Dr. Susan McCarthy, Coordinator
Plant Genome Data and Information Center
National Agricultural Library
Beltsville, MD
When Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 he linked two old worlds. Ten thousand years had separated them. Columbus began the process of encounter and exchange that continues to unfold today. The U.S. Smithsonian Institution has created an ambitious exhibit, "Seeds of Change," that focuses on the biological and cultural impacts initiated 500 years ago.
"Seeds of Change" presents an unusual perspective of that event. Rather than focusing on deliberate human actions as instigators of world events, the exhibition traces five biological transfers and their effects on both the old and new worlds. The exhibition approaches history not as a linear process, but as interrelationships. It presents a new way of looking at world history by examining five "seeds"--corn, potato, sugar, horse, and disease--and their key roles in shaping human history.
Panel versions of "Seeds of Change," co-sponsored by the American Library Association and the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), will be exhibited at public libraries in all 50 States and 3 U.S. territories. SITES is also circulating a copy to museums throughout the country.
The National Museum of Natural History, Office of Education, will
be presenting lectures, films, festivals, demonstrations, and tours
from October 26, 1991, through April 1993. For more information,
please call (202) 357-2747.
NAL Kicks Off the Traveling Show
The traveling "Seeds of Change" panel version began its national tour at the National Agricultural Library (NAL). The exhibit opened December 9, 1991, in conjunction with the American Library Association, Exhibit Workshop. The traveling exhibit will reach 60 libraries over the next 2 years.