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35 Total pages
17 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, 1889-1890
Fortunately for all concerned, the Department of Insects got the funding it so desperately desired in the 1888–1889 report, and things are going well, according to Honorary Curator Charles Riley in his annual report for 1889–1890. New collections are coming in every month (you will drill down to the details in the monthly reports, appended to the annual one at the beginning of this project) from as far afield as Zanzibar, Australia, and New Zealand. Dive in to this typewritten report with your fellow volunpeers and see how many scientific names you might recognize!
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129 Total pages
34 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, 1891-1892
Charles Riley's reports continue for the years 1891–1892. Even more wonderful new specimens have joined the Smithsonian's collections from across the globe, and special care was taken with the continuing organization and classification of the insect collection, as well as the creation of supplementary illustrations that are highlighted in Riley's introductory report. Join your fellow volunpeers as they dig in!
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98 Total pages
65 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, 1895-1896
In the previous annual report from the United States National Museum Department of Insects, the department reported nearly one hundred accessions of specimens added to its collections. The fiscal year 1896 proved even more fruitful in the quantity and quality of new accessions. It also included the untimely death of Insects' inaugural curator Charles V. Riley (1843-1895), injured in a bicycling accident. Leadership of the department passed to L. O. Howard, Riley's former assistant and fellow founder of the American Association of Economic Entomologists. Please help us transcribe Howard's report and see how the department rallied after this loss.
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3 Total pages
2 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, C. V. Riley's Report, 1881
Charles Valentine Riley (1843-1895) left Britain for America at just seventeen years old. He continued west to Illinois were he became a farm laborer. Four years later he began writing for the agricultural journal "Prairie Farmer" as a reporter and editor of its entomological department. In another four years, Riley was appointed as the State Entomologist of Missouri where, as a leading entomologist, he advocated for research at a national level. In 1878 and 1881, Riley was appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While there, he penned this short report about the U.S. National Museum's insect collections for its Director G. Brown Goode.
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12 Total pages
15 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, C. V. Riley's Report, 1883-1884
Keeping accurate records is essential in any undertaking, museum or otherwise. Determining what is important to document and what is less significant requires expertise, objectivity and often dialog. C. V. Riley, the inaugural curator of the United States National Museum's Department of Insects, had personally contributed a large amount of insects specimens to help establish a collection at the museum. In this curator's annual report, we get an inkling of what this dialog about significance looked like. Join us in transcribing this brief report from 1884 to learn more.
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10 Total pages
10 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, C. V. Riley's Report, January - June 1885
Insects from the United States National Museum had been exhibted at the 1884 World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana. Charles Valentine Riley (1843-1895), curator of the United States National Museum's Department of Insects, includes a note about that effort in his departmental report from 1885. Join us in transcribing this to learn more about this and the working processing the department's accessions in the first half of 1885.
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40 Total pages
16 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, C.V. Riley's Report, 1890-1891
Charles Riley's reports continue for the years 1890–1891. Fascinating new specimens have arrived to join the Smithsonian's collections, and significant developments include rearrangement of specimens to accord with new understanding and classification of insect species (taxonomy being an evolving science then and now), with particular emphasis on accommodating outside researchers. Join your fellow volunpeers and help us bring these helpful resources to light!
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234 Total pages
90 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates
In the early years of the United States National Museum, opened to the public in 1881, one focus was to continue acquiring and processing marine invertebrate specimens to form a comprehensive collection from which to gain greater understanding and to share that with researchers and the public. The Department of Marine Invertebrates was led by Richard Rathbun (1852 - 1918), a zoologist who joined the Smithsonian in 1974 as part of its U.S. Fish Commission. A bout of yellow fever contracted while on expedition in 1877 did little to deter him from the work to expand our understanding of these animals and making it possible for others to use this collection in their own research. Join other transcription volunteers to help us make the first four years of the Department's annual reports more accessible to researchers, scholars and learners everywhere.
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USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Annual Report 1881
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USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Annual Report 1882
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USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Annual Report 1884
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USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Semi-Annual Reports, January - June 1885
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112 Total pages
42 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Annual and Monthly Reports 1890-1891
It is easy to imagine that the Smithsonian sprang into being fully formed, with all its constituent museums, departments, and offices existing from the beginning exactly as they are now. Our volunpeers will certainly know that this is not the case—the Smithsonian's humble beginnings belie its growth into the largest museum complex in the world—and the Archives contains the story of that development. In this project, curator Richard Rathbun's handwritten notes for his reports describe the evolution of his department and their premises within the national museum. Dig in to see what you can learn!
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146 Total pages
63 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Annual Report 1885-1886
What kinds of marine life might you find in the waters of the Grand Banks in Newfoundland, or two and a half miles under the sea in deeper water? The steamer USFC Albatross sailed almost the length of North America's eastern seaboard in 1885 and early 1886 gathering samples of fish, invertebrates and other sea life. This including dredging the sea floor off the Georgia coast and in the Bahamas. All together, roughly 1,900 packages of specimens sent to the United States National Museum over the course of a year's time. Curator Richard Rathbun (1852-1918) and his small staff were tasked with sifting through this bounty and determining which marine invertebrates should be added to the national collection. Join in the transcription of his annual report and learn how Rathbun handled this contribution, twice the amount of what his department received the previous year!
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81 Total pages
28 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Annual Report 1886-1887
How do you go about organizing specimens in a collection? In his 1887 annual report to the Director of the United States National Museum, curator Richard Rathbun relates the highlights of his department's activities, including "working up the collections of Corals, Starfishes and Copepods." Interested in diving in with other volunteers to transcribe this handwritten report and make the behind the scenes work of the Smithsonian's first museum more accessible? Jump in now!
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25 Total pages
19 Contributing members
USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Marine Invertebrates, Annual Report 1887-1888
How do you prioritize your projects? In this annual report from the curator of Marine Invertebrates at the United States National Museum, you can see how he handled competing priorities assigned by Spencer F. Baird, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian and Director of the United States National Museum. Hop in to transcribe this internal report of the Marine Invertebrates department's activities during the fiscal year of 1888!
