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exhibitions, which appear throughout the United States and abroad, and its annual Folklife Festival. As custodian of the National Collections, it possesses more than 78,000,000 art objects, natural history specimens, and artifacts. The collections are displayed for the enjoyment and education of visitors and are utilized for research by the staff of the Institution and by hundreds of visiting students, scientists, and historians each year. Other significant study efforts draw their data and results directly from terrestrial, marine, and astrophysical observations made in the field or located in data collections of various Smithsonian installations.

The broad goal of the Smithsonian Institution is the increase and diffusion of knowledge about Man, his culture and his environment. To accomplish this, the Smithsonian conducts a wide range of programs, many of which are joint ventures in cooperation with other institutions, universities, and government agencies in the United States and on every continent. As an outgrowth of basic scientific research, fundamental data are assembled for use by planners and research workers in other organizations, both government and private. Much of this activity fosters conservation, and can be expected to lear to results that are directly applicable to national needs and goals. Historical research, which enhances knowledge of this nation's growth through studies of technological development, art, and folklife and folklore traditions, also is a major endeavor.

The results of the Institution's research are disseminated to a wide audience through books, monographs, exhibit catalogues, and education pamphlets. Public-oriented programs include exhibits, performances, radio, television, and [[underline]] Smithsonian [[/underline]] Magazine. The management and care of the National Collections and a program for the selective acquisition of important items are basic commitments. Administration and support functions, including the development and care of facilities, protection and management services, serve the program elements of the Institution.

In the fall of 1977, the Regents and the Secretary established a five-year forward planning process covering all activities of the Institution. This process has proven to be a useful mechanism for management to examine development alternatives and to communicate important results and information to the Institution's Congressional authorizing and appropriations committees, and to other interested constituents. The [[underline]] Five-Year Prospectus, FY 1981-85 [[/underline]] is the second in a series of documents resulting from that action. The first document was approved by the Regents at their January 22, 1979 meeting.

The process is an annual one and involves the preparation of plans and resource projections by each of the Smithsonian's organizations. The review of these materials by appropriate executive staff members occurs throughout the spring and summer months simultaneously with the assembly of the federal and trust budgets for the forthcoming fiscal year.