retained ics place on the honors list throughout the year. 

 Every month more than 40,000 WWW browsers visit the 

 Libraries' online catalogue and an immediate result of this 

 wider visibility and availability of SIL information has been 

 increased reference queries to the branch libraries via email, 

 mail and telephone. By providing dial-in access to the SIL 

 local area network (Ian) to branches without direct connec- 

 tions and through an efficient set of standardized, lan-based 

 menus for Project Access, Systems staff enabled all 18 branch 

 libraries to offer a complete suite of electronic reference ser- 

 vices to its users. 



The Libraries became a founding member of the 

 Chesapeake Information and Research Library Alliance 

 (CIRLA), with member libraries at the University of 

 Delaware, Howard University, Georgetown University, the 

 University of Maryland College Park, and Johns Hopkins 

 University. The overall goal of the consortium is to enhance 

 education and research at member institutions through col- 

 laborative development of library collection and service 

 programs and expanding use of information technology and 

 expanded access to electronic journals. Among the early 

 achievements of CIRLA was the implementation on July I of 

 an Interlibrary Loan Reciprocity Agreement that provides for 

 priority delivery among members of interlibrary loan 

 materials with no fees charged. A CIRLA task force recom- 

 mended use of software that allows for the direct scanning of 

 text and the digital transmission of the data, and SIL and 

 othet membets will soon install the necessary software to 

 speed the ttansmission of articles. Once in full operation, 

 members will benefit in savings of staff time, speed of trans- 

 mission, and quality of copy. 



To kick off 150th anniversary celebrations, the SIL began 

 distributing souvenir bookmarks in its 18 branches in January. 

 The bookmark design carries an image of an 1883 Edison light 

 bulb and socket teptoduced from the Libraries' renowned 

 Trade Catalogue Collection. The bookmark was offered to the 

 public as a souvenit by SIL staff who did demonstrations of 

 SIL's electronic resources in the "Online Smithsonian" 

 pavilion for the 150th Bitthday Party on the Mall, and also at 

 the "Working at the Smithsonian" compound of the 1996 

 Folklife Festival. Three books from SIL collections are travel- 

 ing with America's Smithsonian on its two-year tour: two 

 volumes by J. J. Audubon, Birds of North America (1839) and 

 Quadrupeds of North America (1854), and a volume of Chatles 

 Wilkes's Narrative oj the United States Exploring Expedition 

 (1838). Libraries' staff participated in the "Voices of Discovery" 

 series which accompanied America's Smithsonian when Rhoda 

 S. Ratner spoke on "Windows on the Products of our Past: 

 Trade Catalogues in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries." CBS 

 filmed one of its "Minutes" with Robin Williams describing an 

 Albert Einstein manuscript in SIL collections. A "Libraries 150th 

 Fund" which brought in $2,615 "3s established to purchase 

 books tot the 18-branch system. Four staff members were named 

 "Unsung Heroes," and two staff members placed in the 150th 

 Anniversary Community Photo Contest. 



In September, SIL honored James Smithson, geologist and 

 Institutional founder, at its annual Dibner Library Lecture 

 when geologist Robert M. Hazen spoke on "Earth Sciences, 

 Unanswered Questions, and the Dibner Legacy." Hazen is re- 

 search scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington's 

 Geophysical Labotatory and Robinson Professor of Earth 

 Sciences at Geotge Mason University. The Dibner Library Lec- 

 tures ate funded by The Dibner Fund. 



In October 1995 SIL held "Library Fair 95," attended by 

 400 visitors. Hands-on demonstrations of large-type screens 

 for users with limited vision were popular as were the preser- 

 vation display and the special collections table. In November 

 SIL hosted a rwo-day Digitizing Symposium for 130 par- 

 ticipants ftom Research Libraries Group member institutions 

 in the United States and the United Kingdom. Nancy E. 

 Gwinn, Assistant Directot, Collections Management, 

 delivered a talk and served as contact, and Tom Garnett, Sys- 

 tems Department head, offered an account of the Libraries' 

 experience in a digital publishing project. Libraries staff also 

 participated in the Technology Showcase of the Museums for 

 the Millennium Symposium in September, presenting a 

 demonstration of SIL's Digital Library Program and online 

 exhibition. 



Mary Marvin Breckinridge Pattetson, friend of the Smith- 

 sonian and founding member of the Women's Committee, 

 pledged a gift of $202,500 ovet three years to underwrite the 

 position of Curatorship of Rare Books in the new Natural His- 

 tory Rare Book Library now under construction in the East 

 Court of the Natural History Building. The gift will provide 

 support for the library while SIL continues its effort to endow 

 it. Other funds raised this year for the Trade Catalogue Collec- 

 tion were a $6,500 pledge from the Lemelson Center to 

 publish a printed Finding Aid for a portion of the sewing 

 machine matetials; and a $10,000 donation from Jaques Ad- 

 miralty Law Firm for additional cataloguing of the collection. 

 Other cash gifts were received to support acquisitions, and 

 784 books were donated by 122 individuals and SIL Gift and 

 Exchange partnets. In addition, 3,252 journal titles are regular- 

 ly received gratis in the Gift and Exchange Program. 



In the Collections Management Division, cataloguing func- 

 tions were consolidated in March when the Libraries ap- 

 pointed Sherry Kelley to the position of head, Cataloguing 

 Services Department. The installation of new powetful com- 

 puters and software supporting a multi-tasking environment 

 promises to improve staff efficiency in cataloguing. Preserva- 

 tion-telated grants supported purchase of 400 protective 

 enclosures and labels for the tare book collection at the 

 Cooper-Hewitt Branch and the acquisition of a stereomicro- 

 scope for the Book Conservation Laboratory. With funds 

 awarded by the Getty Grant Program in fiscal year 1995, staff 

 of Cataloguing Services and the National Museum of African 

 Art Branch began a three-year project to create an online 

 index and finding guide to the literature of African art and 

 culture which will be available online to Intetnet users world 

 wide. The 50,000 records added to SIL's online catalogue will 



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