At the center of research across the Smithsonian are the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

The collections and staff of the 21 specialized Libraries play a key role in helping researchers and curators from around the world in their study of and work with the almost innumerable, often unique, objects at the Smithsonian and their scientific, cultural and historical contexts. This network of library research centers provide the Institution with resources and services that are as diverse and deep as the collections, exhibits, and scholarship they support, spanning the range of scientific and cultural pursuits of humanity from aerospace, anthropology, and art history to business history and botany, cultural history, design, philately, zoology, and much, much more.

The Smithsonian Institution Archives captures, preserves, and shares with the public the history of this extraordinary Institution. From its inception in 1846 to the present, the records of the history of the Institution—its people, its programs, its research, and its stories—have been gathered, organized, and disseminated so that everyone can learn about the Smithsonian and its role in American history, scientific exploration, and with the promotion of international cultural understanding.