conservation
The Hewitt Sisters’ Diaries: Conservation and Digitization Behind-the-Scenes
This post was written by Katie Wagner, Senior Book Conservator, David Holbert, Digital Imaging Specialist, and Jacqueline E. Chapman, Head, Digital Library and Digitization. Learn more about the diaries of the Hewitt Sisters in a previous post by Jennifer Cohlman Bracchi.
The Road to Recovery for a Chinese Sutra
In preparation for a Chinese Object Study Workshop hosted by the National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) in late August, I selected a sutra in the Freer and Sackler Library to illustrate the evolution in printing of Chinese books. The rolled sutra is Baoqieyin Dharani sutra (宝箧印陀罗尼经) and was printed in 975 CE, likely making it the oldest printed item in our library collections.
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Opens “Nature of the Book”
Join us for a virtual tour on Tuesday, November 15th!
The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives presents a new exhibition, “Nature of the Book,” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History November 11. “Nature of the Book” will be on display through March 17, 2024.
#AskAConservator Day Recap
We’re always in awe of our book conservators.
Upcoming Event: Ask a Conservator – Emergency Management
Ask a Conservator: Emergency Management
Wednesday, June 23 at 5 pm ET
How Yellowstone Was Saved by a Teddy Roosevelt Dinner Party and a Fake Photo in a Gun Magazine
A chill rain drizzled over guests arriving at Bamie Roosevelt’s midtown brownstone near the corner of Madison Avenue and East 62nd Street in December 1887. There weren’t many of them, but all had two things in common: they were New York’s most influential and rich social elite, and they all loved hunting big game. All were hand-picked by the h
Join Us for Adopt-A-Book Events in April
Mark your calendar for this year’s Adopt-a-Book events! Join us on April 20th and April 26th, 2022 for a closer look at our collections and the opportunity to support their preservation and acquisition.
Footprints in the Jungle
This book is about the global ecological impacts from the natural resources industries. It contains a collection of papers on topics ranging from the importance of biodiversity to best practices according to industry experts. The book promotes the goals of conservation and sustainable development through collaboration and cooperation. One chapter discusses the Camp Caiman Gold Project in French Guiana. This case study shows how a local community worked with non-government organizations (NGOs) to bring environmental problems to the government.
We Are the Weather Makers
Scientists have named the most recent geological time period the “Anthropocene" (age of humans). A majority of scientists now believe humans are altering various earth system processes—including our weather patterns. This very readable book argues that climate change and global warming affect us all. The book also offers information on how we can participate in solving this problem. Chapter 11 tells the story of the golden toad in the Monteverde cloud forest reserve in Costa Rica.
Golden Eagle Country
This book is a narrative of the author’s 1971-1972 survey of nesting raptors in the eastern Colorado prairie. Species observed included golden eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons. The majority of the book describes the behaviors of these birds in their natural habitats, but it also includes anecdotes involving a few native reptiles, small mammals, and other non-raptor bird species. The author presents an optimistic view of the future of raptor-human interaction with proper conservation methods. The book is beautifully illustrated with drawings by Robert Katona, a self-taught artist.
The Large Game and Natural History of South and South-East Africa
Published in 1875, this book is an account of the hunting experiences of W.H. Drummond during roughly five years between 1867-1872. He camped and lived among local tribal populations of South and Southeast Africa and out where the game animals inhabited, rarely visiting colonial settlements. Rather than a list of numbers and kinds of animals killed, Drummond wanted to engage the reader’s “mind’s eye” with vivid details through his stories and anecdotes.
The Wilderness Hunter
It is no secret that Theodore Roosevelt was an enthusiastic hunter. Here is a quote from the preface of this book, written by Roosevelt himself:
American Big-Game Hunting; the Book of the Boone and Crockett Club
This is the first in a series of books associated with the Boone and Crockett Club, an organization founded by Theodore Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell, and others. The Boone and Crockett Club was dedicated to balancing both the conservation of wildlife and natural resources and the preservation of hunting traditions.