A table full of adopted books.
The Smithsonian Libraries would like to thank all who attended and supported our first Adopt-a-Book event held at the Smithsonian Castle on Thursday, September 13. Over 25 books were adopted from our Cooper-Hewitt National Design Library, Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library for Natural History, and the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology. Continue reading
On the evening of September 13th, the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute hosted with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries their first Adopt-a-Book Event. In appreciation of their participation, displayed here is a map from the Dibner Library’s collections: Continue reading
–This post was contributed by Allison Brice, American Art and Portrait Gallery Library intern.
I often joke with those who ask me about my academic studies that I am getting a degree in ‘old stuff’. With a major in history and two minors in art history and medieval studies, I must admit that I find anything from the last half-century rather boring. So when my supervisor at the American Art and Portrait Gallery Library told me to go down into the rare books section and find some ‘old stuff’ to put up for our Adopt-a-Book project…well, I was in heaven.
Hi! I am Tatum – the Smithsonian Libraries Office of Advancement summer intern. I am originally from North Carolina (Asheville area) but I recently graduated from a two-year liberal-arts college for women, Cottey College, in Nevada, Missouri. Continue reading
The Libraries recently launched a new donation program, Adopt-a-Book.
Donors also might choose to make an unrestricted gift, and the Libraries will apply where it is needed the most. Acquisitions, conservation, digitization, exhibitions, and research initiatives all represent areas that could benefit from these donations. Any gift through the Adopt-a-book really does make a difference. Another way of adopting a book is by sponsoring a specific title, for which descriptions and images of the books are listed on the web site.
Smithsonian Libraries Adopt-a-Book program expands collections and preserves published masterpieces from previous centuries. When sponsoring an existing treasure, donors can take pride in knowing that they foster the mission of the Smithsonian ”to increase and diffuse knowledge.” Or they can exult in the fact that support will flow to our expert conservation team, who work tirelessly to repair damage and prevent the onset of deterioration that threatens the life spans of our rare, priceless volumes.
—Lilla Vekerdy
Featured item: All the world’s birds: Buffon’s Illustrated natural history general and particular of birds
By George Buffon & François Martinet, with a forward by David Sibley. New York: Rizzoli, 2008. Originally published from 1749 to 1778, Buffon’s Histoire naturelle générale et particulière included 9 volumes on birds, which were re-issued separately with superb hand-colored engravings by Martinet. The Cullman Library holds the complete original work by Buffon and a complete set of Martinet’s illustrations (without the text). This book reproduces all 1008 plates, providing modern scientific names and English translations from Buffon’s text.
