Tag Archives: Liz OBrien

Meet Tina Muracco!

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Tina Muracco is the new Director of Development for the Libraries. She earned a B.A. in Media Studies from Penn State University and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law. In her new role at the Smithsonian, Tina hopes to educate donors and friends about the Libraries’ treasures and changing needs, collaborate with other Smithsonian units to expand the Libraries’ audience, and raise the necessary funds so that the Libraries can continue its role as a vital resource for people around the world. She is excited to once again fundraise for libraries, and has enjoyed meeting staff at several of our 20 locations.

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Previously, she was a Director of Development at Catholic University of America (CUA), where she focused her efforts on building leadership networks and identifying major gifts for the School of Arts and Sciences. Prior to working for CUA, Tina was the Associate Director of Development for Penn State's University Libraries. At Penn State, Tina successfully secured both cash and planned gifts towards the University Libraries $40 million campaign goal. 

Tina is a cat-lover, and she and her husband Dominick are doting parents to three cats at their home in Alexandria, Va. Since moving to the DC area, Tina has enjoyed exploring the historic homes of Old Town Alexandria and touring the Smithsonian museums. Her next mission is to visit some of Virginia’s wineries. Tina’s hobbies also include collecting vintage cookbooks and traveling.

—Liz O'Brien

Meet Alex Edezhath!

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The Libraries welcomes new library technician Alex Edezhath! Alex’s position is in the original cataloging division. His primary duties included checking in and adding serials, managing the catalog records of serials, and assisting with Smithsonian Research Online.

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Alex was born the youngest of nine children in Kochi, India, and lived there until he graduated from high school. Fluent in both English and his native Malayalam, Alex studied business at Montgomery College before embarking on a 10-year stint in Seattle, Washington, working in interlibrary loan for the University of Washington.

Alex is an avid music fan, with interests in all genres except country and rap (he even likes early medieval music!)  He enjoys cooking Indian and Italian cuisines. Alex’s go-to spots in the DC metro area are restaurants in Dupont Circle and Georgetown, the Shenandoah National Forest, hiking trails in Maryland and Virginia, and the Eastern Shore. His favorite places to travel are to Northern Italy, Northwest U.S. (and western Canada), and the Santa Catalina Islands.

—Liz O'Brien

Meet Gilbert Borrego!

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Gilbert is the new Library Technician for the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) project at Smithsonian Libraries. He is responsible for the identification, preparation, pagination and quality control inspection of material to be digitized for BHL. He also helps to administer and post items for the BHL and the Libraries' Facebook pages.

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Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Gilbert graduated with a Master's degree and a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Stanford University. He has worked as a professional archaeologist, a museum preparator, and most recently as an Interlibrary Loan Supervisor for Virginia Tech. He and his wife, Maura, just moved to Arlington, VA, in August of 2010.

Gilbert enjoys all types of pop culture including movies (especially Sci-Fi and Historical drama), television (football, serials, and comedies, favorite show right now – Community), music (mostly alternative and r&b), and books (constantly switches between fiction and non-fiction). He also likes to travel, both in the U.S. and abroad and still has a long list of sites to visit.

Welcome, Gilbert!

—Liz O'Brien

 

Smithsonian Libraries Converts Digital Publications for E-Readers

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The Libraries, in a continuing partnership with Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, has converted select publications from the Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series to digital formats for use on Kindles, Nooks and other e-readers.

The new electronic formats will bring unprecedented access to a vast research collection. These scholarly publications are offered at no cost, without taking up valuable physical space or facing the threat of becoming out of print.

SCtA-0047From Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology no 47, A chronology of middle Missouri Plains village sites, page 195, Johnson, Craig M., 2007, Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10088/14802

Conversion of scholarly publications into multiple formats supports the educational mission of the Smithsonian Institution to actively contribute to “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Scholarly researchers have moved, along with the rest of readers, more and more toward electronic books and the convenience they offer. Consequently, the Libraries and the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press are pleased to join forces to meet readers “where they live” in order to fulfill the Smithsonian mission and to better serve users. Included in the selection are the complete current run of the Earth Sciences Series and high-impact titles from the both the Botany and Zoology Series.

“The addition of these publications into e-books is a tremendous tool for scientists and the public who will benefit from mobile access to research,” said Smithsonian Librarian Erin Thomas, who is coordinating the project. “Access to this distinguished series has never been so simple.”

Visit Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series publications to see available titles.

—Liz O'Brien

Works of Art by a Master Luthier

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The National Museum of American History Library recently acquired a four volume set entitled Antonius Stradivarius edited by Jost Thone & Jan Rohrmann with text by Alessandra Barabaschi, et al.  A few of the instruments depicted in this work can be found on display at the museum.  This book provides background on these Stradivarius instruments.

Antonio Stradivari was born in Cremona, Italy around 1644.  He was probably apprenticed to the luthier Nicolo Amati and began crafting instruments prior to 1665, though these earlier creations are now lost.  Throughout his career, Stradivari created hundreds of instruments but only 620 are known to us today.  He died in 1737, around age 95.  His reputation as a master luthier and the influence of his instruments as works of art can still be felt every time one of his creations is played.  On display, in the Hall of Musical Instruments at the National Museum of American History, are four superb examples of his work.  Highlighted here are two of them.

The "Greffuhle" Violin, named for a former owner, Vicomte de Greffuhle, was constructed of spruce and maple around 1700 by Stradivari.  The front and back feature an inlay of ivory in a repeating pattern of lozenges and circles.  The sides of the violin are intricately carved and depict scrolling foliage with a rollicking chase scene between leopards and griffins.  This decoration, without the chase scene, can also be seen on the scroll of the violin.  The "Greffuhle" is one of eleven known instruments by Stradivari that are decorated.

Antonius Stradivarius [editors, Jost Thöne & Jan Röhrmann ; text, Alessandra Barabaschi ... et al.]

Jost Thone & Jan Rohrmann, editors; text, Alessandra Barabaschi…et al.  Antonius Stradivarius.  [Cologne]:  Jost Thone Verlag, 2010.  Volume 3, pages 8-9, front and back of the "Greffuhle" Violin.

Antonius Stradivarius / / [editors, Jost Thöne & Jan Röhrmann ; text, Alessandra Barabaschi ... et al.]

Jost Thone & Jan Rohrmann, editors; text, Alessandra Barabaschi…et al.  Antonius Stradivarius.  [Cologne]:  Jost Thone Verlag, 2010.  Volume 3, pages 10-11, sides and scroll of the "Greffuhle" Violin.

The "Servais" Cello, by Stradivari, was crafted in 1701 of spruce and maple and is his only known cello from that year.  This cello has a rich reddish-orange varnish which is pleasing to the eye.  On closer observation, traces of his design drawings can still be observed inside the f-holes.  This cello, highly valued among experts, is a top tier work with striking sound quality.  It is named after Adrien-Francois Servais, a Belgian cellist, who used this cello during his career.  He was known for using the technique of vibrato and was one of the pioneering cellists to utilize the modern end pin.

Antonius Stradivarius [editors, Jost Thöne & Jan Röhrmann ; text, Alessandra Barabaschi ... et al.]

Jost Thone & Jan Rohrmann, editors; text, Alessandra Barabaschi…et al.  Antonius Stradivarius.  [Cologne]:  Jost Thone Verlag, 2010.  Volume 2, pages 134-137, "Servais" Cello.

The "Greffuhle" Violin and "Servais" Cello, both shown in the four volume set, Antonius Stradivarius, were given to the Smithsonian Institution as gifts and can be viewed in the Hall of Musical Instruments at the National Museum of American History.

—Alexia MacClain and Molly Reynolds, photos by Liz O'Brien