Smithsonian Libraries

Learn the Art of Hanji Papermaking with the Smithsonian

Art and Science of Hanji:
  Past and Future of a Papermaking Tradition
  from Jeonju, Korea

Friday, October 3, 2008 6:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
  at the
  Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
  Ring Auditorium
  Independence Avenue at Seventh Street, SW
  Washington, DC

Hanji papermaking, an ancient technique which utilizes the bark of the Korean   mulberry tree, is still employed today to create beautiful textured paper art   and sculpture. We invite you to join the Smithsonian’s Libraries, Asian Cultural History Program and Office of Policy and Analysis to learn more about   this process, its use and conservation. Our speakers will be Paul Michael Taylor, Director of the Asian Cultural History at the Smithsonian, and Hajin Song, Mayor of Jeonju City, Korea.

This program is also sponsored by Office of the Mayor, Jeonju City, Korea and   KI Creative Group and is being held in conjunction with the opening of the new   Hanji Exhibition at KORUS House, 2370 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008.

-ECR

Outreach with the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Their museum may not be open yet, but the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is already reaching out to a national community by holding events such as their "Save Our African American Treasures: A National Collections Initiative" in cities around the US.  The program is a series of one-day events designed to encourage individuals and families to identify, protect and preserve  "family treasures" for future generations.

Saturday, September 13th, was the third event in the series, and was held at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, DC.  It was a full day of classroom presentations on preserving clothing, textiles, photographs, and paper, and also establishing provenance.  There were a number of conservators and curators on hand in the "Hometown Treasures" room for one-on-one review sessions with participants who had brought in up to three items from their personal collections.  Participants brought in all kinds of treasures, including photographs, portraits, letters, bibles, and quilts and met with reviewers for advice on proper care and handling of artifacts or help with identifying exactly what they had.

Eliza Gilligan, a Book Conservator at the Smithsonian Libraries, volunteered at the event in the Hometown Treasures room.  It was a great day of looking at remarkable treasures, including a letter from Toronto, dated April 20, 1865, describing the city's reaction to the news of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  Many of the items that people brought in for review were in very good condition, showing the value and consideration people have placed in their family history. 

James Neal Talks at the Smithsonian

On September 8, Jim Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University, gave a presentation at the Smithsonian Institution titled We Can't Get There From Here: The Intersection of Research Library Aspirations and Copyright Challenges. Jim reminded us that libraries, museums and archives are living in times of revolutionary changes in user expectations, personal computing, digital preservation, open source, open content, push technology, and a huge shift to mobile technology.  Libraries, museums and archives are facing changing roles as Research and Development organizations, publishers, educators, entrepreneurs and policy makers as we incorporate Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 into our services.

James Neal Lecture
Originally uploaded by Smithsonian Libraries

Library Web 2.0 embraces rapid technology development and deployment, perpetual assessment, boundary erosion, and supports the needs of BIG science (massive unstructured data curation, collaboration, extraction, distribution, and simulation). Jim also said these are times for organizational risk taking and new organizational models, and a time to rethink library space planning and identity. As a result we are all feeling anxious, disrupted, and chaotic.

Jim thinks print serials will be a thing of the past within 5 (maybe 10) years and that electronic serials will be the norm.

The last part of Jim's talk dealt with copyright issues, fair use, reproduction rights, ownership, orphan works, open access to government-funded research, and Section 108 Study Group that has dealt with the promotion of fair use in the digital environment, and has tried to foster a competitive and supportive market for scholarly communication and creative work. The Section 108 Study Group began meeting in the spring of 2005 under the sponsorship of the Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program U.S. Copyright Office and looked at how fair use may need to be amended under the impact of digital technologies. The group had representatives from libraries, museums and archives as well as from the music and film industry and university presses and electronic publishers. After three years of meetings, there were areas of agreement and areas where the group could not agree. Jim said to expect more legislative proposals, congressional hearings and a new round of roundtables and public comment. He concluded with “Fair use is not civil disobedience.”

North American Indian Photograpy of Edward Curtis now on Flickr!

Wedding party - Qagyuhl
Originally uploaded by Smithsonian Institution

Check out SIL’s newest contribution to the Smithsonian Commons on Flickr, the Native American Indian Photography of Edward Curtis:

http://flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/sets/72157607176299398/

For more information about the work of Edward Curtis, visit our online exhibit here:
http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Curtis/index.htm