Liza Kirwin

Liza Kirwin is the interim director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Smithsonian Libraries and Archives contains nearly 3 million library volumes and more than 44,000 cubic feet of archival materials chronicling the history of the Smithsonian. Kirwin oversees 137 employees, a national advisory board of 16 members, an annual budget of over $16 million and 21 library branches and reading rooms located in Washington, D.C., New York City, Maryland, Virginia and the Republic of Panama.

Kirwin retired from Smithsonian in May 2023, as deputy director emerita, after 43 years at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. There she supported the Archives’ programmatic goals and creative initiatives, first as an archives technician, then as southeast regional collector, curator of manuscripts, deputy director and interim director. She served as interim director from 2011 to 2013, and again from 2020 to 2023, contributing to major fundraising campaigns and setting the direction for collections development, preservation and global access. Over the years, she helped establish the Archives’ public programs—curating more than 30 archival exhibitions and managing the award-winning Archives of American Journal. She is the author of numerous articles in magazines and peer-reviewed publications that celebrate the holdings of the Archives of American Art. Her books include More than Words: Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (2005, reprinted in paperback, 2015), Artists in Their Studios: Images from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (2007), With Love: Artists’ Letters and Illustrated Notes (2008) and Lists: To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collected Thoughts, and other Artists’ Enumerations (2010). The latter winning the Secretary’s Research Prize for outstanding exhibition catalog in 2012. As deputy director, she also positioned the Archives of American Art to take a leading role in promoting the use of primary sources in teaching the history of American art in undergraduate and graduate programs.

Kirwin holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science in library and information science from The Catholic University of America and a doctorate in American studies from the University of Maryland at College Park. She comes to Smithsonian Libraries and Archives as a former colleague and researcher with a deep appreciation for the staff and one of the greatest research libraries and archives in the world.

Kirwin succeeds Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty, who was the director of Smithsonian Libraries from 2021 to 2024.

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