Situated at the center of the world's largest museum complex, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries forms a vital part of the research, exhibition, and educational enterprise of the Institution. Each Smithsonian scholar engages in an individual "voyage of discovery," using the artifacts and specimens of the National Collections in conjunction with the written and illustrated record of the past. The Libraries is uniquely positioned to help visitors understand the continuing vitality of this relationship. Voyages: A Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition introduces visitors to the ways that books and other writings are used by scientists, historians, museum curators, and students.

Today, the Smithsonian Libraries participates in the advancement of science and the arts, just as we have done from the inception of the Institution. Our role vis-à-vis the Institution, the federal government, universities, and the American people has grown, changing to meet the needs of the times. Acting as both public and academic library, as both scholarly resource and general information service, the Libraries offers a galaxy of resources, and the help of informed staff, to anyone via the Internet or in person.

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries unites 22 libraries into one system supported by an online catalog of the combined collections. We maintain publication exchanges with more than 4,000 institutions worldwide that supply Smithsonian scientists and curators with current periodicals, exhibition catalogs, and professional society publications. Through preservation treatments, experts work to save the Smithsonian's 1.5 million printed books and manuscripts for future generations. Skilled catalogers apply new "metadata" rules to make websites as accessible as books on the shelf. Our Imaging Center creates electronic versions of rare books and other distinctive collections, as well as exhibitions and specialized finding aids. The Libraries offers its treasures to the nation through book exhibitions, lectures, special tours, and a well-designed public website. Look for us at www.sil.si.edu.

Voyages: A Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition is the first exhibition that the Libraries has installed outside Washington, D.C. Through Voyages, we begin to share our rich mutual heritage with New York City's residents and visitors. You will find books dating from the 15th century to the present, books bound in vellum and printed on plastic. There are books on insects and flowers, steam engines, and hot-air balloons; books of African art and from mail-order houses; and books about the universe, from the uncharted continents of eras past to the fantastic journeys of Buck Rogers in the 25th century. Exploring these treasures is well worth the journey.

Nancy E. Gwinn
Director
Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Smithsonian Institution Libraries

• Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture Library
• Anthropology Library
• Botany Library
• Central Reference and Loan Services
• Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Library
• The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology
• Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library
• Horticulture Library
• Museum Reference Center
• Museum Support Center Library
• National Air and Space Museum Library
• National Museum of African Art Library
• National Museum of American History Library
• National Museum of the American Indian Library
• National Museum of Natural History Library
• National Postal Museum Library
• National Zoological Park Library
• Natural History Rare Book Library
• Smithsonian American Art Museum / National Portrait Gallery Library
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Library
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Library