Overview

• Administration
• National Collections Program
• Electronic Records Program
• Institutional History Division
• Archives Division

ADMINISTRATION

The Administrative Division serves and supports the Director, and managers and staffs of all divisions in the full range of administrative and technical services required to implement and facilitate the office's work and to meet laws and regulations governing the Institution and its policies and procedures. Throughout its work, the Division advises on the most appropriate courses of financial and administrative actions to meet office and Institutional program objectives. The Division assists with planning and budget formulation, the execution and monitoring of approved budgets and the maintenance of accounts. It handles personnel, procurement, property management, travel, transportation, facilities management (including leases), security, reports management, and telephone and reception services for OSIA staff and researchers. The Division staff serve as the principal liaison with the Institution's financial management, human resources, procurement, facilities and other administrative and support offices.

During FY1997, the Administrative team provided responsive support to the Office, Institutional staff, and the public. The team was able to meet the goals and objectives of the Office which enabled the staff to accomplish many projects using the least cost method of procurement. The team's efforts resulted in the smooth, efficient, and effective operation of OSIA throughout the year.

NATIONAL COLLECTIONS PROGRAM

The National Collections Program (NCP) promotes Institutional accountability for the national collections through the development of collections management standards in policy and procedures, and through information exchange. The office maintains oversight of and administrative responsibility for the principal directive guiding Smithsonian collections management, SD 600: Collections Management Policy.

Last revised in 1992, the National Collections Program initiated the formal review and revision of SD 600 to ensure that the policy is current and effective. During the review process, NCP staff worked closely with Smithsonian collections management staff and central offices including staff from the Offices of the Provost, General Counsel, Risk and Asset Management, Protection Services, and Inspector General. The reissuance of the revised directive is planned for Fall 1998.

In addition, the staff compiled and published the Institution's annual statistical report, which provides information on collection size, growth, and activity for Smithsonian museums, archives, and libraries. As mandated by SD 600, the office compiled and presented the annual report on deaccessioning to the Smithsonian Secretary and the Board of Regents.

ELECTRONIC RECORDS PROGRAM

Created in 1997, the Electronic Records Program provides guidance to offices within the Smithsonian Institution on the proper management of electronic records, including electronic mail, so as to ensure that all records created by the Smithsonian Institution are properly managed. The Program will develop procedures for appraising, accessioning and preserving those electronic records no longer required by the creating office and accepted for transfer by OSIA. The major accomplishment in the electronic records arena during the year was the issuance of Smithsonian Announcement 97-10, issued on 30 September 1997 that notified all staff that email messages created or received by staff in the course of conducting official business are official records and must be properly managed. Entitled "Email and Record Keeping", the announcement suggests methods for retaining email and identifies who is responsible for ensuring the proper management of these records.

INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY DIVISION

The Institutional History Division continued to devote its efforts to the Sesquicentennial of the Smithsonian Institution during the first quarter of FY1997, preparing a wide range of products and services for the 150th anniversary. Attention then turned to preparing for the bicentennial of the birth of Joseph Henry, the Institution's first Secretary, who was born on 17 December 1797. Efforts for the sesquicentennial and bicentennial ranged from lectures to exhibitions, publications, lecture series, websites, and a greatly increased reference and public inquiry load. Outreach via the World Wide Web was a major focus of activity throughout the year. Outreach efforts included a new Division website and a new brochure. A good deal of the year was also devoted to deinstalling exhibitions, returning loans, and cleaning up after the major effort of the Sesquicentennial. The Division also continued to respond to general inquiries about the history of science, documentary editing, oral history, and videohistory techniques. A highlight of the year was Jennifer A. Nichols joining the staff in March as program assistant.

Oral History Program and Videohistory Program

Historian Pam Henson conducted three interviews with Alan Stone, a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist, who worked for much of his career in the National Museum of Natural History. There were 98 reference requests on the oral history and videohistory collections. Oral history collection entries for the Guide to Smithsonian Archives (1996) were revised and entered in the SIRIS archives catalog available via the World Wide Web.

Program assistant Pilar Somma reviewed the transcript of the Ralph C. Rinzler videohistory interview and prepared a finding aid and index to this interview that documents the career of the founder of the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies.

Somma and Smith College intern Charlotte Sturm audited and summarized 160 hours of interviews of staff and visitors about their reminiscences of the Smithsonian that had been recorded at the 1996 Festival of American Folklife. Based on their detailed logging of the length of each interview, the overall number of hours of tape in our oral history collection was reduced this year. Somma transcribed two of the interviews and prepared ten sessions for contract transcription.

Thirteen audio taped and videotaped interviews from the Oral History Collection were transcribed by an outside vendor, totaling 23.5 hours of tape with 7 interviewees, with most of the work being coordinated by contractor Deborah Wood.

The collection now consists of 817.5 hours of audio and videotaped interviews of 579 individuals, of which 695.5 have been transcribed and 462.5 have been made available for research use. The Processing Procedures Manual was distributed to numerous individuals interested in learning about oral history. The Smithsonian Videohistory Collection Catalog was distributed to a wide range of scholars, producers, and others interested in the collection.

Henson presented several lectures and workshops on oral history at meetings and university classes. She taught a workshop on oral history techniques to the New York City staff of the National Museum of the American Indian, and she worked with the Washington, DC staff to develop an oral history project for use in their opening celebrations. She provided an overview of the OSIA Oral History Program to the Archives and Special Collections Council in March. She provided oral history tutorials to Barbara Watanabe of the NMNH Department of Anthropology, Michelle Gates Moresi of The George Washington University, Anthea Josias of South Africa, and the archivists at the National Geographic Society. She taught a workshop on oral history and the World Wide Web to the Navy History Symposium in June. Oral historians visited from Minnesota, New York and Texas, among others.

Joseph Henry Papers Project

During FY1997, the Project submitted the manuscript for volume 8 of The Papers of Joseph Henry to the Smithsonian Institution Press. This volume documents Henry's life from January 1850 through December 1853. For Henry, being secretary of the Smithsonian meant an abundance of hard, unpleasant work, tempered only by the certitude that he was making a major contribution to international science and American culture. Publication of the volume is scheduled for the Fall of 1998.

Editorial work was begun on volume 9, which covers the years 1854 through 1857. Documented in this volume are Henry's victory over the Smithsonian librarian, Charles Jewett, concerning the relative status of the library at the Smithsonian, and Henry's decision to accept the national collections, assuring that the Smithsonian would become the home of the National Museum.

Fiscal Year 1997 also marked the beginning of the commemoration of the bicentennial of Henry's birth. There were events at a number of scholarly meetings, publications, and other outreach activities. Work was begun on the Henry Papers home page.

The Editor of the Henry Papers Project would like to acknowledge support from the members of the Joint Committee: Herbert Friedman, Charles C. Gillispie, Janice Goldblum, I. Michael Heyman, J. Dennis O'Connor, and Frederick Seitz, Chair. He would also like to thank the members of the Editorial Advisory Board: James R. Fleming, Curtis M. Hinsley, Jr., and Michael J. Lacey. Patrick Hughes provided advice in crucial matters regarding the bicentennial. Finally, the ongoing financial support of the Lounsbery Foundation provided valuable assistance to the Project.

ARCHIVES DIVISION

Fiscal Year 1997 was the first full-year since 1991 that the Archives Division was able to devote its energies toward the administration of the archival program and its core activities without having to use its staff resources for the publication of a repository guide. This is especially evident in the records management area, with the creation of disposition schedules and the destruction of records based on previously written disposal schedules.

Although detailed below, several activities were noteworthy enough, both in their short and long-term implications, to be mentioned here. First, the accessioning of records finally overtook the Division's ability to store the materials, even with the creative manner in which installation of shelving had occurred in the past. By March, an official "records transfer moratorium" was announced for all Smithsonian records, several months after the Archives began observing this policy for non-Smithsonian records and personal papers. At the same time, negotiations were underway with National Underground Storage (NUS) in Boyers, Pennsylvania. Before the end of the year a contract had been written between the Smithsonian and NUS, which would provide storage relief for the Smithsonian Archives and other repositories of the Institution.

Records appraisal criteria was a top priority in the Archives this fiscal year. In 1996, an external committee reviewed the activities of the Archives and issued a final report in July recommending that the Archives Division review its records appraisal policy. Following this recommendation, an appraisal project team consisting of all Division archivists was created. After completing core readings and follow-up discussions, the project team finalized its approach to developing appraisal criteria. The team chose a hybrid combination of functional analysis as its theoretical model coupled with the qualification that records surveys would be carried out in order to apply more rigorous decisions regarding records to be transferred to the Archives. By August, the project team issued its draft report which was made up of two parts: an introduction consisting of a compiled history of the project and the team's method of operation, and the proposed appraisal criteria. A copy of the draft report is available upon request.

In addition, another special project requiring substantial Archives Division input was undertaken this year. In September 1997, Scott Schwartz, Archivist at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, submitted a report entitled, Integrating Automation Technology: A Functional Analysis and Needs Assessment for the Office of Smithsonian Institution Archives. The report reflected an extensive six-month review, directed by Schwartz, of the automated and manual activities of the Office and its desire for improved and fully-integrated automated support. The review process included an extensive analysis of SIA functions, operations, information tools, and services. SIA and IHD staff members served on three project teams consisting of appraisal and acquisition, arrangement and description, and access and preservation. Team members assisted in the functional analysis and needs assessment, providing thoughtful analysis of core archival components, requirements of an automation system(s), and the processes required for providing integrated management of these core functions.

The Archives is able to meet its mandate and carry out the myriad tasks asked of it each year because of its well-trained, professional, and dedicated staff. During FY1997, the Division experienced the loss of some key senior staff members. Associate archivist Susan (Libby) Glenn completed volunteering in October, after retiring from the Archives Division at the end of September 1996. Glenn participated in numerous activities within the Smithsonian Institution Archives during her 18 years of service. She was responsible for accessioning major collections of personal papers and professional organizations and carrying out the archival and records management program in the National Air and Space Museum. In addition, associate archivist Bill Cox was granted a one-year leave of absence for the fiscal year. Cox has been an integral part of the Division since 1975, administering the archival program in the natural sciences, serving as reference supervisor, and often carrying out the backbone of the processing work undertaken in the Division. Both were mainstays of the Archives Division and will be missed in 1998.

Services to Bureaus: Highlights

Despite a moratorium for more than six months of the year, the Archives acquired the following highlighted records this year:

National Air and Space Museum: The Archives transferred records pertaining to the controversial Enola Gay exhibition, including annotated exhibition scripts and cover memoranda for "The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb, and the Onset of the Cold War" and "The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II," photographic materials, exhibition drawings and plans, and visitor comment cards from the exhibition. The Archives also received records of the Museum's Art Department, created in 1976 and dissolved in 1996.

National Museum of African Art: Archives staff appraised and transferred records of Assistant Director for Administration Jean Salan. These records primarily document the Museum's fund-raising activities, and its transfer from independent status to component of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979.

National Museum of American Art: Archives staff acquired numerous accessions from several NMAA offices. Most notable are records of the Curatorial Office that document exhibitions on Man Ray, Joseph Stella, Romaine Brooks, Aaron Siskind, and Jacob Kainen, and the Museum's Registry of New Deal Art dating from 1965-1979. The Archives also received significant transfers from the Office of the Director (Elizabeth Broun, 1989-present), with records dating from 1986-1996, and from the Office of the Deputy Director (Charles J. Robertson, 1986-present), including administrative files and records concerning the development and production of NMAA and Renwick Gallery exhibitions between 1984 and 1996.

National Museum of American History: Archives staff transferred several accessions from Harold D. Langley, Curator Emeritus of Naval History, including correspondence from the Division of Armed Forces History; subject files on flags acquired from Rear Admiral William R. Furlong, and used by Langley for his publication on flags; planning files created by the Naval Division, Department of Armed Forces History for the Hall of Naval History; and exhibition plans for naval artifacts in the Arts and Industries Building as well as the United States National Museum, circa 1912-1965. The Archives also accessioned audio recordings of the Schnitger and Son organ at Zwolle, Holland, and the Mueller organ at Beverwijk, Holland, from the Museum's Division of Musical History.

National Museum of Natural History: The Archives received several accessions from the Office of the Director, documenting Museum administration under Robert S. Hoffman, 1985-1988, Frank H. Talbot, 1988-1994, and Acting Director Donald J. Ortner, 1994-1995. Archives staff transferred records documenting the planning and production of exhibitions for the Thomas M. Evans Special Exhibition Gallery from the Office of Special Exhibits. Exhibitions documented include Magnificent Voyagers, 1985-1986, Crossroads of Continents, 1988, and Seeds of Change, 1992. The Archives also received select scientific illustrations from the Department of Entomology and 35mm transparencies of scientific illustrations rendered by staff artists at the NMNH and artists associated with the Smithsonian Institution, including Robert Ridgway, Mary Agnes Chase, William Henry Holmes, and Mary Vaux Walcott.

National Museum of the American Indian: Archives staff began a major records survey of the Museum's Washington and New York offices, to be completed in FY1998. The Archives also gave records management advice to the Museum's finance department in New York, and transferred records of NMAI Director W. Richard West, Jr.

National Portrait Gallery: Significant transfers from NPG included administrative and exhibition files from Director Alan M. Fern, with dates 1982-1994; records from the Office of Exhibitions pertaining to exhibitions created between 1980 and 1995, including Charles Willson Peale and His World, 1982-1983, On the Air: Pioneers of American Broadcasting, 1988-1989, and Old Hickory: A Life Sketch of Andrew Jackson, 1990-1991; and exhibition files from the Department of Painting and Sculpture, with dates 1966-1995.

Office of the General Counsel: Archives staff conducted extensive research for the development of records disposition schedules for litigation files, and OGC continued a large-scale files retirement, transferring 106 cubic feet of records to the Archives.

Office of the Secretary: The Archives transferred several accretions to the records of the Smithsonian's 150th Anniversary Program, including planning meeting minutes and photographs of exhibitions, events, and staff members involved in the Sesquicentennial celebration in 1996. The Archives also received thirty-two cubic feet of Secretary's files from 1994.

Office of the Under Secretary: The Archives received records of the Under Secretary, 1991-1995, which pertain to the activities of various museums, bureaus, and other major offices within the Institution, including the Latino Task Force and Working Committee, the Asian-American Project, and the Smithsonian 2000 Commission on the Future of the Institution.

Smithsonian Office of Education: Archives staff appraised and assisted with the transfer of both electronic and paper records pertaining to Smithsonian Online, an interactive educational program available on the Internet developed through a cooperative effort between America Online and the Smithsonian Institution.

Smithsonian Press/Smithsonian Productions: Archives staff met with the Smithsonian Productions office to discuss the disposition of approximately 5800 film and video elements relating to Smithsonian museums, bureaus and offices that it had inherited from units and had stored for them. The film and video elements are a combination of film masters, workprints, audio tracks and video masters and dubs resulting from exhibitions and museum-related programs, some dating back to the early 1960s. Smithsonian Productions could no longer afford to absorb the cost of storing these materials for Smithsonian units. The SIA agreed to take over the storage of original and master copies of films and videos of enduring value, and to develop a project to appraise and preserve films prior to their transfer to National Underground Storage.

A complete list of offices which transferred records to the Archives during FY1997 appears in "Appendix C: Sources of Holdings."

Special Collections: Acquisition Highlights

This year the Archives was fortunate to acquire the Wilcomb E. Washburn Papers. Washburn (1925-1997) pursued an active career as a scholar, the greater part of it at the Smithsonian Institution as Acting Curator, Political History Division, National Museum of History and Technology (now National Museum of American History); Chairman, American Studies Department, NMHT; and Director, American Studies Program. His work began with the study of early American history, the history of exploration in North America, and Indian-White relations. His interests expanded to American studies, museums and other cultural institutions, and diversified approaches to historical study. His papers exhibit a lively interest in political and social issues, as present in the wider culture during his career.

Other special collections acquired during the year included the papers of Vernon Orlando Bailey, field naturalist with the Bureau of Biological Survey; the papers of Robert P. Higgins, invertebrate zoologist and authority on the systematics and ecology of crustacea; the papers of John F. Lance, geologist and vertebrate paleontologist; and additions to the papers of S. Dillon Ripley, ornithologist and eighth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

A complete list of collection donors to the Archives during FY1997 appears in "Appendix C: Sources of Holdings."

Arrangement and Description

Arrangement and Description is the process by which archivists impose intellectual control on records and prepare them for use by researchers. This work has traditionally been paper-based. However, during 1997 the Archives was able to convert the contents of its 1996 GUIDE to the Smithsonian Archives into an electronic format. In addition, during 1997 the Archives entered into a contract with the Smithsonian's Folkways Recordings Distribution Center to distribute copies of the published GUIDE to purchasers.

In 1997, the Archives participated in Institutional efforts to test an emerging standard for the retrieval of information across organizational lines. Called the Dublin Core, this standard offered promise as a way of searching across Smithsonian museums and research collections for information on a common topic. Testbed participants included the National Museum of American Art, the Numismatics Collection at NMAH, the Office of Smithsonian Institution Archives, and the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Preliminary findings suggest that Dublin Core fields, with some modifications, present information in an understandable manner regardless of the medium being described or the underlying source of data. Testing continues into FY1998.

The Institutional History Division staff received training in direct cataloging onto the Smithsonian Institution Research and Information System (SIRIS) from staff in the Office of Information Technology. Pam Henson participated in a SIRIS working group on cataloging sound recordings. She also participated in a pilot project to link images to SIRIS entries for its World Wide Web interface.

Staff engaged in several processing projects during 1997, totaling approximately 200 cubic feet of records. Assistant archivist Bruce Kirby, assisted by intern Suzanne Erera, completed processing RU 321, Office of Program Support, National Museum of American Art, Records, 1965-1981 (145.36 cubic feet). Archives technician Terrica Gibson completed processing RU 7476, U.S. Fish Commission (George Brown Goode), Records, 1880-1884 (4.0 cubic feet). Adrien-Alice Hansell, Smith College intern, completed preparation of a "Guide to Expedition Records at SIA, 1878-1918." As in past years, the Archives also benefited from the dedicated work of a number of volunteers. Martin Schein completed processing RU 7453, American Ornithologists' Union, Manuscript files (34.0 cubic feet). Volunteer Jane Livermore continued her work processing RU 7091, Science Service, Records (20.0 cubic feet in FY1997).

Records Management/Records Center Services

The Archives temporarily stores Smithsonian records of transitory value at its Records Center facility. The records are eventually discarded after all legal, fiscal, and administrative requirements for their retention have been met.

During the year, 452 cubic feet (904,000 pages) of records scheduled for further appraisal or for eventual disposal were deposited in the Center. Archives staff discarded approximately 692 cubic feet (1,384,000 pages) of records in accordance with established disposition schedules and procedures. The Archives also disposed of non-Smithsonian records that had been deposited by the Museum Education Roundtable and by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Ninety-one cubic feet of Anacostia Museum records that had been courtesy stored at the records center since 1987 were returned to the Museum in March for inclusion in its newly-established museum archives. In addition, approximately 682 cubic feet (1,364,000 pages) of records were immediately discarded upon transfer or were discarded on-site by offices after receiving approval from the Archives. A complete list of Smithsonian offices which deposited or destroyed records during FY1997 appears in "Appendix D: Records Center Services."

The year was a busy and eventful one for the Archives' records center operation. In addition to handling a significant increase in the volume of records transfers and disposals, the Archives staff redesigned its records center storage facility. In July, the Archives loaned approximately 464 square feet of storage area to the Archives of American Art (AAA), which needed additional space for a two-year, grant-funded processing project. To accommodate the loss of one-third of its storage space at the records center, the Archives staff transferred supplies to another holdings facility, adjusted the location of shelving units, and reinstalled and secured end panels on shelving units. Staff also conducted an exhaustive shelf read at the records center, revising management data as necessary.