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Diane Shaw

@museocat.bsky.social
2K followers 2.5K following 667 posts

Retired museum library cataloger in Washington, DC area. Fond of birds and travel.

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Reposted by Diane Shaw
Michael Lobel @mlobelart.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Did I just get back from a viewing at Bonhams auction house in NYC of cat-themed art? Why yes- yes I did. Did I take pictures, including of these Chinese ceramic cats from the Qing Dynasty? Also yes! Will I make a thread of some of them? Indeed I will, which will include...
Two ceramic cats in a vitrine
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scott b. weingart @scottbot.net · 22/09/2026
Join my team! Help us figure out how to be as careful stewards of today's born-digital archives of state as we've been for physical archives over the last 200 years. Seeking experience in digital archives/collections/preservation, or related cultural heritage work. Due 10/6. Up to $91k.
jobs.virginia.gov
Born-Digital Collections Coordinator #00220 - Richmond, Virginia, United States
Title: Born-Digital Collections Coordinator #00220 State Role Title: Library Specialist III Hiring Range: Commensurate with experience up to $91,080 Pay Band: 5 Agency: The Library of Virginia Locatio...
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The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Stop! Hooo goes there? We need help. We are trying to raise money to save damaged rare and beautiful books in our library. One of them holds this very anxious looking owl in a book on the natural history of Alaska (1874-1881) by American naturalist Lucien M Turner. Pls can you help? bit.ly/45wG7YG
Naturalist illustration of an adult female great grey owl (Ulula cinerea lapponica) perched on a mossy tree stump, facing forward with a round facial disk, concentric feather markings and bright yellow eyes.
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Michael Schulman @michaelschulman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thank you to whoever anonymously donated $60 million to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the largest single donation in its history, so it can expand access. One of my favorite places in NYC! www.nypl.org/blog/2026/09...
nypl.org
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Rebecca Stone Gordon @meanlouise.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This fascinating exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts opens to the public on Friday Sept 18 & is well worth a visit. BTW the museum has 2 free community days each month (1st Sunday & 2nd Wednesday) but it’s a good idea to book those tix online ahead of time. nmwa.org/exhibitions/...
nmwa.org
Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California | Exhibition | National Museum of Women in the Arts
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Kevin M. Levin @civilwarmemory.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The fact that the National Park Service is being forced to place these signs at the Smithsonian is truly disgusting. www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
theatlantic.com
The Next Change Trump Has Planned for the Smithsonian
A letter from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed new details about warning signs the White House will install near the American-history museum.
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Something weirdly not noted in a lot of the coverage of the extortionate threats to murder the Kennedy Center unless it’s reimagined as a shrine to Trump: There was no dire fiscal crisis until Trump’s goombahs started mucking with it. Its finances were fine. projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/o...
projects.propublica.org
John F Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica
Since 2013, the IRS has released data culled from millions of nonprofit tax filings. Use this database to find organizations and see details like their executive compensation, revenue and expenses, as...
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Jack Gann @jackgann.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here I am promoting the display of Elizabeth Blackwell's 'A Curious Herbal' in the pages of The Yorkshire Post. But why, of all the plants I could have gone with to highlight for our exhibition on folklore, magic, and medicine, have I chosen to look at something as everyday as a tomato?
A photo of me in a newspaper clipping. I am looking at an old book, open to a page with a colour illustration of a tomato plant.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
PSA: An original penny farthing is on display at the MLK Library in downtown DC
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Diane Zorich @dzorich.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Job opening: Bilingual editor (Spanish/English) at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino. $70,623 - $91,815 /yr (GS 9) Closes: 9/23
usajobs.gov
Editor
The Smithsonian Institution is the worlds largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in Communications and Marketing, External Affa...
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I'm glad the specimens were saved here. They're an invaluable resource to science
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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am the very model of a modern day typographer A font take on the tune “Modern Major General” by Gilbert & Sullivan #typography #fonts #graphicdesign
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The Organization of American Historians @oah.org · 08/09/2026
Lonnie Bunch has announced that he is retiring from his post as Secretary of the Smithsonian. Link here for the full OAH statement on his remarkable impact: bit.ly/4iSfoNY
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
As a former 30-year employee of the Smithsonian who still has close ties to the Institution, I am sad but not surprised Lonnie Bunch will be retiring this year. He’s widely appreciated by the staff & donors, and led us through difficult times (COVID; tough finances, and now Trump). I wish him well.
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Kevin Sievers @diplotomodon.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New on the blog: a (brief) recap of what led to this point in the storied history of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. diplotomodon.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/p...
diplotomodon.wordpress.com
“Patterns of Visitation and Audience Behavior”: Or, How We Got Here
The Academy’s penultimate location at the corner of Broad & Sansom Streets, Philadelphia, where Hadrosaurus foulkii first stood, circa 1840 It’s been almost a week since the news ab…
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James Wright @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
As a buildings archaeologist, I enjoy meeting my clients...
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Andrew Curry @andrewcurry.com · 02/09/2026
Ancient parchments, covered in ancient disease DNA! Researchers led by @ucddublin.bsky.social's @gingerhowley.bsky.social recover the genes of a deadly animal pathogen from medieval manuscripts. @science.org
science.org
Ancient sheep virus found hiding in medieval parchment
Newly recovered sheeppox sequences reveal when and how the virus emerged
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Laura Ansley @lmansley.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This summer, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History launched an online exhibit that highlights their recently expanded Menstrual History Collection. Worth a perusal! And an amazing resource for women's history or medical history classes. 🗃️ americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhi...
Box for "Form-Fit" Sanitary ApronPoster: "You're a young lady now" with a tomboy looking into a mirror, which shows a more girly version looking back at her
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The 51st @51st.news · 03/09/2026
NEW: September is peak pawpaw season in the mid-Atlantic. As @ecwilliams.bsky.social learned, once you start looking for the tropical-tasting fruit, you'll see them everywhere. Here's where to find one for yourself — and why you shouldn't miss the window:
51st.news
It’s pawpaw season. Where can you find the fruit around DC?
The delicious fruit is abundant throughout the D.C. region. Here's how to get your paws on “nature’s best kept secret.”
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Ben Miller @extinctmonsters.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Take this seriously. Back when I joined field teams more regularly, paleontologists avoided talking about what they were up to in local gas stations and restaurants. They rented vehicles so they couldn’t be tracked and followed. And that was long before a dinosaur at auction broke 10 million.
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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Hi, this is your seasonal reminder to back up your computer, your cell phone, your voice recorder, your memory cards, anything you think is important. Make multiple copies, because hard drives fail and are very expensive right now. Sometimes you drop you phone into a lake. Do it sooner than later.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
US public libraries at ‘breaking point’ amid ideological attacks, report finds
PEN America study details verbal and physical threats to librarians, funding cuts and proliferation of book bans
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Nicole Pagowsky, Ph.D. @nope4evr.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A list of instructions for disabling AI in various sites and platforms from @librarian.bsky.social : www.librarian.net/notoai
librarian.net
How to disable or avoid intrusive AI
One of the biggest questions I get at Drop-In Time at the library (besides "what is taking up all my cloud storage?") is how to disable or avoid intrusive AI that shows up where people don't want it. ...
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The wonderful "State Fairs: Growing American Craft" exhibition closes at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery on September 7, 2026. It features crafts shown at State Fairs in the USA from over the decades as well as more recently. Definitely worth a visit. americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/...
americanart.si.edu
State Fairs: Growing American Craft
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The Shumater @theshumater.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Arkansas librarian fired for refusing to buckle under to demands from Republican county leaders to censor books receives $275K settlement: "Librarians should be able to serve their communities according to professional standards." #arpx #arnews #arleg arkansasadvocate.com/2026/08/27/a...
arkansasadvocate.com
Arkansas librarian fired after opposing book ban efforts to receive $275K in settlement | Arkansas Advocate
Patty Hector's lawsuit is part of a larger fight over library restrictions playing out in Arkansas and other Republican-led states.
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Adam Nathaniel Furman @anfurman.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
My new book 'Chromatic Architecture' featured over on BBC Culture online today www.bbc.co.uk/culture/arti...
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Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
People also need to see this not just as an arcane concern for rare book enthusiasts or librarians or archivists or historians and other scholars, but as part of the destruction of the corpus of human endeavour necessary to bring about what Sam Altman says here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWqv...
youtube.com
‘Buy It From Us On A Meter…’, Sam Altman Says AI Will Be a Utility, People Should Buy It Like Water
YouTube video by Mint
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Jessica Kutz @jkutzie.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
The Trump administration replaced a sign at the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument softening language about suffragists being beaten and force fed, among other changes in national parks. 19thnews.org/2026/08/nati...
19thnews.org
National park signs on women and LGBTQ+ history are disappearing. Librarians are preserving the record
The revisions have scrubbed or softened accounts of violence, slavery, activism and lived experiences, raising questions about whose stories the government considers worth telling.
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Lynnette Shelley @lynnetteshelley.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
At the Crane Arts Building in #Philly yesterday. My artwork, "The Wanderer" is on view through the end of July at the InLiquid Gallery. #lynnetteshelley #art #artist #fineart #artshow #philadelphia #wolf #animalart #bsnm #sciart #traditionalart #artgallery
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Alice Marples @alicemarples.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Genuinely chuffed to discover my book is being stocked by Waterstones and Foyles! Preorder now - only £43 and released 8th December: www.waterstones.com/book/the-tra... or www.foyles.co.uk/book/the-tra...
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Buckinghamshire Archives @bucksarchives.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
slow day in the office so we're starting beef with archaeologists
One of those 'STOP DOING X' memes, ripping into archaeology. It has images of soil stratum, a trowel, and a flint shard. The text mocks archaeologists for digging for pottery sherds and saying everything has a 'ritual purpose'.
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The 51st @51st.news · 10/08/2026
Contributor @msbeckylittle.bsky.social is working on a story about the @dcpubliclibrary.bsky.social's more unconventional public resources, and we're looking to include locals' perspectives. Tell us in this survey: What have you gotten from the library — beyond books?
forms.gle
What have you gotten from the library — beyond books?
We're working on a story about the D.C. Public Library's more unconventional offerings, and looking to include locals' perspectives on the value they've gotten from these experiences. Tell us below:…
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BOO! k HistoriAAAH 🎃 @book-historia.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Are you interested in pursuing a career in the antiquarian book trade? Apply to the @abaararebooks.bsky.social Diversity Initiative Discovery Program! 📚 You’ll gain insights from ABAA members, get in-depth tours of the Boston fair, a $2500 stipend, and more: www.abaa.org/general-cont...
Antiquarian books in a display case
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
This Bronx school only has 10 days left to secure funds to support their school "zoo" of insects, arachnids, and reptiles via @donorschoose.bsky.social. Can you help? www.donorschoose.org/project/anim...
donorschoose.org
Animals, Arachnids, Insects & Plants STEM Lab Zoo, a project from Mr. Lebowitz
Help me give my students the supplies needed to care for the animals of the STEM Lab Zoo. Housed in an elementary public school's science lab, the STEM Lab Zoo is home to a plethora of living t...
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Happy #InternationalCatDay! 🐈‍⬛
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Violet Fox 🦊 @violetbfox.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Adoptee friends & others impacted by adoption: I'm a librarian planning a display for November (National Adoption Month). These are just some of the books that'll be on display—I'd love your suggestions!
A stack of 12 library books about adoption with spine titles shown. The titles are: 
* Broken Links, Enduring Ties 
* Somebody's Children
* Culture Keeping
* Like Our Very Own: Adoption and the Changing Culture of Motherhood 1851-1950
* Following the Tambourine Man: a Birthmother's Memoir
* Giving Away Simone
* The Violence of Love: Race, Family, and Adoption in the United States
* Choosing Family
* Gay Fathers, Their Children, and the Making of Kinship
* BirthMarks: Transracial Adoption in Contemporary America
* Kinship by Design: A History of Adoption in the Modern United States 
* A Living Remedy
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Go see the new exhibition of her dolls at the NY Historical: www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/... - open until October 4. I've seen the exhibition and it's lovely.
nyhistory.org
Betye Saar's Black Dolls  | The New York Historical
The New York Historical honors the renowned artist’s 100th birthday and celebrates a landmark promised gift of her collection of more than 100 Black dolls.
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
For #Caturday, these amazing illustrations by Audrey Niffenegger for Margaret Atwood’s elegy, “Morte de Smudgie”, inspired by Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur. I recently cataloged this book for the Smithsonian American Art/Natlional Portrait Gallery Library.
Title page: Margaret Atwood. Morte de Smudgie, with Alfred Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur. Artwork by Audrey Niffenegger. San Francisco: The Arion Press, 2021.Ink sketch of Atwood with a large cat face peering over her shoulder, as she writes, “Grieving takes strange forms.”An ink sketch of three crowned cats solemnly grieving over the corpse of a crowned black cat (Smudgie) in a rowboat with a swan’s head motif. A white cat in a medieval-style jacket looks sadly on from the shore.
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Hannah Murphy @hsmurphy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Please share! A rare PhD studentship @kingshistory.bsky.social *fully* funded by @slaveryinwar.bsky.social to work with myself and Maeve Ryan, supported by a broader community of experts in Caribbean history, transatlantic slavery, and the history of war. www.kcl.ac.uk/study/fundin... 🗃️
kcl.ac.uk
AHRC Studentship: Slavery and the Seven Years’ War within and across the Caribbean Archipelago | King's College London
The Leverhulme Centre for Research on Slavery in War (CRSW) is pleased to announce the availability of a fully funded AHRC doctoral studentship, to be jointly supervised across History and War Studies
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Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Gift link!
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The 51st @51st.news · 19/07/2026
The District of Columbia Archives has released its largest digital collection of historic photos — showing new views of the city from 1947 through 1959. Find anything interesting? Let us know!
51st.news
Check out thousands of photos of midcentury D.C.
The District of Columbia Archives has released its largest digital collection of historic photos
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Stephen West @stephenwest.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
In advance of today's hearing on the Smithsonian - the 2d in 2 days - House Democrats have released their own report "The White House Campaign to Seize Control of the Smithsonian and Rewrite American History"
democrats-cha.house.gov
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Western University @westernu.ca · 20/07/2026
"Our love letter to the future." #WesternU researcher B. M. Watson's ( @brimwats.com ) personal experiences helped shape their work in building on and improving cataloguing – a system that is largely unseen but touches everyone. @westernufims.bsky.social
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The hidden world that can make you feel seen: how cataloguing creates community - Western News
Western University professor Bri Watson explores how cataloguing, metadata and archives help people find identity, belonging and community.
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Kelly Lynne D’Angelo ✨ @kellylynnedang.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Please blow up the public comment (included below): BREAKING NEWS (7/15) — The administration wants to destroy Chaco Canyon without consulting Tribal Nations. It’s an irreplaceable historic & cultural site with 4,700 archeological sites that could be lost to the bulldozers of oil & gas development
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Diane Shaw @museocat.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Holy Cool – “Smithsonian Dreams” Projections on the Castle this weekend!! – “Smithsonian Dreams” Projections on the Castle this weekend!! - PoPville www.popville.com/2026/07/smit...
popville.com
Holy Cool – “Smithsonian Dreams” Projections on the Castle this weekend!! - PoPville
From the Smithsonian: "The Smithsonian will debut “Smithsonian Dreams,” a large-scale, multisensory public art experience by Refik Anadol, internationally acclaimed media artist and director of Refik ...
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Beth DeBold @elizaaudacis.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
To the inevitable cries of “just digitize everything, then;” not an answer. Making digital facsimiles accessible requires huge investment: staff, metadata, preservation. Orgs are currently not funded to meet these needs. While digital objects are great, they’ll never replace looking at originals.
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BuffaloResearch.com @buffaloresearch.com · 09/07/2026
🚨 HEADS UP Every library with climate literature & pre-2026 government documents needs to figure out how they will protect them. bsky.app/profile/davi...
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Andrew D Thaler @drandrewthaler.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Did I commission a watercolor painting of the algae-filled reflecting pool from the incomparable @artologica.net? Yes. Yes, I did. It is just as amazing as you'd expect. Now to build a frame for it.
Reflecting pool watercolor painting.
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