Quite often scientists are pegged as a very studious and serious group of individuals. In order for serious scientific research to be developed, nurtured and shared, this is a valid assumption. And scientists are very serious about their journals; either as a vehicle for getting their original research out to fellow scientists or in consulting other published material in their discipline (or other disciplines). However, every great now and then you come across evidence of some not-so-serious ‘published’ work that shows an irreverent, tongue-in-cheek side to scientists. I would like to share some examples I found in the Smithsonian Libraries Vertebrate Zoology collections.
Month: June 2013
Inspired by the launch of the Digital Public Library of America, BBC News reporter Jane O’Brien wanted to get the scoop on physical libraries versus digital libraries. Watch her interview more »
Did you know our Digital Library now hosts the Cultural Heritage Library (CHL)? Some things remain the same. You can browse the collection’s subject headings or list of authors to discover the collection, or if you are looking for a particular art, history, or culture book published before 1923, use the search box.
Like books, quilts are symbolic items with patterns that can tell stories. Quilts tell domestic narratives and have been recognized as important historical artifacts. As a result, the Smithsonian’s National Quilt Collection at the National Museum of American History contains hundreds of quilts. However, it might be surprising to hear that the Smithsonian Libraries also hold quilts – or rather, quilt-like books.
With all of our talk about our new Whales exhibit, have we piqued your interest in whale research at the Smithsonian? We certainly hope so! Below, we’ve collected a few handy resources related to our marine mammal friends.
One common problem with the Internet is that hyperlinks become outdated without web page editor awareness. Websites change URLs for a host of reasons and unfortunately when third parties link to them users end up encountering “page not found” and other dead-link errors. For this reason, many academic publishers use a system of unique identifiers for their online content to act as permanent links to articles thereby avoiding these errors.
We’re excited about our new exhibit, “Whales: From Bone to Book”! If you’re in the DC area this summer (perhaps for a free, open to the public, whale symposium?), stop by the National Museum of Natural History and take a look. The exhibit is located on the Ground Floor in the Evans Gallery and will be on display until April of 2014.