SECRETARY'S REPORT 15 



The Museum Sei-vice provided assistance to professional groups and 

 individuals visiting the museums of the Institution or planning to do 

 so. Assistance in the form of lectures, answers to inquiries, and 

 specal tours of museum areas was rendered to college and university 

 groups and individuals from the United States and abroad. Mr. 

 Lindsay served as consultant on museum organization and practices to 

 representatives from other museums on several occasions. 



The Audioguide, or radio lecture system, in the Museum of Natural 

 History continued in operation and was used by 39,504 persons. The 

 complete text of the 37 Audioguide lectures was published during the 

 year under the title The Exhibits Speak. In the Museum of History 

 and Technology tape-recorded lectures describing the exhibits were 

 made available to visitors to the First Ladies Hall. This system, using 

 self-contained, battery-powered tape playback machines, is known as 

 Acoustiguide. 



Assistant curator Mrs. Sophy Bumham wrote, produced, and 

 directed a 27-minute, 16-millimeter, color motion picture. The Leaf 

 Thieves. The film shows research activities, field work, and exhibition 

 preparation carried on by the Museum of Natural History, and in- 

 cluded footage exposed in British Guiana during the 1962 Smithsonian 

 Botany-Exhibits Expedition to that area. It is designed to acquaint 

 students with the opportunities for scientific or technical careers in 

 natural history museums. 



The film The Smithsonian's Wlhale, describing the construction of 

 the 92-foot model of a blue whale on exhibit in the Museum of Natural 

 History, was distributed from 10 points across the United States and 

 was shown on television stations in Washington and New York. 

 Prints of this film also were borrowed directly from the Museum 

 Service. This film was selected from films produced by Government 

 agencies for showing at the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. 



The staff docent in zoology, Mrs. Linda Gordon, and the staff docent 

 in anthropology, Mrs. Marjorie Halpin, continued to handle non- 

 technical correspondence from the public on their respective sub- 

 jects ; they provided tours for groups visiting the museum ; lectured 

 before classes visiting the museum ; and prepared information leaflets 

 on exhibition halls, bibliographies, and similar educational materials. 



Special "touch" tours for several groups of blind persons were ar- 

 ranged during the year. Specimens and objects from the reference 

 collections as well as selected portions of the public exhibits were 

 included in the programs arranged for the blind. 



The Urban Service Corps program, under the general direction of 

 Mrs. William Wirtz, held seven sessions at the Smithsonian. Empha- 

 sis was placed on the work of the IMusuem of Natural History, and the 

 programs, designed to stimulate student participation, included lec- 

 tures and tours of its exhibit areas and technical laboratories. At the 



