"Science Defined by the Hands of a Book Artist" in Smithso- 

 nian magazine (June 1995) and, with its own Web server in- 

 stalled, Libraries' staff began scanning images and marking 

 up text for an electronic version of this exhibition. 



In conjunction with Science and the Artist's Book, Roald 

 Hoffmann, Cornell University's Nobel laureate in chemistry, 

 poet, and author, delivered the 1995 Dibner Library lecture on 

 "Chemistry Imagined" which explored connections between 

 science and art. The lecture was supported by The Dibner 

 Fund. The Libraries presented four public programs of music 

 about balloons writcen between 1890 and 1910, from the collec- 

 tions of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Branch. 

 Performed by the U. S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, the musical 

 programs were presented in con]unction with the Libraries' ex- 

 hibition, Balloons: the Birth of Flight, 1783-1793 which was on 

 display in the Libraries Exhibition Gallery from September 

 through April. Into the Blue: Materials from the National Air 

 and Space Museum Branch, an exhibition in the Library Hall of 

 the Natural History Building where the Libraries' central ad- 

 ministrative offices are located, featured additional ballooning 

 materials from the NASM Branch. It was curated by NASM 

 Branch Librarian Dave Spencer and NASM Reference Librar- 

 ian Paul McCutcheon with the assistance of two interns. 

 Claire Dekle and staff of the Book Conservation Laboratory 

 created the subsequent exhibition for the Library Hall, 

 Nineteenth-century Publishers' Cloth Bindings. 



In August Rare Books and Special Collections in the Smithso- 

 nian Institution Libraries, supported by The Dibner Fund, was 

 published by the Smithsonian Institution Press. This 108- 

 page visual survey of the Libraries' most distinctive and valu- 

 able research materials in a wide sweep of disciplines contains 

 more than 60 images (over forty in color) and is available from 

 the Press and in Museum Shops. 



Despite limited acquisitions funds for book purchases, the 

 Libraries was able to enrich its collections through the gener- 

 osity of donors. Proceeds from the S. Dillon Ripley Library 

 Endowment funded the purchase of over 50 notable books for 

 seventeen of the Libraries' eighteen branches. Other signifi- 

 cant acquisitions came from donations to three memorial 

 funds and from the newly established Wells Endowment 

 Fund in memory of John W. Wells and Ellen B. Wells. More 

 than 100 individuals and many corporations and institutions 

 donated books and other library materials this year. The Li- 

 braries welcomed a maior gift of a microfilm copy ofTrade-a- 

 Plane magazine from TAP Publishing Company, including a 

 printing copy, a user copy, and a cabinet to house the film. 

 Representing the company, Jean Durfee presented the gift of 

 114 reels of microfilm which preserves the run of the magazine 

 from its beginning in 1937. 



Following the departure of the deputy director, head cata- 

 loguer, and several staff during a federal downsizing initiative 

 at the beginning of the year, Director Barbara J. Smith re- 

 organized the Libraries into three divisions, consolidating all 

 technical services departments — cataloging, acquisitions, 

 preservation — and special collections under the Collections 



Management Division. Several economies were achieved by 

 combining Management and Systems into a single division; 

 and the Research Services Division continues to oversee the 

 branch library system that serves users in fourteen locations in 

 the Washington metropolitan area as well as in Cambridge, 

 Massachusetts, New York City, Edgewater, Maryland, and the 

 Republic of Panama. 



The Libraries is currently serving as the host institution to 

 CAPNET (Capitol Area Preservation Network), a regional 

 group of preservation officers and conservators in libraries and 

 archives. The group, which fosters information and resource 

 sharing and plans educational activities, co-sponsored a pro- 

 gram in April with the Library of Congress on emergency pre- 

 paredness and response. Tom Garnett, Systems Department 

 head, was nominated and served as a Fellow for Excellence in 

 Government during 1994-1995. His project was opening the 

 treasures of the Libraries to a wider audience through estab- 

 lishing the Libraries' Web server. Working with an automa- 

 tion project funded by the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, 

 Margaret D'Ambrosio, Cataloguer, went on leave to serve as 

 resource librarian at the Bibliotheca Berenson, the Harvard 

 Center for Renaissance Studies in Fiesole, near Florence, Italy. 

 Libraries' staff presented papers at several association meet- 

 ings, and published articles and reviews in professional jour- 

 nals. The Dibner Library hosted two new SIL/Dibner Library 

 Resident Scholars during the year, thanks to support from 

 The Dibner Fund. Six interns from library schools and col- 

 leges around the country worked in branch libraries and one 

 intern assisted in the Systems Department. This year, the 

 Libraries circulated 243,855 items, processed 51,076 inter- 

 library loan requests, acquired by purchase or gift 19,700 

 books and other library materials, and answered 56,682 

 reference questions. 



Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 



Ira Rubinoff, Director 



During FY 95 the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 

 (STRI), based in the Republic of Panama, continued its efforts 

 to increase our understanding of tropical nature and peoples 

 and to communicate this knowledge internationally. To carry 

 out its mission, STRI operates tropical forest and marine field 

 stations, well-equipped laboratories, a research vessel, and a 

 major tropical sciences library. These facilities support the 

 work of 35 staff scientists and hundreds of visiting researchers 

 and students that in FY 95 came from around the world. 



From October 16-18 STRI scientists and administrators 

 held a retreat on Taboga Island to discuss present issues and 

 future directions. In January 1995 director Ira Rubinoff deliv- 

 ered a "State of STRI" address to all employees in which he re- 

 viewed the Institute's budgetary situation, accomplishments, 



52 



