Smithsonian Institution 

Summary Proceedings of the Board of Regents 

June 12, 2006

TOURING THE COLLECTIONS

Prior to their regularly scheduled long-term planning meeting, the Regents were led by the 

Secretary on in-depth tours of several Smithsonian collections. Starting at the National Museum 

of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, the Regents were shown the collections care 

program for the military uniforms in the Armed Forces History Collection. During his 

introductory remarks, Museum Director Brent Glass explained that these objects have been the 

subject of a focused treatment program by the Museum. Curator Jennifer Locke Jones then 

demonstrated how uniforms can be preserved under new, optimal conditions as distinct from 

earlier facilities and materials that compromised both the storage and care of the objects. While 

the positive results of the Museum’s initiative were strikingly apparent, it also was evident that 

many other objects in the Museum await the application of similar approaches to address other 

collections care problems. 

At the National Museum of Natural History, Director Cristián Samper greeted the Regents with 

an introduction to the Museum’s extensive collections. Curator of Fishes Lynne Parenti 

conducted a tour of the Museum’s collections in alcohol storage (“wet collections”) and made 

clear the potential danger in the use of this volatile storage medium, especially when housed in a 

public building. The building’s outmoded storage conditions were readily apparent to the 

Regents and demonstrated just one of the many collections care challenges faced by that 

Museum. Conversely, the Museum’s insect collection is housed in state-of-the-art storage 

facilities, which were presented by Curator of Insects Jonathan Coddington. It was noted, 

however, that even with this enhanced collection storage system, the Entomology collections 

have been affected by ongoing reductions in the Museum’s collections care staff. 

OPENING REMARKS

After Executive Committee Chair Sant called the meeting to order, Secretary Small welcomed 

the Regents to the Board’s first long-term planning meeting in modern history devoted to the 

content and management of the Institution’s enormous collections. Ranging in size from more 

than football field–length Saturn V moon rockets to the smallest of insects, the approximately 

137 million objects and specimens in the Smithsonian’s holdings are highly representative of the 

cultural, artistic, and scientific wealth of this nation. Indeed, the intrinsic value of countless 

objects, such as the Star-Spangled Banner or the Wright Brothers’ flyer, would be deemed 

priceless by that very standard. 

Over the past six years the Smithsonian has engaged in a careful examination of issues related to 

the preservation and management of its collections. Its findings were summarized in the Office 
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of Policy and Analysis’s report Concern at the Core, which was published in early 2005, and laid 

the foundation for a strategic approach to better address the present and future care of the 

Institution’s holdings. During this same period, the Smithsonian also participated in the 

nationwide Heritage Health Index, a survey conducted by the Heritage Preservation organization 

with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The results confirmed the 

collections care and storage issues identified in the Smithsonian’s self-assessment. Both studies 

also recognized that proper management of museum collections includes not only the 

conservation and preservation of objects, but also the support of trained staff and modern 

information systems to manage the collections and disseminate the information they possess. 

The Secretary concluded his introductory remarks by noting that the Smithsonian’s building 

maintenance funding shortfall directly impacts the management of the Institution’s collections. 

The Regents then directed their attention to a more in-depth overview of the Institution’s 

extensive holdings. 

SMITHSONIAN COLLECTIONS: PROGRESS AND PLANS

Deputy Secretary Burke presented an illustrated, fact-filled summary of the Institution’s 

collections, including the challenges faced by the Smithsonian. She began her talk by introducing 

Smithsonian National Collections Coordinator Bill Tompkins, who oversees pan-Institutional 

policies and procedures for Smithsonian collections. 

Continuing her remarks, Ms. Burke noted that the Smithsonian’s collections of some 137 million 

objects and specimens comprise the following categories: 

 Art Collections: nearly 325,000 objects in seven museums 

 History Collections: more than 10 million objects in seven units 

 National Museum of Natural History: 126.5 million items 

 Archives: 89,000 cubic feet of archival material 

 Library Collections: 1.5 million volumes, including 40,000 rare books, in 20 

 libraries 

Of these objects and specimens, only approximately 2% of the Institution’s collections are on 

display at any given time. The remainder is stored in over 1.7 million square feet of collections 

storage space in six states and the District of Columbia. Access to those objects, the majority of 

which are housed in the Washington metropolitan area, is essential to the research of staff and 

visiting students, scientists, and historians. 

The careful management and preservation of the Smithsonian’s collections is critical to their 

ongoing access and use. Concern at the Core, the Smithsonian’s internal study, found that 

declining resources to perform basic collections management activities have placed the 

Institution’s collections increasingly at risk. Although collections care is fundamental to the 

health, longevity, and usefulness of the Institution’s holdings, the Smithsonian saw a 17% 

decrease in collections care staff between 1994 and 2003. Notably, the National Museum of 

Natural History, which is responsible for 93% of the Institution’s collections, has witnessed a 
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59% decrease in collections staff, while the National Museum of American History has 

experienced a 51% drop. It is clear that collections cannot receive appropriate care without 

increased support for conservation, preservation assessments, and storage. 

The Heritage Health Index’s nationwide survey of 2004–05, which documented the condition 

and preservation needs of the nation’s cultural heritage, emphasized that Smithsonian collection 

holdings represent a large percentage of the nation’s collections in specific disciplines. The study 

reported that the Institution’s cultural history objects represent 21% of the total national historic 

collections and that its natural science specimens represent 15% of the national scientific 

collections. Alarmingly, the study also found that: 

 77% of Smithsonian collecting units have experienced damage to their 

 collections due to improper storage 

 75% need additional collections storage to safely and appropriately 

 accommodate all collections 

 78% have a significant backlog in cataloguing their collections 

It is important to note, however, that the Institution also has made significant advances in the 

care of its collections over the last decade or more. The Museum Support Center, which opened 

in 1983, now holds over 32 million objects and specimens in its state-of-the-art storage and 

conservation facility in Suitland, Maryland. Similarly, the National Museum of Natural History’s 

entomology collections are now housed in optimum storage conditions that were constructed in 

the 1990s. Completed in 1999, the National Museum of the American Indian’s Cultural 

Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland, now houses approximately 800,000 Native American 

objects and has become the “gold standard” for modern collections storage. Some 1,500 objects, 

including 82 aircraft, are now accessible to the public in the National Air and Space Museum’s 

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which opened in northern Virginia in 2003. The July 2006 

opening of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture will witness the 

debut of two state-of-the-art collections management facilities: the Luce Foundation Center, the 

first visible art storage and study center in Washington, D.C., and the Lunder Conservation 

Center, the first art conservation center that allows permanent behind-the-scenes viewing of the 

process of preservation. 

Another important collections storage undertaking has been the construction of an additional pod 

at the Museum Support Center. Pod 5, which is scheduled to be completed in April 2007, is a 

high-priority safety and security project designed to isolate Smithsonian collections preserved in 

alcohol. These collections presently are stored in six different locations throughout the National 

Museum of Natural History, none of which comply with fire code regulations. 

The Institution also has launched a number of collection initiatives designed to improve the 

stewardship of Smithsonian collections. The first-ever Smithsonian Collections Advisory 

Committee was created in 2005 to assist senior management in establishing Institutional 

priorities for collections. In addition, collections-specific performance metrics were developed 

for senior management and unit directors; the Smithsonian collections management policy was 

revised; and a two-day symposium was held in February 2006 to discuss collections planning 

and set short- and long-term collection goals for each unit. Current Smithsonian collections 

storage space is being inventoried, and units’ collections storage space requirements are being 
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identified. Also, the Smithsonian secured $1 million in its fiscal year 2006 Federal appropriation 

to establish the Collections Care and Preservation Fund, an Institution-wide program to address 

systematically the critical needs in collections care. 

The management and care of the Smithsonian’s collections presents three primary categories of 

need: 

 Collections storage 

 Collections staffing 

 Collections information systems 

In addition to addressing staffing needs, which continue to be impacted by budget cuts, the 

Institution must digitize its collections. Currently, only a quarter of the collections are 

documented in an electronic information system, and only a third of those records are available 

to the public. Addressing such issues requires resources, and to that end Federal and private 

funding will continue to be aggressively sought. A recent example of a successful private 

funding initiative is the $3.6 million grant secured from the Terra Foundation, which will support 

the digitization of the collections of the Archives of American Art. 

An effective strategy for addressing Smithsonian collection challenges is dependent upon a 

coordinated, pan-Institutional approach, as the challenges faced in each category are inextricably 

linked. For example, the Institution is taking a strategic, integrated approach to collections 

development and growth, which has an impact on its collections storage needs. This in turn will 

inform the development of a Smithsonian-wide collections storage plan. Therefore, the 

Institution is addressing its collection challenges by: 

 Establishing short- and long-term priorities, goals, and objectives 

 Addressing systematically the critical needs of collections 

 Continuing to seek Federal and private funds for collections care 

Having laid out the successes and challenges in the care and management of the Smithsonian’s 

collections, the Deputy Secretary advanced the Regents’ meeting into a discussion of potential 

funding sources, noting that raising private sector funds, exploring Federal budget strategies, and 

partnering with sister institutions will help address the Institution’s current and future collections 

needs and challenges. 

REGENTS’ DISCUSSION

The discussion of the management and care of the Smithsonian’s collections especially focused 

on securing the means to address staffing, storage, and information systems challenges. It was 

agreed that appeals for significant increases in Federal appropriations for collections care would 

be fruitless at this time because of the Administration’s continued focus on the war on terror, aid 

to disaster-stricken areas, and closing the Federal budget deficit. The possibility of creating 

partnerships with other collecting agencies of the Federal government also was discussed. The 

Regents concurred that under present circumstances the greatest potential will lie in securing 

donations earmarked for specific, significant issues. The Donald W. Reynolds Center for 
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American Art and Portraiture was cited as a notable example of such a successful development 

initiative. 

ADJOURNMENT 

The Regents concluded this meeting at about 11:45 a.m., after which the Regents held a 30-

minute Executive Session with the Secretary and Deputy Secretary. 

REGENTS’ DINNER AND MONDAY MORNING EVENTS

On Sunday evening, the Regents, senior officers, and their spouses attended a casual dinner in 

the Patrons’ Lounge of the National Museum of the American Indian. As previously noted, on 

Monday morning the Regents embarked on informative tours of select collections at the National 

Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, and the National Museum of Natural 

History. An informal luncheon was offered after the Regents’ productive discussions of the 

challenges faced in the care of the Smithsonian’s collections.