Several changes occurred in FY 1998, but perhaps the most obvious was organizational change. We have a slightly new name, moving from Office of Smithsonian Institution Archives to simply Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA). This marks a return to our former title, held until 1993 when the Joseph Henry Papers and the National Collections Program joined SIA. The staff voted for this return, with many feeling that although our newer components are not evident in the title "Smithsonian Institution Archives," the addition of "Office of" failed to solve that problem.

Organizational change marked the Archives Division as well. Rather than continue the practice of having all staff participate in all archival functions, the Division formed into three teams: reference, records management, and arrangement and description. In addition, some Archives staff moved to a newly-formed Technical Services Division which contained the preservation team, the electronic records program, and office-wide computer support services. I am delighted to say that the results of these changes have been positive. Staff productivity and accountability have increased, and with it a willingness to test different methods and approaches to the archival mission. After a year of experimentation, the Archives and Technical Services Divisions voted recently to continue the team arrangement. There are still problems to solve and rough edges to smooth out, but for the short term at least the approach is clearly a success.

Change for the Archives Division is balanced against continuity for the other components of SIA. The National Collections Program continues to work with the Institution's large collections management community, the Office of the General Counsel, the Provost's Office, and others, in revising Smithsonian Directive 600: Collections Management Policy. Undergoing a metamorphosis, SD 600 is moving from a bulky collection of both policy and procedures to a succinct policy issuance supported by an implementation manual.

In December 1997 the Institutional History Division (IHD) culminated a year of multiple anniversary events in celebration of the 200th birthday of Joseph Henry. The Division's achievements, however, extended well beyond commemorative activity. Volume Eight of The Papers of Joseph Henry was submitted to Smithsonian Institution Press; database development in several subject areas continued, special projects for senior administrators were completed, presentations were given, and the IHD website continued to expand. In particular, the "Historic Pictures" site has attracted many visitors. I invite you to browse it and other parts of the SIA website at www.si.edu/archives/.

As always, I am deeply gratified by the quality, dedication, and productivity of the staff of Smithsonian Institution Archives, and congratulate the staff on another fine year. For those receiving this annual report, I invite you to "read all about it."