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Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

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Reach for the Stars With Sally Ride This Thursday

Upcoming program will share recently digitized video of the famous astronaut

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Introducing the #FunnList

A new campaign from Smithsonian Institution Archives highlights the contributions of Black women in science at the Smithsonian

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New Exhibit Uncovers the Raw Materials of Rare Books

Explore the natural elements of centuries-old books with upcoming exhibition and online program

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Meet the Wildflower Artist Who Was a Smithsonian Champion

New book and upcoming program highlight work of artist and naturalist Mary Vaux Walcott

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Meet Serena Katherine “Violet” Dandridge, Suffragist and Scientific Illustrator

The history of Violet Dandridge’s investment in her work as a scientific illustrator and a suffragist, told in her own words, helps us construct a more complete picture of what it meant to many women to pursue careers and basic rights in the early twentieth century.

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A 19th-Century Encyclopedia Gets a Modern Makeover

"Iconographic Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature, and Art" was translated and updated by Spencer Baird, a man who would become the Smithsonian's second Secretary. Much like our very own Institution, it covered topics from art to zoology. Today, a new digital edition helps brings its knowledge to 21st-century viewers.

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Meet the Bamboo Expert Who Rediscovered a Missing Grass

Grass expert Dr. Cleofé E. Calderón worked with the Smithsonian for most of her career. She collected species, published descriptions of rare and unusual plants, and led workshops that helped shape the field of bamboo taxonomy. She also rediscovered a rare grass species not seen by scientists for nearly a century.

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100 Women in Science in Smithsonian History

We recently added Wikidata profiles about 100 women in science, and we need your help to write and strengthen their Wikipedia articles! Join us for our edit-a-thon January 20th at 1 p.m. ET to learn more about these women in science in Smithsonian history. Beginners and experts are welcome.

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A Coffee Break With James Smithson

Ahead of a lecture on James Smithson's science on December 1st, author Steven Turner shares his experience testing the Smithsonian founder's own coffee-making method.

Plate from Conchology, or, The natural history of shells. London :W. Miller,[1811]. (Biodiversity Heritage Library, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives).

Discover the World’s Largest Biodiversity Library

The Biodiversity Heritage Library brings together over 59 million pages of natural history literature for researchers around the world. Learn more about this important resource, based at the Smithsonian.

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