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 Institution Archives of the Smithsonian websites. It has also conducted joint research on e-mail record preservation with the Rockefeller Archive Center. The Smithsonian Institution Archives moved into the Capital Gallery Building in August 2006, and has "a state-of-the-art storage facility; a reading room; several special viewing/listening rooms; processing and preservation space; digital imaging and audiovisual processing facilities; an oral history interview studio; and a conservation lab." In March 2012, the Smithsonian Institution Archives became the second Smithsonian unit to become directly involved in Wikipedia through the Wikipedia GLAM-wiki initiative., including appointing the Archives' first Wikipedian in Residence, Sarah Stierch. Smithsonian Institution Archives