Smithsonian Libraries and Archives / Unbound

Artists Books tour for the 13th Biennial Book Arts Fair and Conference

January 2, 2015

This post was written by Anna Brooke, head of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gallery Library.

We just can’t get enough of art book fairs! Local nonprofit, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, for printmaking, papermaking and book arts, sponsored the 13th Biennial Book Arts Fair and Conference, last month. As one of the DC tours offered to participants, the Hirshhorn Museum Library gave a presentation on our collection of artist’s books. American Art Portrait Gallery Library (AAPG) staff joined the presentation due to the large and enthusiastic response.

Notable Publications from Smithsonian Staff in 2014

Alvin Hutchinson

December 31, 2014

Leave a Comment

Altmetrics donut for the top article for 2014 in Research Online

The digital age of publishing scholarly journals allows a wider variety of methods to evaluate usage and readership than that of traditional print articles. Online activity can be captured for each article almost immediately after publication, including number of times an article is viewed and downloaded or mentioned in online news outlets, twitter, blogs and other social media sites. (For more on altmetrics, see the earlier Unbound post.)

Both a Calendar and a Clock

Alexia MacClain

December 29, 2014

4 Comments

With the New Year fast approaching, we took a look at the Trade Literature Collection to locate catalogs advertising clocks or calendars. As you might guess, there are quite a few catalogs about clocks. But some of these companies didn’t just sell clocks. They sold calendar clocks. One of these companies is the Ithaca Calendar Clock Co.

GIF IT UP Contest Winners Announced

Richard Naples

December 26, 2014

Leave a Comment

Fluttering butterfly from Merian's Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium — Here’s the winning GIF for Nature & Environment.

It was a very pleasant day when yours truly, Richard Naples, was announced as one of the winners of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and Digital New Zealand (DigitalNZ) GIF IT UP contest. My entry, a flittering butterfly adapted from Maria Sibylla Merian’s Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, won in the Nature and Environment category of the recent contest. This international competition to find the best GIFs reusing public domain and openly licensed digital video, images, text and other material was a great way for DPLA and DigitalNZ to show off their amazing collections.

Happy Holidays from Smithsonian Libraries!

Richard Naples

December 24, 2014

Leave a Comment

Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year from the heart of the Smithsonian! We hope the video below expresses the great regard we hold for each of you, the people we serve.

The Fix – Paperwork you can love

Erin Rushing

December 22, 2014

Leave a Comment

This post was written by Vanessa Haight Smith, Head of Preservation Services.

The Book Conservation Lab makes use of hand-made marbled papers in some of our book treatments and projects. Originally used for decorative book covers and endsheets, marbled papers are occasionally replaced during treatments with new handmade papers when the originals are substantially damaged or missing.

Your Support: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Tina Morrison

December 19, 2014

Leave a Comment

The Smithsonian Libraries has something for everyone, and with 20 libraries from NYC to Panama, we are proud to serve as the heart of the Smithsonian. Each day, we have the privilege of interacting with museum staff, scholars, and the public who visit us in person or online to use our collections.