TABLE OF CONTENTS Director's View Staff and Associates Administration National Collections Program Institutional History Division Technical Services Division Archives Division Remote Off-Site Storage Project Holdings Use Outreach and Public Programs Professional Activities Appendixes A. SIA Organizational Chart for FY 1999 B. Volume of Holdings Summary C. Chart of Volume Growth D. Sources of Holdings E. Records Center Services F. Reference Service Statistics G. "Research in Progress" Lecture Series H. Publications of SIA Staff and Associates I. Publications Using SIA Holdings List of Abbreviations

FY 1999 was a year of accomplishment despite frustrations. I am enormously proud to note that in spite of major facilities problems and excessive computer downtime, all SI Archives' programs made significant progress. Let me highlight a few of our achievements. We are particularly pleased that 1999 saw Board of Regents approval of "Smithsonian Collections Management Guidelines." This represents a major accomplishment by the National Collections Program (NCP) in its efforts to coordinate the Institution's revision of SD600: Collections Management Policy. Policy issues aside, NCP continued to produce the annual Collection Statistics, and in addition acquired responsibility for two more publications. At the request of the Provost's Office, SIA agreed to publish Collection Highlights, and SI Annals. The Annals were previously the responsibility of Smithsonian Institution Press. The Institutional History Division (IHD) continued its vigorous schedule of publication in both printed and virtual form, seeing in particular the issuance of volume 8 of The Papers of Joseph Henry. This was matched by the productivity of numerous fellows, interns, and contractors whose work supported the Director's development of databases, websites, and scholarly presentations. IHD's usual high rate of productivity continued throughout the year, including the initiation of a new web resource that will offer public access to legal documents relating to the history of the Smithsonian. Structure, standards, and systems dominated the work of the Archives Division through 1999. Faced with a confluence of circumstances and deadlines, Division staff found themselves learning the MARC format, the NOTIS automation system, and authority control at the same time that they were creating a new internal system of series-based description, and overseeing conversion of SIA records to the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System's new platform, HORIZON. As with NCP and IHD, the Archives Division staff performed exceptionally well throughout many challenges and many deadlines. It was the Technical Services Division (TSD), however, and especially TSD's Preservation Team, to whom the greatest challenges were offered. Environmental ills ranging from a major water disaster in our offices to pest infestation in our records created a series of problems to test the wits of the Preservation Team. Computer ills associated with the migration of the entire office to a new version of e-mail, along with Y2K issues and new database designs presented additional challenges for the computer support staff. Through leaks, computer crashes, sewer gas infiltration, and a host of other workplace ills, the staff of Smithsonian Institution Archives nonetheless moved forward. They did so with a cheerfulness and a quality of work that would make any manager proud. Needless to say, I am grateful for their excellence of spirit and service. But enough from me. Please enjoy reading our annual report. Next || Previous Smithsonian Institution Archives || Archives Division Institutional History Division || Joseph Henry Papers Project National Collection Program