Smithsonian Libraries

Mary Augusta Thomas Graduates

Deputy Director Mary Augusta Thomas (pictured, center, with Richard Kurin, Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture and Alison McNally, Under Secretary for Finance and Administration) was a graduate of the Inaugural Class of the Smithsonian Leadership Development Program.

The Smithsonian Leadership Development Program was created in 2007 with two major goals in mind: to begin the process of building a leadership pipeline and to grow a strong, committed and innovative pan-Institutional leadership team from across the Smithsonian.

Eleven diverse and highly talented employees were competitively selected to pursue an ambitious program incorporating the best practices in leadership development, and to focus on the unique competencies and leadership attributes required to effectively lead at the Smithsonian.

During the program´s intensive eighteen months, these professionals addressed issues that currently define the Smithsonian - its establishment, collections, research, exhibitions and educational outreach - but with an eye to the future. The inaugural class chose as the theme for their year´s learning, and their subsequent group management projects, a focus on "Partnerships & Collaboration."

Libraries Hosts Kent State Students

On March 24, the Libraries welcomed eighteen Kent State University MLIS graduate students for a one-day tour. After receiving an overview from Assistant Director Martin Kalfatovic, the students broke into groups to investigate two library branches in the National Museum of Natural History. Librarians David Steere and Amy Levin led tours of the Natural History Libraries and the Museum Studies and Reference Libraries, respectively. The students then explored the National Museum of Natural History, some visiting the Feather Identification Laboratory, and others viewing the Rock and Ore Collections. The students finished up their day by either touring the National Museum of American History Library with Librarian Chris Cottrill, or visiting Freer and Sackler Gallery Librarian Mike Smith.

All of the Kent State students are recipients of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Laura Bush 21st Century full tuition scholarship, which is part of a $643,007 grant titled “Youth Services, Librarians and Museums—A New Vision of Learning.” The grant co-directors are Dr. Carolyn S. Brodie, Dr. Greg Byerly and Dr. Yin Zhang. The students will complete their MLIS degree with a specialization in youth services librarianship with an emphasis on the use of museums with children and young adults. —Liz O'Brien

New notable additions to AA/PG library in May

Jackson, Carlos Francisco.  Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte.  Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona, 2009.  225 p. N6538.M4 J25 2009

First used as a derogatory word for the Mexican American community, the term “Chicano” was appropriated by civil rights activists in the late 1960s to describe political and cultural identity. The arts were an important outlet for Chicana/Chicano self-expression and the author views art of Mexican Americans as a representation of living on the border between two cultures and societies. The text follows the growing emergence of a Chicano identity following World War II and a flowering of “Chicanoism” and civil rights activism in the late sixties as exemplified by the grape workers strikes beginning in 1965. The text provides a survey of the art that appeared during that time and continues to produced as the Mexican American identity continues to thrive and develop within our changing nation.

Henderson, Linda Dalrymple.  Reimagining Space: The Park Place Gallery Group in 1960s New York.  Austin, TX: Blanton Museum of Art, 2008. N6535.N5 H46 2008

The Park Place Gallery was the first large-scale cooperative gallery in New York. Operating from 1963 to 1967, co-op artist members included Edwin Ruda, Tamara Melcher, Robert Grosvenor, and Mark di Suvero. Beginning as a gathering place for artists who shared similar aesthetic and social concerns and a love for jazz, the gallery gradually developed into a more formal space for hosting and showcasing artist works. This catalog documents the history of the gallery and also serves as a catalog for an exhibition that includes works by the artists associated with the gallery. A piece from the AA/PG library’s vertical file was included in the exhibition.

Braun-Reinitz, Janet and Jane Weissman.  On the Wall: Four Decades of Community Murals in New York City.  Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2009. ND2638.N4 B63 2009

New York is a city that has a long history of community murals which is documented in this book starting with works from 1968 and progressing through examples up until 2007. The authors provide both a history overview as well as in-depth reviews of many community mural projects along with their place within the cultural history of the city. The book highlights important murals and profiles the artists and sponsors responsible for their creation. Also due to their prominent public display, the interactions between artists and residents are important in the creation of the works, and the authors explore the histories of projects and also the controversies that led to the destruction of several murals.

Goetzmann, William H. and William N. Goetzmann.  The West of the Imagination.  2^nd ed.  Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma, 2009. NX653.W47 G6 2009

Written by the Pulitzer-Prize winner and his son, the first edition of this book (for years out-of-print) became a standard that examined the visual images of the American West including paintings, drawings, photographs, and film. It also served as an accompanying text to a major PBS series. This revised edition contains many new chapters as well as including revisions and new material for the existing chapters. The volume is lavishly illustrated and is provides an engaging survey of depictions of the West.—Doug Litts

Happy Memorial Day

Iowa Seed Co., 29th Annual Catalogue, 1899, Front Cover