JANUARY 2010
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Note from Director
This month's issue shows the breadth of SIL's interests, from sponsoring
research in information science to appreciation for valuable objects, from
opening a brand new library space for collaboration and study to opening our
collections for fellowship opportunities, and to offering internship
opportunities to young people. We continue to look for ways to increase
knowledge through research and provide valuable work experiences for the
profession. SIL is a busy place as you'll find when you read on.
— Nancy E. Gwinn, Director
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George Oates Researches for SIL
Smithsonian Institution Libraries has
selected Ms. George Oates as a Research Associate with a focus on bibliometric
informatics. Oates, a noted user interface designer on the Flickr
project at Yahoo!, has for the past eighteen months been
the project lead on the OpenLibrary
project of the Internet Archive. A
native of Australia, Oates earned B.A. degrees from the
University of Adelaide and
Flinders University, and a Master of
Information Technology from Royal Melbourne
Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. We welcome Ms. Oates!
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SIL Receives Charles Darwin's Handkerchief
Sandra Herbert, Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland, Baltimore,
and her husband Jim, have donated Charles Darwin's silk embroidered
handkerchief to the Smithsonian Libraries. The handkerchief was given to
Herbert in 2002 by her friend and colleague Peter Gautrey, Assistant Librarian
at the University of Cambridge, who
received it from Lady Nora Barlow, the granddaughter of Charles Darwin (1885-1989). This is one of only three
known remaining handkerchiefs; the other two, which do not bear the embroidery, are in Down House, Darwin's former home and now museum in his honor. The
Libraries featured the handkerchief as part of our exhibition in the National
Museum of Natural History, Darwin's Legacy.
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Natural History Library Reopens
On January 24, the National
Museum of Natural History Library reopened its doors. The new
state-of-the-art library is located on the first floor of the museum, in the
east court. The National Museum of Natural History Library consists of the
Main Location and 15 specialized collections throughout the National Museum of
Natural History building. These collections are located within the Department
of Systematic Biology (Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology, and Vertebrate
Zoology), Mineral Sciences and Paleobiology.
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OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
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Please review our current research and internship opportunities, and spread
the news to colleagues and friends!
The Smithsonian Libraries Director's Office is seeking one (1) unpaid intern
to assist with the photography of Smithsonian library, museum, and research
center spaces. Intern will work closely with Public Affairs staff to develop
professional images which may appear in publications, videos, web sites, and
promotional materials. For more information, click here.
SIL Professional Development internships are paid opportunities at the
Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL) designed for current graduate students
interested in working in research and/or museum libraries. Our projects for
this year are the following: Scientific Publishing and Workflow, Artists'
Books at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Botany Flora Collection
Taxonomic Project, and Foundations for a Knowledge Management System at the
Smithsonian Institution. For more information, click here.
- The Spencer Baird Society Resident Scholar Program: Stipends of $3,500
per month for up to six months are available to support scholarly research in
the Special Collections of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries in
Washington, DC and New York, NY, in an extensive range of subject areas.
- The Dibner Library Resident Scholar Program: Stipends of $3,500 per month
for up to six months are available to support scholarly research using the
history of science and technology rare books and manuscripts at the Dibner
Library of the History of Science and Technology at the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C.
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