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Smithsonian National Postal Museum


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Research



The National Postal Museum supports a wide variety of interdisciplinary research projects. These projects address research topics of importance such as current and future postal operations, as well as philatelic and postal history. Our exhibits and lectures, educational programming and outreach efforts are







a resource and point of reference for research and wider investigation by historians throughout the United States and the world.



 

Research Announcements:

African-American Postal Workers in the 20th Century
Posted 3/26/2012

Call for papers for the First International Symposium on Analytical Methods in Philately
Posted 1/3/2012

Call for papers for the Seventh Postal History Symposium
Posted 9/30/2011

2011 Research Scholarship Winners Announced
Posted 9/23/2011

Presentations of the Sixth Postal History Symposium Posted Online
Posted 9/23/2011

The Colorado Postal Encyclopedia: A Sampler added to the Colorado State Postal History Registry
Posted 5/5/2011

Heifetz Music Collection Finding Guide
Posted 1/6/2011

The Sixth Annual Postal History Symposium
Posted 1/6/2011

Smithsonian National Postal Museum Scholarship
Posted 1/6/2011

USPS Moroney Award for Scholarship on Postal History 
The U.S. Postal Service has established two awards for scholarship on the history of the American postal system.
Posted 1/6/2011

Research Announcements Archive: 2010 | 2009 | 2008

Contact the Blount Research Chair 





Research Resources


Winton M. Blount cartoon


Symposiums
Find more information about past, and upcoming National Postal Museum symposiums, including the Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposium.
       

museum building


Smithsonian National Postal Museum Scholarship
The Museum is pleased to announce a scholarship for the research of postage stamps or postal history leading to publication.
         

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Institute for Analytical Philately
IAP is an educational institution dedicated to applying analytical techniques to philatelic studies which are intended to provide long term and wide ranging benefits to all aspects of philately.
         

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Industry White Papers
White papers examine the opportunities that are used by postal leaders to transform postal services by introducing new services that bridge the physical and electronic worlds, and how postal industries address how they put their services into practice.
         

National Air-mail Weel poster


Finding Guides
The Museum has created research guides for collections that are frequently accessed or that have additional research potential. These guides provide concise descriptions of the scope and content, provenance and list of materials for each collection.
         

Arago


Arago
Arago, the Museum's educational and research Web site, presents the collections in a context-rich setting with full color images and zoom-in capability.
         

sketch of library


Museum Library
The National Postal Museum's library houses one of the world's largest collections of postal history and philatelic literature.
         

keyboard


Online Articles
The National Postal Museum would like to share research and educational materials through these online articles.
         

EnRoute cover


Articles from EnRoute
The Museum's EnRoute newsletter published articles covering various aspects of postal history and philately.
         

photo of mailcarrier with child in mailbag


Photographic Archives
Historical photographs and images of items in the collection can be ordered online.
         

stamp image


Topical Reference Pages
Browse these pages to discover resources organized by topic.
         

Video Zone


Video Zone
The Museum’s digital video resources include special features, lectures, historical footage and exhibit videos.
         

State Postal History Directory


State Postal History Registry
Experts in philatelic postal history are offering their time and know-how through the State Postal History Registry.
         

Smithsonian Magazine


Smithsonian Magazine Online
Smithsonian magazine is the Smithsonian Institution's membership magazine. Since the National Postal Museum opened in 1993, the magazine has celebrated the museum and its collection in a number of ways.
         

drawing of links


External Research Links
Links to philatelic and postal history Web sites in the United States and around the world.



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