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Smithsonian
Directory of Airplanes Now Available Online The National Air
and Space Museum Archives and the Smithsonian
Institution Research Information System now offer
online an expanded version of the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum Directory of
Airplanes, Their Designers and
Manufacturers. Available for
free at
http://siris-thesauri.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=planes
and edited by former museum archivist Dana Bell,
the guide serves as a single authoritative listing
of aircraft names organized by designer and
manufacturer. Museum efforts
to process and describe its aircraft reference
files led to creation of the directory, which is a
valuable resource for any institution or private
collector involved with cataloging aviation
material. Previously there was no existing single
reference of its kind to serve the needs of the
museum's archives. The directory
covers human-carrying, heavier-than-air vehicles
that are supported primarily by dynamic lift.
Included are airplanes, gliders, hang gliders,
helicopters, autogiros and ornithopters. The
directory does not include lighter-than-air craft
(such as balloons and dirigibles), missiles,
rockets, spacecraft and any aircraft designed to
fly as a remotely piloted vehicle or unmanned
aerial vehicle. Features of the online
expanded directory include: • more than 34,000
individual aircraft and more than 6,600 aircraft
manufacturers • the ability to
search by model or manufacturer using full or
partial names • additional
background notes frequently provided with search
results • cross-references to
assist in finding entries more
easily The Library of
Congress has recognized the directory as a useful
tool for aviation archives and
libraries. The museum's
Archives Division supports the museum's mission by
acquiring and preserving for public and curatorial
use documentary materials of flight. These
materials, which span the history of flight from
ancient times to the present, include a wide range
of visual and textual materials, many emphasizing
the technical aspects of aircraft and spacecraft
and their propulsion systems. Smithsonian
Institution Research Information Systems provides
access for Smithsonian staff and public alike to
the information resources held by the Institution's
libraries, archives, art inventories and research
units. The National Air
and Space Museum, composed of the flagship building
on the National Mall in Washington and the Steven
F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., is home to
the world's finest collection of artifacts of
flight. From aircraft and space vehicles to
engines, art and models, the wide array of the
museum's holdings tells the story of the history
and technology of air and space
exploration. The museum is
also a key institution for research into the
history, science and technology of aviation and
space flight.
Peter
Golkin Office of
Communications National Air and
Space Museum, MRC 321 Smithsonian
Institution P.O. Box
37012 Washington D.C.
20013-7012 phone (202)
633-2374; fax (202) 633-8174 |