Robert Harding was interviewed by Vivien Chen on July 3, 1996. Born in 1944 in Georgia, Harding has lived in Washington, DC, for most of his life. He began his career at the Smithsonian in February 1968 as a history instructor in the Division of Education and Training at the National Museum of American History (NMAH). He spent 12 years in this Division and then moved to the Department of Science and Technology. In 1982 Harding was appointed to help form the NMAH Archives Center, and he is now Deputy Archivist of the Center, the head of the manuscripts collections and the Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music. This interview discusses Harding's first day of work at the Smithsonian; the course of his career at the Smithsonian; colleagues Dr. Elwin, Nathaniel Dixon, Margery Hines, Bernard Finn, Doug Evelyn, John Fleckner, Craig Orr, and Catherine Keen; and his collaboration with Martha Jo Meserole and Don Kloster in creating the 1776 Discovery Corner. The interview also covers the inception of the Archives Center, how he came to work for the Archives Center, the Center's growth, childhood visits and impressions of the Smithsonian, what his responsibilities include now, challenges of the job, changes he has seen at the Smithsonian, his hopes for the future of the Smithsonian, memories of past Folklife Festivals, the current state of the Archives Center, and stories of working at the Smithsonian.

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews; Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews / Interviews

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9594, Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews