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or "Castle" on the National Mall serves as the Institution's headquarters.The
Smithsonian Institution (pronounced ) is an educational and research institute and associated
museum complex, administered and funded by the
government of the United States and by funds from its
Financial endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazine. Most of its facilities are located in Washington, D.C., but its 19 museums, zoo, and eight research centers include sites in New York City, Virginia, Panama, and elsewhere. It has over 142 million items in its collections.
A monthly magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution is also named the
Smithsonian (magazine).
Smithsonian Networks is a new multiplatform network that uses Smithsonian archives and resources to create original HD programming.
History
The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the "increase and diffusion" of knowledge by a bequest to the
United States by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland scientist
James Smithson (
1765–
1829), who had never visited the United States himself. In Smithson's will, he stated that should his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, die without heirs, the Smithson estate would go to the United States for creating an "Establishment for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men". After the nephew died without heirs in 1835, President
Andrew Jackson informed
United States Congress of the bequest, which amounted to 104,960
gold sovereigns, or
United States dollar500,000 ($9,235,277 in 2005 U.S. dollars after inflation).
Eight years later, Congress passed an act establishing the Smithsonian Institution, a hybrid public/private partnership, and the act was signed into law on August 10, 1846 by
James Knox Polk. (
See (Ch. 178, Sec. 1, 9 Stat. 102).) The bill was drafted by
Indiana United States Democratic Party Congressman Robert Dale Owen, a Socialist and son of
Robert Owen, the father of the
cooperative movement.
The Crenellation architecture of the Smithsonian Institution Building on the National Mall has made it known informally as "The Castle". It was built by architect
James Renwick, Jr. and completed in 1855. Many of the Institution's other buildings are historical and architectural landmarks.
Detroit, Michigan philanthropist
Charles Lang Freer's donation of his private collection for Freer Gallery, and funds to build the museum, was among the Smithsonian's first major donations from a private individual.
Though the Smithsonian's first secretary, Joseph Henry, wanted the Institution to be a center for scientific research, before long it became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections.
The voyage of the United States Navy circumnavigated the globe between 1838 and 1842. The United States Exploring Expedition amassed thousands of animal specimens, an herbarium of 50,000 examples, shells and minerals, tropical birds, jars of seawater and ethnographic specimens from the South Pacific. These specimens and artifacts became part of the Smithsonian collections, as did those collected by the military and civilian surveys in the American West, such as the
United States and Mexican Boundary Survey and Pacific Railroad Surveys, which assembled many Native Americans in the United States artifacts as well as natural history specimens.
The Institution became a magnet for natural scientists from 1857 to 1866, who formed a group called the
Megatherium Club.
The asteroid, "
3773 Smithsonian" is named in honor of the Institution.
Administration
The Smithsonian Institution is established as a
Trust (property) instrumentality by act of Congress, and it is functionally and legally a body of the federal government. More than two-thirds of the Smithsonian's workforce of some 6,300 persons are employees of the federal government. The Smithsonian is represented by attorneys from the
United States Department of Justice in litigation, and money judgments against the Smithsonian are also paid out of the federal treasury.
The nominal head of the Institution is the
Chancellor (education), an office which has always been held by the current Chief Justice of the United States. The affairs of the Smithsonian are conducted by its 17-member board of regents, eight members of which constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. Eight of the regents are United States officials: the Vice President of the United States (one of his few official legal duties) and the Chief Justice of the United States, three United States Senators appointed by the Vice President in his capacity as President of the Senate, and three Members of the
U.S. House of Representatives appointed by the
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The remaining nine regents are "persons other than Members of Congress", who are appointed by joint resolution of Congress. Regents are allowed reimbursement for their expenses in connection with attendance at meetings, but their service as regents is uncompensated. The day-to-day operations of the Smithsonian are supervised by a salaried "Secretary" chosen by the board of regents.
Secretaries of the Smithsonian
Joseph Henry,1846–1878
Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1878–1887
Samuel Pierpont Langley, 1887–1906
Charles Doolittle Walcott, 1907–1927
Charles Greeley Abbot, 1928–1944
Alexander Wetmore, 1944–1952
Leonard Carmichael, 1953–1964
Sidney Dillon Ripley, 1964–1984
Robert McCormick Adams, 1984–1994
Ira Michael Heyman, 1994–1999
Lawrence M. Small, 2000–2007
Cristián Samper (Acting Secretary), 2007–
Cristián Samper is the first Latin American to hold the position. Born in Costa Rica, he was raised in Colombia from the age of one. He received his Bachelor's degree in Biology from the
University of the Andes, Colombia in Bogotá and his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is one of the founders of the Von Humboldt Institute in Colombia, and since 2003 has been the director of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
See The Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian museums
and Douglas DC-3 (top and second from top)
Washington, DC
New York, New York
Chantilly, Virginia
In addition, there are many museums that are Smithsonian affiliates.
Smithsonian research centers
The following is a list of Smithsonian research centers, with their affiliated museum in parentheses:
In popular culture
- The Jeffersonian Institute in the television show Bones (TV series) is based on the Smithsonian Institution.
- It is also mentioned in the eighth Star Trek movie, Star Trek: First Contact, where Captain Jean-Luc Picard says he has seen the Phoenix (Star Trek), humanity's first faster-than-light spaceship, in the Smithsonian (the institution presumably having survived to the twenty-fourth century).
Criticism
The Smithsonian Institution has been criticised for strong copyright restrictions Smithsonian Images-Copyright Use of Content from Smithsonian Website imposed on its image collections which overwhelmingly consist of public domain content dating to the 19th century. An image without a Smithsonian watermark and at a resolution suitable for publication requires an expensive licensing fee (unless covered under Fair Use provisions), manual approval by the Smithsonian staff, and the restriction of any further use without permission.
This conflicts with the institution's own policy in a 2005 memo, in which it asserted, "The Smithsonian cannot own copyright in works prepared by Smithsonian employees paid from federal funds", Smithsonian Institution-Office of General Counsel as well as the institution's own charter by the U.S. Congress to "increase and diffuse knowledge."
In April of 2006, the Institution entered into an agreement of "first refusal" rights for its vast
silent film and public domain film archives with
Showtime Networks. Critics contend this agreement effectively gives Showtime control over the film archives, as it requires filmmakers to obtain permission fron the network to use extensive amounts of film footage from the Smithsonian archives.
References
Further reading
- Nina Burleigh, Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum, The Smithsonian, HarperCollins, September 2003, hardcover, 288 pages, ISBN 0-06-000241-7
- {{cite book
| title = The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian
| author = Heather Ewing
| year = 2007
| publisher = [Bloomsbury
| id = ISBN 9780747576532
-->
External links
- Smithsonian Institution webpage
- Smithsonian Education webpage
- Map of the museums from the Smithsonian Institution
- Smithsonian Institution Archives
- The University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center presents The Smithsonian Scientific Series, a publicly accessible digital resource intended to enlighten and interest the general reader. It does not represent an attempt to summarize all science, or even all branches of science on which the Smithsonian can speak with authority. It will, however, acquaint the reader with the organization, history, and activities of the scientific institution which has grown up with the nation and fostered the nation's scientific activities. It is an introduction to the workings and achievements of the scientific method over a large field, and may open doors to some branches of science.
- Smithsonian Networks webpage
- Smithsonian Student Travel, an educational travel partnership.
- The Yale Scientific Magazine's view on Smithsonian Institution's misrepresentation of the important historical facts
- Smithsonian Gem & Mineral Collection
The Smithsonian Rocks
or "Castle" on the
National Mall serves as the Institution's headquarters.The
Smithsonian Institution (pronounced ) is an educational and research institute and associated
museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its
Financial endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazine. Most of its facilities are located in
Washington, D.C., but its 19 museums, zoo, and eight research centers include sites in New York City, Virginia, Panama, and elsewhere. It has over 142 million items in its collections.
A monthly
magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution is also named the
Smithsonian (magazine).
Smithsonian Networks is a new multiplatform network that uses Smithsonian archives and resources to create original HD programming.
History
The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the "increase and diffusion" of knowledge by a bequest to the United States by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland scientist
James Smithson (
1765–1829), who had never visited the United States himself. In Smithson's will, he stated that should his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, die without heirs, the Smithson estate would go to the United States for creating an "Establishment for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men". After the nephew died without heirs in
1835, President Andrew Jackson informed
United States Congress of the bequest, which amounted to 104,960
gold sovereigns, or United States dollar500,000 ($9,235,277 in 2005 U.S. dollars after inflation).
Eight years later, Congress passed an act establishing the Smithsonian Institution, a hybrid public/private partnership, and the act was signed into law on
August 10, 1846 by
James Knox Polk. (
See (Ch. 178, Sec. 1, 9 Stat. 102).) The bill was drafted by
Indiana United States Democratic Party Congressman
Robert Dale Owen, a
Socialist and son of
Robert Owen, the father of the cooperative movement.
The Crenellation architecture of the
Smithsonian Institution Building on the National Mall has made it known informally as "The Castle". It was built by architect James Renwick, Jr. and completed in 1855. Many of the Institution's other buildings are historical and architectural landmarks. Detroit, Michigan philanthropist
Charles Lang Freer's donation of his private collection for Freer Gallery, and funds to build the museum, was among the Smithsonian's first major donations from a private individual.
Though the Smithsonian's first secretary, Joseph Henry, wanted the Institution to be a center for scientific research, before long it became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections.
The voyage of the
United States Navy circumnavigated the globe between 1838 and 1842. The United States Exploring Expedition amassed thousands of animal specimens, an herbarium of 50,000 examples, shells and minerals, tropical birds, jars of seawater and ethnographic specimens from the South Pacific. These specimens and artifacts became part of the Smithsonian collections, as did those collected by the military and civilian surveys in the American West, such as the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey and
Pacific Railroad Surveys, which assembled many Native Americans in the United States artifacts as well as natural history specimens.
The Institution became a magnet for natural scientists from 1857 to 1866, who formed a group called the Megatherium Club.
The asteroid, "3773 Smithsonian" is named in honor of the Institution.
Administration
The Smithsonian Institution is established as a
Trust (property) instrumentality by act of Congress, and it is functionally and legally a body of the federal government. More than two-thirds of the Smithsonian's workforce of some 6,300 persons are employees of the federal government. The Smithsonian is represented by attorneys from the
United States Department of Justice in litigation, and money judgments against the Smithsonian are also paid out of the federal treasury.
The nominal head of the Institution is the
Chancellor (education), an office which has always been held by the current Chief Justice of the United States. The affairs of the Smithsonian are conducted by its 17-member board of regents, eight members of which constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. Eight of the regents are United States officials: the Vice President of the United States (one of his few official legal duties) and the Chief Justice of the United States, three United States Senators appointed by the Vice President in his capacity as President of the Senate, and three Members of the
U.S. House of Representatives appointed by the
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The remaining nine regents are "persons other than Members of Congress", who are appointed by joint resolution of Congress. Regents are allowed reimbursement for their expenses in connection with attendance at meetings, but their service as regents is uncompensated. The day-to-day operations of the Smithsonian are supervised by a salaried "Secretary" chosen by the board of regents.
Secretaries of the Smithsonian
Joseph Henry,1846–1878
Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1878–1887
Samuel Pierpont Langley, 1887–1906
Charles Doolittle Walcott, 1907–1927
Charles Greeley Abbot, 1928–1944
Alexander Wetmore, 1944–1952
Leonard Carmichael, 1953–1964
Sidney Dillon Ripley, 1964–1984
Robert McCormick Adams, 1984–1994
Ira Michael Heyman, 1994–1999
Lawrence M. Small, 2000–2007
Cristián Samper (Acting Secretary), 2007–
Cristián Samper is the first Latin American to hold the position. Born in
Costa Rica, he was raised in
Colombia from the age of one. He received his Bachelor's degree in Biology from the
University of the Andes, Colombia in Bogotá and his Ph.D. from
Harvard University. He is one of the founders of the Von Humboldt Institute in Colombia, and since 2003 has been the director of the National Museum of Natural History in
Washington, D.C.See The Secretaries of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian museums
and Douglas DC-3 (top and second from top)
Washington, DC
New York, New York
- Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
- National Museum of the American Indian's The George Gustav Heye Center
Chantilly, Virginia
In addition, there are many museums that are Smithsonian affiliates.
Smithsonian research centers
The following is a list of Smithsonian research centers, with their affiliated museum in parentheses:
In popular culture
- The Jeffersonian Institute in the television show Bones (TV series) is based on the Smithsonian Institution.
- It is also mentioned in the eighth Star Trek movie, Star Trek: First Contact, where Captain Jean-Luc Picard says he has seen the Phoenix (Star Trek), humanity's first faster-than-light spaceship, in the Smithsonian (the institution presumably having survived to the twenty-fourth century).
Criticism
The Smithsonian Institution has been criticised for strong copyright restrictions Smithsonian Images-Copyright Use of Content from Smithsonian Website imposed on its image collections which overwhelmingly consist of public domain content dating to the 19th century. An image without a Smithsonian watermark and at a resolution suitable for publication requires an expensive licensing fee (unless covered under Fair Use provisions), manual approval by the Smithsonian staff, and the restriction of any further use without permission.
This conflicts with the institution's own policy in a 2005 memo, in which it asserted, "The Smithsonian cannot own copyright in works prepared by Smithsonian employees paid from federal funds", Smithsonian Institution-Office of General Counsel as well as the institution's own charter by the U.S. Congress to "increase and diffuse knowledge."
In April of 2006, the Institution entered into an agreement of "first refusal" rights for its vast silent film and public domain film archives with Showtime Networks. Critics contend this agreement effectively gives Showtime control over the film archives, as it requires filmmakers to obtain permission fron the network to use extensive amounts of film footage from the Smithsonian archives.
References
Further reading
- Nina Burleigh, Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum, The Smithsonian, HarperCollins, September 2003, hardcover, 288 pages, ISBN 0-06-000241-7
- {{cite book
| title = The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian
| author = Heather Ewing
| year = 2007
| publisher = [Bloomsbury
| id = ISBN 9780747576532
-->
External links
- Smithsonian Institution webpage
- Smithsonian Education webpage
- Map of the museums from the Smithsonian Institution
- Smithsonian Institution Archives
- The University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center presents The Smithsonian Scientific Series, a publicly accessible digital resource intended to enlighten and interest the general reader. It does not represent an attempt to summarize all science, or even all branches of science on which the Smithsonian can speak with authority. It will, however, acquaint the reader with the organization, history, and activities of the scientific institution which has grown up with the nation and fostered the nation's scientific activities. It is an introduction to the workings and achievements of the scientific method over a large field, and may open doors to some branches of science.
- Smithsonian Networks webpage
- Smithsonian Student Travel, an educational travel partnership.
- The Yale Scientific Magazine's view on Smithsonian Institution's misrepresentation of the important historical facts
- Smithsonian Gem & Mineral Collection
The Smithsonian Rocks
Smithsonian Institution
Composed of sixteen museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and numerous research facilities in the United States and abroad.
Office of Research Training and Services start
The Office of Research Training and Services (ORTS) has the central management and administrative responsibility for the Institution's programs of research grants ...
Smithsonian Education - Welcome
Education resources and information, lesson plans, field trips, and interactive activities based on Smithsonian museum collections and research.
Smithsonian Institution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Smithsonian Institution (pronounced /smɪθˈsəʊniən/) is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of ...
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History NMNH
Offers a collection of over 124 million objects, displayed on two floors of the museum. Offers a virtual tour, a calendar of events, educational resources, and a directory. Located ...
Flickr: Smithsonian Institution
Welcome to the Smithsonian Institution! The Smithsonian is happy to join the Flickr community. With our initial posting of 900 photographs, we look forward to your tags, comments ...
Flickr: Smithsonian Institution's Photostream
Guest Passes let you share your photos that aren't public. Anyone can see your public photos anytime, whether they're a Flickr member or not. But!
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History is one of the Smithsonian Institution museums located on The Mall in Washington DC.
SIRIS | Smithsonian Institution Research Information System
SIRIS offers an interactive, integrated system applying established national standards to manage, describe, and provide access to research resources held primarily by the ...
Smithsonian Institution Libraries: Make the Dirt Fly!
Title from title screen. Electronic version of an exhibition to commemorate the building of the Panama Canal (1904-1914), the engineers and the people who accomplished the ...
