|
Libraries Brings The Lost Bird Project to the Smithsonian
 | |
(L-R): Jonathan Kavalier (Smithsonian Gardens Supervisory Horticulturist), Todd McGrain (Artist), and Susan Frampton (Libraries Program Coordinator) stand next to the newly-installed passenger pigeon sculpture in the Urban Habitat Garden.
|
The Smithsonian Libraries and Smithsonian Gardens present The Lost Bird Project, an exhibit by artist Todd McGrain, March 27 through March 15, 2015. This project recognizes the tragedy of modern extinction by immortalizing North American birds that have been driven to extinction. It features large-scale bronze sculptures of the Carolina parakeet, the Labrador duck, the great auk, the heath hen and the passenger pigeon.
Four of the sculptures are installed in the Enid A. Haupt Garden, a 4.2-acre public rooftop garden between the Smithsonian Castle and Independence Avenue. The fifth sculpture, the passenger pigeon, is installed in the Urban Habitat Garden at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
The Smithsonian Libraries will also present, Once There Were Billions: Vanished Birds of North America, on view at the National Museum of Natural History June 24 through October 2015. The exhibit commemorates the 100th anniversary of Martha the passenger pigeon, the last member of a species that once filled America's skies.
In addition, the Smithsonian Libraries will screen "The Lost Bird Project" documentary at the National Museum of Natural History Nov. 20. It tells the story of the five bird species and follows McGrain's efforts to install his sculptures in locations where the birds were last seen. The film will be followed by a brief talk by the artist and a book signing.
|
|
Meet Shauna!
 Shauna Collier is the founding librarian of the National Museum of African American History and Culture Library. Shauna's new responsibilities include building the library's collection, developing an archival collection and a genealogy program, and providing research, outreach and instructional services and programming.
A Mississippi native, Shauna received her bachelor of arts in marketing from Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss. and a master of information and library studies from the University of Alabama. Her research interests include African American culture, family history, community history and the history of African American education.
|
|
Richard Barden at the Libraries
We were fortunate to have Richard Barden, Manager of Preservation Services at the National Museum of American History, work in the Libraries' Advancement Office for over a month as part of the Smithsonian's Palmer Leadership Development Program. Richard assisted the Advancement team in developing fundraising materials to support conservation. He also helped promote conservation fundraising priorities through social media and the Adopt-a-Book program. Read Richard's blog post on The Importance of Conserving Books here.
|
|
March Advisory Board Meetings
|
Here's your chance to adopt Numbers 
10 screen-printed number designs by Indiana and 10 accompanying poems (one for each number) by Creeley, printed in both English and German. 
The Smithsonian Libraries held our winter Advisory Board meetings at the 
