T

he Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden was established in 1974 as a beacon of the art of our time. This year, the museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a series of exhibitions and projects drawn from and inspired by our expansive library collection including Salvatore Scarpitta: Traveler Days of Endless Time, and Speculative Forms, featuring installations that re-examine key moments and figures in modern and contemporary art. Since its inception, the museum's library has provided critical service to the staff and the public. Librarians ensure the availability of books and files on artists in the museum collection, exhibitions, and programs. Researchers, curators, conservators, and the public rely on the Library to supply the most current resources. 

In order to maintain the vitality of our holdings and the highest level of commitment to the public, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library relies on friends and patrons for support. With help from users like you, we can reach new audiences and inspire life-long learning. Your donation will help the Library flourish:

• $50 - purchases an exhibition catalogue for the collection
• $100 - supports the acquisition of a new artist book
• $250 - helps host interns who research access tools for the Hirshhorn Library's content and promote resources through social media

Polly Khater is the Libraries' new Assistant Director for Discovery Services. 

Polly has demonstrated exceptional management in distinctive library positions over the course of her career. Prior to coming to Smithsonian in 2008, Polly was the Director of Technical Services at George Mason University (Fairfax, Va.), where she won an Outstanding Achievement Award in 2003. Previously, she was the head of cataloging and bindery in the Himmelfarb Library at George Washington University Medical Center (Washington, D.C.), Distance Learning Librarian for Booz Allen Hamilton (Tysons Corner, Va.), and adjunct faculty at the School of Library and Information Science at The Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.).

A Pennsylvania native, Polly received her bachelor of arts in English from La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pa.) and a master of library science from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services and Beta Phi Mu, and has served on the ENDUSER Program Planning Committee, the North American Serials Interest Group and the Virginia Library Association.