The Cullman Library holds the Smithsonian’s collection of rare books in anthropology and the natural sciences. Its world-class collection contains approximately 20,000 volumes published before 1840 in the fields of physical and cultural anthropology, ethnology, Native American linguistics, and archeology; botany; ornithology, mammalogy, herpetology, ichthyology, entomology, malacology, and other zoological fields; paleontology; and geology and mineralogy. The publications of seventeenth- through nineteenth-century voyages of exploration are a special strength, as is the history of museums and scientific collecting. The Cullman Library makes the books available to researchers by direct access in the reading room and through reference assistance (including limited photocopying when possible). In addition, the Library shares the collection by means of digital editions, exhibitions, exhibition loans, and public programs.
Online Exhibitions:
- “Wonder Bound” was on display in the National Museum of Natural History, in the Constitution Ave. lobby, May 28 – Oct. 31, 2002.
- “An Odyssey in Print” was on display in the Smithsonian Libraries Gallery, National Museum of American History, Behring Center, May 16, 2002 – December 2003.
- Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio , an online exhibition on this marvelous book, curated by Joy M. Kiser
- The Art of African Exploration , a selection of drawings, illustrations and objects from the Russell E. Train Africana Collection.
- “Wonder Bound” the intersection of rare books and scientific research
