University. Research specialties: digital archives; digital curation and preservation; crowdsourcing for cultural heritage.

HENSON, Pamela M., Historian. B.A. (1971); M.A. (1975) George Washington University; Ph.D. (1990) University of Maryland. Research specialties: History of the Smithsonian; history of science; history of museums; American Studies; oral history.

KAPSALIS, Effie, Head of Web, New Media and Outreach. B.A. (1993), M.I.D. (2003) University of the Arts. Research specialties: Information Architecture; Social Media Outreach; User Experience Design; Pan-Smithsonian Web Development.

LOCKSHIN, Nora, Senior Conservator. B.F.A. (1992) Rhode Island School of Design; M.L.I.S., with Advanced Certificate in Conservation Studies (2002) University of Texas, Austin. Research specialties: Archive and library preservation and conservation, including: books, paper, photographic and recording media.

PETERS, Tammy L., Chief Archivist. B.A. (1990) Bethel College; M.A. (1994) Purdue University. Research specialties: Smithsonian Institution history.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

CHRISTEN, Catherine A., Research Associate. A.B. (1983) Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges; M.A. (1990), Ph.D. (1995) Johns Hopkins University. Research specialties: Environmental history, especially history of conservation biology, of Smithsonian science (STRI, NZP), and of GIS/remote sensing; Latin American history; oral history.

DANIELS, Brian I., Research Associate. B.A. (2000) , M.A. (2003) San Francisco State University, M.A. (2006), Ph.D. (2012) University of Pennsylvania. Research specialties: nineteenth- and twentieth-century American cultural and intellectual history; history of museums; cultural heritage policy.

EWING, Heather Peale, Research Associate. B.A. (1990) Yale University; M.A. (1998) Courtauld Institute of Art, London. Research specialties: Biography of James Smithson; history of the Smithsonian.

KEINER, Christine, Research Associate. B.A. (1993) McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College); Ph.D. (2001) Johns Hopkins University. Research specialties: History of ecology and environmental politics; history of American science and technology.

LAFOLLETTE, Marcel C., Research Associate. B.S. (1967) Little Rock University; M.S. (1968) Boston University; Ph.D. (1979) Indiana University. Research specialties: History of science communication; history of science popularization; ethics and policy of scientific and academic publishing.

PRUNA GOODGALL, Pedro, Research Associate. M.S. (1967) Moscow State University; Ph.D. (1980) U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences. Research specialties: History of natural history, especially in Cuba; history of biology (systematics and evolution); institutional history of science (Cuba); history of yellow fever.

ROTHENBERG, Marc, Research Associate. B.A. (1970) Villanova University; Ph.D. (1974) Bryn Mawr College. Research specialties: Documentary editing; history of astronomy; American science.

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