Information

Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Number 97

Connecting. Ideas. Information. You. Winter 2007

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Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Winter 2007

from the director

2

Holiday time is a good time to celebrate accomplishments with an invigorated spirit for moving ahead in 

the new year. The Smithsonian Libraries has much 

to be thankful for. It was a splendid year for development, with SIL receiving over $4,700,000 in 

new funds. Most supports the Biodiversity Heritage 

Library (BHL) digitizing project, which is administered by the Smithsonian Libraries on behalf of the 

BHL Consortium. Other funds support our 

individual branch libraries, general 

acquisitions, preservation and 

technology. We are grateful to 

our Libraries Board members 

and other supporters for 

their kindness and generosity.

We will soon be implementing some new services relating to new styles 

of social networking. Along 

with active wikis, we’ll be 

launching a Libraries blog. 

We are also planning to begin a 

formal process of strategic planning to ensure that we are aligned 

both with the Smithsonian’s goals 

and objectives under our new 

leadership while we continue to 

transform our services.

2008 marks the 40th Anniversary since Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley created the 

Smithsonian Institution Libraries 

as its own administrative unit with a 

Director. It’s the ruby anniversary, so red 

is our color and we have an exciting new theme that will 

begin to appear on all our publications. Many events will 

mark the year, including an exhibition opening, a rededication of the Dibner Library when it reopens, a birthday party, 

a speaker series, and a gala at the Donald W. Reynolds 

Center.

My staff and I wish you all a happy holiday season. See 

you in 2008!

All images/details from the collections of 

Smithsonian Institution Libraries:

Cover, Page 2, 3, 4, 7 and back cover:

 Harper’s Weekly, 1857, 1864, 1869.

Page 2:

 “Fujikawa,” Andō Hiroshige, Tōkaidō

 Gojūsantsugi, (Fifty-three Stations of the 

 Tokaido.)

 Charles Wilkes, Narrative of the United States 

 exploring expedition. During the years 1838, 

 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 5 volumes, atlas,1844.

Page 3:

 Sears Christmas Book, Sears, Roebuck & 

 Company, 1956.

 Elijah H. Burritt, The geography of the 

 heavens, and class book of astronomy; 

 accompanied by a celestial atlas, 1845.

Page 5:

 Owen Jones, Scenes from The Winter’s Tale

 by William Shakespeare,1866.

 Georges Barbier, Journal des Dames et des 

 Modes, 1914.

Page 6:

 “Entry into Jerusalem,” Detail of the center 

 panel of a painted triptych, 17th century,

 from Stanislaw Chojnacki; in collabora

 tion with Carolyn Gossage, Ethiopian icons: 

 catalogue of the collection of the Institute of 

 Ethiopian Studies Addis Ababa University, 2000.

Back cover:

 François Nicolas Martinet, Ornithologie 

 [=Histoire des Oiseaux, Peints dans Tous Leurs 

 Aspects Apparents et Sensibles], 1773-1792.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Winter 2007 3

collections

The Dibner Library facility has been closed, with the collection secured under plastic wrap to safeguard against the work in the ceiling 

of the stacks. Kirsten van der Veen, who usually works in the 

Dibner Library, has been relocated to the Joseph F. Cullman 

3rd Library of Natural History. But together with the staff 

of the Cullman Library, she has been donning hard hat and 

safety shoes to retrieve well over 1,000 books and manuscripts from the Dibner Library stacks for researchers to 

use in the Cullman Library reading room. The work has meant both 

packing boxes of books for transport or hand-carrying them in a 

pinch. 

Staff of 

the American 

History Museum Library 

have fi elded numerous queries over the year. Recently, for example, Chris Cottrill and Mike Hardy 

assisted NMAH curator Peggy Kidwell to verify 

popular culture information related to the 1957 Sputnik satellite launch and a recording of a doo-wop 

song in the NMAH collection, “Hey Maryann,” by 

the group The Sputniks. Peggy had two other Sputnik 

songs she wanted to verify as authentic - Billy Mitchell and the Basie-ites, “Satellite Beep Bop” (1958?), and 

“Rock-Krister, Sputnik Rock and Roll” (ca 1958/1965), by 

the Swedish rock musician Rock-Krister. A web search confi rmed the existence and release date of these songs. F

National Museum of American History Library and Dibner Library 

of the History of Science and Technology Offer Service During Renovation

An illustration of a Dietzgen drawing board from the Libraries’ trade literature collection is included in the new 

publication, Tools of the Imagination: drawing tools and 

technologies from the 18th century to the present.

The book accompanies an exhibition of drafting and drawing instruments at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Library staff Jim Roan and Mary Ann Wilson helped 

researcher Barbara Ahlberg locate materials from the NMAH 

library’s trade lit collection. 
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Winter 2007

giving to the libraries

4

This year’s Libraries’ Spencer Baird Society Dinner, an annual gala designed to increase awareness 

and fi nancial support for the Libraries, guaranteed 

guests a wild time.

The dinner, which was called “An Escape to the 

Wild Side” with Animal Planet television host, Jeff 

Corwin, was held at the Smithsonian Institution’s 

National Zoological Park. Co-Chairs Frank and 

Betty Quirk and Pam Braden ensured that the event 

received excellent ticket sales and underwriting from 

generous sponsors (see list, bottom right.)

Over 200 guests enjoyed a lecture by Corwin 

followed by a leisurely stroll down the Zoo’s Asia 

Trail. As guests stopped to watch the fi shing cats or 

the popular red pandas, they sipped cocktails and 

enjoyed a variety of Asian-themed foods including 

curry dipping sauces, coconut shrimp, beef skewers 

with vegetables and panda shaped cookies.

National Zoological Park Director, John Berry, 

Libraries Director, Nancy E. Gwinn, and Acting 

Library Supporters Enjoy an 

Escape to the Wild Side
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Winter 2007 5

Platinum

Animal Planet

Silver

Pamela J. Braden

Gryphon Technologies

Macro International

Proquest LLC

Bronze

Apex CoVantage

Capital Design

Richard & Suzanne Carroll

Christiana Chiang, 

Charlie Chiang’s Inc.

Hope & John Furth

Brian Heidtke

Supporting

Jose Negron, Avanti Technologies

Edge Research

Barbara & Pete Howton, 

Kingfisher Systems

TRUSCO Capitol Management

Vias Ltd.

Secretary, Cristián Samper, visited with 

guests as they made their way along the trail. 

The evening ended with a silent auction and 

dessert at the Giant Panda House.

The proceeds will be used for the acquisition 

of library materials that support wildlife 

conservation research at the Zoo.

The Libraries gratefully thank the event’s benefi t committee and the 

many volunteers who worked so hard to make the evening a 

fantastic escape to the wild side! F

5

Clockwise from top 

left: 

Jeff Corwin thrills the 

audience with a tale.

The crowd enjoys a 

VIP reception at the 

Cheetah House. 

The Honorable Russell 

E. Train visits with Jeff 

Corwin. 

Smithsonian Acting 

Secretary Cristián 

Samper mingles with 

guests

Photographs by James 

DiLoreto.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Winter 2007

giving to the libraries

6

The Warren M. Robbins Library at the National Museum of African Art 

(NMAFA) is working to increase the size of its new endowment to 

$100,000. Last summer, library staff raised just over $60,000 in honor of 

its 35th anniversary and established the Warren M. Robbins Library Endowment. The fund will help strengthen the fi nancial foundation of the 

library and help preserve and document the written word of Africa’s 

artistic heritage.

Now staff hope to increase the size of the endowment and its annual 

yield in order to purchase more resources and to continue to stay current with new literature in the fi eld. The Warren M. Robbins Library, a 

branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, is used extensively by researchers, curators, artists, and students from all over the world, and enjoys 

the reputation of being a premier library in the fi eld of African art. F

Warren M. Robbins Library Works to Increase Endowment

When Silvio Bedini retired in 1987 from his position of Deputy Director 

of the new National Museum of History and Technology (now the National 

Museum of American History), he stayed on at the Smithsonian with the 

title of Keeper of Rare Books in the Smithsonian Libraries. This was most 

apropos, for Silvio had been the person who shepherded the amazing gift 

to the Institution in 1976 of nearly 10,000 rare volumes and manuscripts 

of science and technology from Bern Dibner and his Burndy Library. With 

his appointment, which provided continuing 

access to the Smithsonian and its libraries, 

Silvio sustained a productive intellectual 

life, publishing volume after volume in 

the history of science and technology. The 

Libraries’ catalog contains 36 entries, 15 of 

which were published after his retirement. 

Silvio faithfully donated every one of his 

volumes to the Libraries and kept in touch 

with staff. The Smithsonian Libraries are 

pleased to establish a fund in his name for 

purchase of library materials in the history 

of science and technology, so that future 

scholars and researchers will continue to 

benefi t from his generous and caring spirit. 

Donations may be sent to Smithsonian 

Institution Libraries, PO Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012, Attention: 

Catherine Fraser. F

Silvio Bedini, 1917-2007
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Information Winter 2007 7

collections

The NMAH trade literature inventory 

team are featuring a “trade-lit of the 

month” item - something found in the 

inventory that merits special attention because it is unusual, appealing, humorous, 

strange or all of the above. Herewith is our 

first entry, penned by Cassie Mancer: 

How does one serve “a tastier-looking deviled crab and 

eliminate the hazard of 

uncleanliness”? Serve it 

in the McKee Glasbake 

Crabshell. These realistically crab-shaped baking and serving vessels 

were part of McKee’s 

“Glasbake” line of heat 

resistant glass ovenware. 

Other sea-life-themed 

Glasbake products included a “Crab Seafood Server” 

in the shape of a lobster and 

the “Seafood Service Set” with 

a fish-shaped seafood server and 

six scallop-shaped “individual baking 

shells” (Stout 1972: 201).

The Glasbake line was introduced 

in 1917 (Stout 1972:22). Items manufactured using the Glasbake material 

also included casseroles, pie plates, 

loaf pans, coffee makers, and other 

kitchenware, in competition with Pyrex (Stout 1972:22). Glasbake baking 

vessels were “guaranteed against 

breakage in oven [due to heat] for 

two years from date of purchase” and 

featured a “Heat-Quick” bottom that 

promoted even cooking. They were 

also designed for storing food in the 

refrigerator.

The Glasbake Crabshell had five 

advantages over natural crab shell: 

size conformity (which ensures even 

baking), “a flatter bottom to prevent toppling”, heat resistance to 

prevent cracking, sanitation, and a 

neat appearance. The advertisement 

includes a recipe for deviled crab 

baked in the Glasbake Crabshells.

Trade-Literature 

of the Month

Sources:

 McKee Glass Co., McKee made us look good—

 McKee Glasbake Crabshell, No Date.

 Sandra McPhee Stout, The Complete Book of 

 McKee Glass, 1972.

In a competitive process, the Smithsonian Institution (SI) 

selected Mary Augusta Thomas, Associate Director for 

Reader Services and Strategic Planning, to be one of the 

eleven inaugural participants in the new Succession Management and Leadership Development Program. Says writer Daniel Friend in the November issue 

of The Torch: “This initiative aims 

to build a deep talent pool within 

SI of potential leaders who can 

manage complex organizations, 

solve problems, delight and 

educate visitors and be careful custodians of our national 

treasures and ecological environment.” Thomas directs the operation of 

the Libraries’ twenty branches and works 

with staff on library planning issues. 

Thomas Selected for Leadership Program
new, ongoing & upcoming in this issue

Happy Anniversary Smithsonian Institution Libraries...

The Libraries will celebrate 40 years of service to researchers and the public in 2008. A year of special 

activities is being planned in conjunction with the Libraries’ 40th anniversary. Stay tuned for details!

Smithsonian Institution Libraries

PO Box 37012 MRC 154

10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW

Washington DC 20013-7012

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

2 From the Director

3, 7 Collections

4 - 6 Giving to the 

 Libraries

From the Digital Library

Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/

INFORMATION is published quarterly to 

inform users and benefactors about 

services, programs and issues affecting the 

Libraries. To be added to the mailing list, or 

to request this publication in a digital 

format, please contact:

Smithsonian Institution Libraries 

Development Office

NHB, 24mz - MRC 154, P.O. Box 37012

Washington DC, 20013-7012

Telephone 202.633.2875

E-mail: libmail@si.edu

Designer/Editor: Elizabeth Periale