Director's Corner 
It has been an exceptional fall season of Libraries events, celebrating authors, history, science and technology. We have been thrilled with the attendance at these events and hope those of you who joined us enjoyed it as much as we did. Watch these pages for more opportunities, such as the annual Dibner Library Lecture described below, this year featuring literature and engineering.
- Nancy E. Gwinn, Director
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BHL Staff and Technical Meeting 2012
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Adopt-a-Book Event Raises $15,000
 The Smithsonian Libraries would like to thank all who attended and supported our first Adopt-a-Book event held at the Smithsonian Castle on Thursday, September 13. Over 25 books were adopted from our Cooper-Hewitt National Design Library, Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library for Natural History and the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology. 
The books were laid out in Schermer Hall, which attendees had to walk through on the way to the food and drink in the Castle Commons.The ambiance was heightened by the presence of an actor portraying Galileo and local McLean High School physics teacher Dean Howarth and his "Living History" class students portraying 17th century male and female scientists, in costume and complete with "cabinets of curiosity" plus experiments to demonstrate.  We had about 170 book lovers sign up for the event ahead of time and another 40 came to the door. We hope to continue this tradition next year! If you would like to acquire or preserve a book for the Smithsonian Libraries, please visit: https://donate.sil.si.edu/v/Adopt-a-book.asp.
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Fifty Attend Steve Berry Writers Workshop
 The Smithsonian Libraries hosted international and New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry for a writer's workshop at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on October 18. The event was part of Berry's History Matters Foundation, which raises funds for historic preservation and conservation projects around the world.
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Steve & Elizabeth Berry
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Berry taught the craft of writing, including story structure, effective dialogue, point of view and his 11 Rules of Writing. The workshop also included a course on The Business of Publishing by Elizabeth Berry, who drew on her work as a literary marketing and sales professional. All proceeds benefited the Rare Books, Special Collections and Preservation Programs at the Smithsonian Libraries.
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The Washington Post Features Smithsonian Libraries
 Guests of our Adopt-a-Book Event were treated to "living history" thanks to a McLean High School teacher and his students! The Post picked up our collaboration with the school in this article. Additionally, Post reporter Donna Peterson recently visited our Book Conservation Lab in Landover, Maryland, and wrote an interesting article about what she discovered.
Eight Notable Authors Attend SIL Dinner
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Authors Christopher Paolini and Charlaine Harris in the Cullman Library.
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The second annual Smithsonian Libraries Authors Dinner took place on September 22. Libraries Board member and author Katherine Neville took charge of organizing the event, which welcomed authors Geraldine Brooks, Charlaine Harris, Tony Horwitz, Christopher Paolini, Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella , Sally Bedell Smith and R. L. Stine.
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Dr. Nancy E. Gwinn with authors Francesca Serritella and Lisa Scottoline.
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The event also included rare book tours of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History by Leslie Overstreet, Curator of Natural History Rare Books.
Upcoming Events & Registration Information
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Dr. Rosalind Williams
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19th Annual Dibner Library Lecture
"Engineering Romance in Late 19th Century Literature"
Featuring Rosalind Williams
November 28, 5:00 p.m.
Smithsonian Institution Castle Building
To RSVP, email SILRSVP@si.edu or call 202.633.7263.
On Wednesday, November 28, the Smithsonian Libraries hosts Bern Dibner Professor of the History of Science and Technology at MIT Rosalind Williams for a talk and reception at the Smithsonian Institution Castle Building.
Jules Verne (1828-1905), William Morris (1834-1896), and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) were all well-known writers of romance in the late 19th century. They were also fascinated by engineering, both as well-informed observers and as lay engineers. This talk will describe this convergence of engineering and romance in their lives and times and reflect upon its implications for our own lives and times.
Williams' new book, Human Empire (University of Chicago Press, forthcoming 2013) surveys the overarching historical event of our time: the rise and triumph of human empire, defined by the dominance of human presence on the planet. The book examines the works and lives of three well-known writers (Jules Verne, William Morris, and Robert Louis Stevenson) to illuminate the event of consciousness at the end of the 19th century, when humans realized that they were close to mapping the entire globe and that the global frontier was closing. Human Empire is about a still unfolding event of consciousness, as grasped by three writers exceptionally successful in conveying its depth and significance.
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