On SIRIS, Something to Bear in Mind

For about a month now, I have been using SIRIS and the Collections Search Center as an intern in the Smithsonian Institution Archives’ Institutional History Division (SIA).  As an undergraduate history student, I am not a stranger to collections search databases.   For my schoolwork I constantly use the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) online catalog, which combines the holdings of eight Washington area universities.  At previous internships I have worked with the Library of Congress online catalog and THOMAS, the legislative information search tool.  But SIRIS, like the Smithsonian itself, is unique in comparison to these other systems.

The Smithsonian Institution consists of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoo and nine research facilities.  This broad span supplies a multitude of different collections – from records in the Smithsonian Institution Archives to books in the Smithsonian Institution Library, from pieces of artwork in the National Museum of American Art to taxidermy animals in the National Museum of Natural History.  And SIRIS gathers all of these various collections into one database.

Original Teddy Bear
Courtesy SIA

A search on SIRIS can unveil artifacts and information beyond what you may have anticipated.  Recently, I turned to SIRIS to investigate the original teddy bear.  This children’s toy was created in 1902 and named for then President Theodore Roosevelt after a newspaper cartoon was published portraying Roosevelt on a merciful hunting trip.  I knew that one of the first stuffed bears made is held in the National Museum of American History, so I entered the term “teddy bear” in the SIRIS search box.

Knowing that my SIRIS search would scan the collections from all Smithsonian branches, I expected results from multiple collections.  Of course the American History toy appeared, and I was not surprised to see a teddy bear stamp from the National Postal Museum or the several artworks and photographs that SIRIS offered.  Perhaps the last place I would have thought a “teddy bear” search would return a result was from the National Air and Space Museum (NASM).



Magellan T. Bear
Courtesy NASM



But lo and behold, the NASM, full of airplanes and space suits, also holds one Magellan T. Bear, the first teddy bear in space. The SIRIS description informed me of this astonishing astronaut, stating: “The bear flew as the "education specialist" aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-63 mission in February 1995. The bear's journey was part of an ambitious educational project to stimulate interest in geography, science, and social studies. Students and faculty of Elk Creek Elementary School in Pine, Colorado, worked with NASA and Spacehab to have the teddy bear certified for spaceflight. The school also arranged for the bear to fly around the world, visit the South Pole, fly on United Airlines' first Boeing 777 flight, and attend U.S. Space Camp. Presented to the National Air and Space Museum in May 1998 by librarian Penny Wiedeke and principal Jerry Williams, Magellan T. Bear is on display in the "How Things Fly" gallery.  Magellan T. Bear was fully outfitted for all of his flights, wearing a blue astronaut jumpsuit in space and aviator cap, goggles and scarf in the planes.





Space Camp Pin
Courtesy NASM

And so I came away from my research with an interesting bit of trivia.  But SIRIS discoveries like this one can lead to more than my impressive factoid.  Researchers might stumble upon a catalog entry that informs or reforms their argument, or inspires them to further inquire into a new subject.  The beauty of SIRIS is the beauty of the Smithsonian: you never know what you’re going to get. 

Aly DesRochers, IHD Intern, Smithsonian Institution Archives