Jan

Libraries director plans to chill for a while in retirement

Nancy E. Gwinn, director of Smithsonian Libraries since 1997, is retiring Jan. 3, after 34 years with the Smithsonian.

“When I tell people that I am retiring” Nancy said. “They always ask what my plans will be. So, at one stroke, I will tell you that I will spend the month of January ‘chilling’ in Arizona, then return to D.C. and the many house projects that have just been waiting for me to retire. I will also be doing some writing and hopefully attending some Smithsonian Libraries events!”

Nancy’s Smithsonian career began in 1984 when she joined the Libraries, becoming director of SIL in 1997. During her 22-year tenure, she brought the Libraries to a new level of activity and recognition, expanding to include 21 branches that incorporate new services and technologies. Under Nancy’s leadership,

The Libraries became the Smithsonian’s principal resource for digital access to its collections, including the creation of new tools for scholars and students.
SIL was instrumental in launching the Biodiversity Heritage Library, an open-access database of literature collected by a global consortium that has collectively digitized over 245,000 volumes (57 million pages) of biodiversity literature.
The preservation program grew beyond the Book Conservation Laboratory to incorporate environmental monitoring and preservation microfilming.
SIL established its first Advisory Board and inaugurated an energetic advancement program, raising nearly $20,000,000 to support new programs and operations.
SIL successfully promoted new awareness and use of its unique special collections, world’s fairs and historical trade catalogs.
In 1991, the Libraries acquired an exhibition gallery in the National Museum of American History and initiated an exhibition, publication, and outreach program to bring its treasures to a broad audience.
SIL launched fellowship and intern programs to bring researchers and budding librarians to work with staff and collections.

Nancy E. Gwinn (Smithsonian Institution photo)

She was chair of the American Library Association Publications Committee and of the Preservation of Library Materials Committee of the Association of Research Libraries. Internationally, she served on the Governing Board of the International Federation of Library Associations and was elected chair of its Professional Committee and of its Preservation and Conservation and Management and Marketing Committees. She is the recipient of the Blackwell North America Scholarship Award from the American Library Association and the Waldo Gifford Leland Prize from the Society of American Archivists.

Nancy received a B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Wyoming, which also named her a Distinguished Alumna in 2003 and awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2013. She attended the University of Oxford on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1967-68, after which she received an AMLS (Beta Phi Mu) from the University of Michigan School of Information, which honored her as a Distinguished Alumna in 1971. In 1996, she received a Ph.D. in American Civilization from George Washington University.