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Author: Erin Rushing

Erin Clements Rushing is the Outreach Librarian for Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. She enjoys sharing the Libraries and Archives' treasures with new audiences and telling the stories from the stacks through various outreach efforts. She coordinates social media and the blog (Unbound), plans tours and manages the internship program. She also handles rights and reproductions for library collection images and acts as point person for copyright concerns. Erin holds an M.L.S from the University of Maryland, as well as a B.A. in History and Art History.

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Walt Kelly

Erin Rushing
August 23, 2013
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This post was written by Leslie K. Overstreet, Curator of Natural-History Rare Books.

Walt Kelly, famed field naturalist of the Okeefenokee Swamp, was born on Aug.25, 1913.

He first revealed Okeefenokee’s extraordinary zoological community to the world in 1949.  It included an alligator, turtle, owl, porcupine, skunk, three bats, even worms on occasion, and various others.  Contrary to basic scientific protocols, Kelly tended to personalize, even anthropomorphize, his research subjects: He named them, for example, and published a series of illustrations of their behavior and interactions that ran in newspapers nationwide for decades. 

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Description of adorable new mammal in Smithsonian Research Online!

Erin Rushing
August 21, 2013
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In case you missed the news last week, a Smithsonian scientist has identified a new mammal species, one that is particularly fuzzy and cute. Meet the olinguito!

We are pleased to tell you that the paper describing the species, first published in the open access journal ZooKeys, can be found in the Libraries’ Digital Repository .

Olinguito by Mark Gurney
Olinguito. Photo by Mark Gurney

Continue ReadingDescription of adorable new mammal in Smithsonian Research Online!

Air & Space Library Interns Create Cool New Tools!

Erin Rushing
August 19, 2013
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Air & Space Library Interns Create Cool New Tools!
kariandmaggie
Kari Dalane and Maggie Lisman: Lockheed Martin Interns

Did you know that today, August 19th, is National Aviation Day? This day, the birthday of Orville Wright, was chosen to celebrate flight.  In honor of the day, we’d like to give you a sneak peek at an exciting new project from our National Air and Space Museum Library and introduce you to the two intrepid interns making it possible. This project was generously funded by Lockheed Martin.

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Chilling out with rare books

Erin Rushing
August 2, 2013
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De proprietatibus rerum
De proprietatibus rerum in the Dibner Library

This post was written by Morgan Arronson, intern in the Dibner Library for the History and Science and Technology and Preservation Department.

If you want to stay cool during DC’s hot and humid summer, head to the Smithsonian and find the nearest rare book. Instantly a wave of cool air will rush by. This may sound strange but it works every time.

Here at the Smithsonian’s Dibner Library and the Book Conservation Lab located in Landover, MD, where I’ve been interning for the past six weeks, rare and precious texts are kept in climate controlled environments with humidity and temperature levels set to levels bordering on chilly. Wandering the stacks will give anyone goose bumps—not only because of the cool temperatures but also because of the incredible library materials stored there.

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The Visit of the Steamship Historical Society of America in the Dibner Library

Erin Rushing
July 22, 2013
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This post was written by Lilla Vekerdy, Head of Special Collections.

On June 24, 2013, The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology hosted a group from a national society interested in a special topic, steam vessel navigation. The Steamship Historical Society of America requested a rare book display and presentation following the encouragement of Brent Dibner, who is a Board Member of the association and knows about the Library’s extensive holdings on the subject.  Mr. Dibner is grandson of Dr. Bern Dibner (1897-1988), the founder of the Library.

Continue ReadingThe Visit of the Steamship Historical Society of America in the Dibner Library