This collection is comprised of the professional papers of Gordon D. Gibson. The collection contains his correspondence, field notes, research files, museum records, writings, photographs, sound recordings, and maps.The bulk of the collection consists of Gibson's southwestern Africa research. This includes his field notes, film scripts, photographs, sound recordings, and grant proposals he wrote in support of his fieldwork in Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. In addition, the collection contains his research notes, maps, drafts, publications, and papers presented at conferences. While most of his research focused on the Herero and Himba, the collection also contains his research on the Ovambo and Okavango and other southwestern African groups. In the collection is a great deal of photocopies and microfilms of literature on southwestern African ethnic groups, many of which are in Portuguese and German and which he had translated for his files. He was also interested in African material culture, especially Central African headgear. His research on African caps is well-represented in the collection, and includes photos of caps at various museums, source materials, research notes, and textile samples of knots and loop work. Gibson's files as the curator of African ethnology at the National Museum of Natural History also make up a significant portion of the collection. Among these records are his files for the museum's Hall of African Cultures and other African exhibits; his files on the museum's African collections, early donors and collectors of the collections; his personnel files; documents relating to his committee work; department and museum memos; meeting minutes; and his records as head of the Old World Division and acting chair of the department. The collection also documents the efforts to establish the Smithsonian's National Anthropological Film Center, now the Human Studies Film Archives, as well as his work on the planning committee to establish the Museum of Man at the Smithsonian. Memos and minutes relating to the Smithsonian's Center for the Study of Man are also present in the collection. In addition to Gibson's field photos, the collection also contains African photos taken by others. Among these are Herbert Friedmann's photos of Kenya; Hausmann's Libya photos; photos by Ralph Kepler Lewis during the Morden Africa Expedition in Kenya; and photos by Lawrence Marshall, Volkmar Wentzel, Alfred Martin Duggan Cronin, and Father Carlos Estermann. There are also photos of the exhibit cases from the Hall of African Cultures; photos of Smithsonian and non-Smithsonian African artifacts; and copies of photographs he obtained from different archives, including the National Anthropological Archives. Other materials in the collection include his files as film reviews editor for the American Anthropologist during the 1960s and 70s and his activities in different organizations.

These records document the tenure of Jane R. Glaser as Director of the Office of Museum Programs (OMP), 1976-1989. Topics of note include the Kellogg Project and the range of workshops offered to museologists. Videotapes are also included.

This accession consists of files created and maintained by Edward Lifschitz. These records document public education programs in African art, history, and culture. Materials include correspondence and memoranda; workshop and symposium information; contractual agreements; reports; evaluation forms; docent training information; docent newsletters; photographs, negatives, and slides; exhibition materials; and events …

The Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The materials collected here document the planning, production, and execution of the annual Festival, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present) and its predecessor offices (1967-1999). An overview of the entire Festival records group is available here: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.

This accession consists of records which document the tenures of Dave Warren, 1990-1991, and Douglas E. Evelyn, 1991-2005. These records document the role of the Deputy Director in their administrative duties overseeing cultural resources, the George Gustav Heye Center (GGHC), public programs, public relations, and special events. Of particular note are materials …

These records consist of Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) exhibition files, arranged by exhibition. The files contain varying amounts of information, including itineraries, shipping and insurance papers, press releases, lists of items, correspondence with lenders, and occasional photographs.

This accession consists of the records of Roy Sieber, Associate Director for Collections and Research at the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA), from 1983 to 1993. Materials include incoming and outgoing correspondence with other museums, universities, private collectors, and the general public; information pertaining to NMAfA exhibitions, acquisitions, collections management, and …

The Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The materials collected here document the planning, production, and execution of the annual Festival, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present) and its predecessor offices (1967-1999). An overview of the entire Festival records group is available here: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.

This accession consists of materials concerning Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) annual meetings, educational programs, publications, finances, elections, and committees. SPNHC affiliated people documented in the collection include Suzanne MacLaren, Judith Price, Lisa Palmer, Linda Hollenberg, Carolyn L. Rose, and Paisley S. Cato. Particularly well documented …

This accession contains materials pertaining to project funding, including memoranda, vouchers, reports, and balance sheets. Projects are listed by Principal Investigator, Funding Agency and Title. Fund numbers and organization codes are located in Smithsonian Institution Archives control files.