Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), established on August 10, 1846 "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge," is a group of museums and research centers administered by the Government of the United States. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. Originally organized as the "United States National Museum," that name ceased to exist as an administrative entity in 1967. Termed "the nation's attic" for its eclectic holdings of 154 million items, the Institution's nineteen museums, nine research centers, and zoo include historical and architectural landmarks, mostly located in the District of Columbia. Additional
Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series scholarly achievements, and accessions to the collections, began issuing in 1881, with accession and donor information being split off in 1993 as the "Annals of the Smithsonian Institution". The "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge" ceased publication in 1916, followed by the cessation of the "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections" in 1968, and the "Bulletin of the United States National Museum" in 1971. In their place, the Smithsonian Institution began publication of a variety of different series focused on specific areas of scientific or societal study. Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series The Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series is a collection of serial periodical publications