Home and Shopping
The Day I Bought an Easy Bake Oven
Sarah A. Leavitt writes: The most fun shopping trip of the year occurred when the NBM's exhibitions staff went to Frederick, Maryland's antique stores. We agreed on the beautiful wicker chair but were less sure when deciding among various sets of kitchen containers and vessels. Did the other set have a more unusual pattern? We already had a Hamburglar juice glass, but what about a Kentucky Derby collectible glass? more »
Lilac Time
Ferida Wolff writes: "We also planted a lilac bush in our backyard. It was a different variety with darker flowers and a more delicate scent. It grew tall and leggy and did not do as well. For two years it reluctantly put out leaves, no flowers, and half stopped growing at all. This year it bloomed with vigor; each day we look out at the rejuvenation of this beauty." more »
Making Your Phone Work: Just-in-time Information through Mobile Conections
We've observed an uptick in cell phone use for research purposes recently, including confirmation of the owner's accuracy in a conversation with friends. "Let me check that (on my phone)". They're also looking up times that events will start, nearby restaurants, objects on view at a musem, shopping nearby and so on. more »
Review: A Paean to an American Museum
As curator of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History for forty years, Stanley Freed’s insider knowledge, academic integrity, captivating anecdotes and droll asides transform the original documents, letters, and archives on which his history is based, into a fascinating narrative. more »






