William E. Baxter was the Assistant Director, Collections and Research, for the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives until his retirement in September, 2020. In this role, Baxter was responsible for building and managing the vast and diverse collections of the Smithsonian Libraries. He was responsible for budgeting for materials selection, collections and library space planning, master-planning for collections growth, and collections documentation (CDRS, &c.). In the Collections Division are two pan-Institutional SIL branch libraries (Smithsonian Libraries Research Annex (SLRA), and the Museum Support Center (MSC) Library which supports research at MSC and the Garber Center. Upon his retirement, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution appointed Bill as "Assistant Director, Collections and Research, Emeritus", in recognition of his numerous contributions to the Institution.

Baxter was formerly the Head of SIL’s History and Culture Department and had responsibility for several SIL branch libraries (Anacostia, MSC, NASM, NMAAHC, NMAH, NMAI, NPM, SILRA/PennSIL).

Mr. Baxter came to SIL in May, 1995 as Head of the Special Collections Department and SIL Exhibitions Officer; managing both the Special Collections Department and the Dibner Library as well as SIL’s exhibitions program. In addition, he managed the Dibner Resident Scholars program and chaired the selection committee that chose the annual Dibner scholars and Dibner Lecturer. During Bill’s time in Special Collections, the Joseph Cullman 3rd Natural History Rare Book Library was designed, the Dibner Library Newsletter was begun, and the Spencer F. Baird Resident Scholars Program was launched. Mr. Baxter worked closely with staff to develop “From Smithson to Smithsonian”, the SIL contribution to the Institution’s Sesquicentennial observance and managed SIL’s exhibitions program and, with outside curators, the development of three exhibitions: “Audubon & the Smithsonian”, “Make the Dirt Fly!: Building the Panama Canal”, and “Underwater Web: Cabling the Seas”.

In 1998, Bill served as curator of SIL’s exhibition “Frontier Photographer: Edward S. Curtis.” This exhibition examined the adversities encountered by Edward S. Curtis in the development of his monumental work “The North American Indian”; a project he commenced in 1899 and completed in 1930. After this exhibition closed in 1999, a virtual version of his exhibition was launched (http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Curtis/) . In addition to this exhibition, Bill curated “Samuel P. Langley, Aviation Pioneer” (in two parts) (http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/langley/) and co-curated “Taking to the Skies: The Wright Brothers and the Birth of Aviation” (http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/flight/) .

From 2001-2010, Mr. Baxter served as head librarian of the National Air and Space Museum Library.

Prior to joining SIL, Baxter was Director of the Library and Archives of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). He oversaw national programs of the Association to foster the teaching of the history of psychiatry and the history of the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the U.S. Using the Association’s Sesquicentennial observance in 1994 as a catalyst to further interest in the history of psychiatry, Bill wrote a number of articles for the psychiatric and medical literature on the history of psychiatry, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. He also published a book and developed a video history on the same subjects that was published in 1994.

Mr. Baxter was the president of the Washington Rare Book Group from 2009 until 2020.

Baxter holds a BA in History and an MA in American History from St. Louis University, and an MS from Drexel University.

William E. Baxter was the Assistant Director, Collections and Research, for the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives until his retirement in September, 2020. In this role, Baxter was responsible for building and managing the vast and diverse collections of the Smithsonian Libraries. He was responsible for budgeting for materials selection, collections and library space planning, master-planning for collections growth, and collections documentation (CDRS, &c.). In the Collections Division are two pan-Institutional SIL branch libraries (Smithsonian Libraries Research Annex (SLRA), and the Museum Support Center (MSC) Library which supports research at MSC and the Garber Center. Upon his retirement, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution appointed Bill as "Assistant Director, Collections and Research, Emeritus", in recognition of his numerous contributions to the Institution.

Baxter was formerly the Head of SIL’s History and Culture Department and had responsibility for several SIL branch libraries (Anacostia, MSC, NASM, NMAAHC, NMAH, NMAI, NPM, SILRA/PennSIL).

Mr. Baxter came to SIL in May, 1995 as Head of the Special Collections Department and SIL Exhibitions Officer; managing both the Special Collections Department and the Dibner Library as well as SIL’s exhibitions program. In addition, he managed the Dibner Resident Scholars program and chaired the selection committee that chose the annual Dibner scholars and Dibner Lecturer. During Bill’s time in Special Collections, the Joseph Cullman 3rd Natural History Rare Book Library was designed, the Dibner Library Newsletter was begun, and the Spencer F. Baird Resident Scholars Program was launched. Mr. Baxter worked closely with staff to develop “From Smithson to Smithsonian”, the SIL contribution to the Institution’s Sesquicentennial observance and managed SIL’s exhibitions program and, with outside curators, the development of three exhibitions: “Audubon & the Smithsonian”, “Make the Dirt Fly!: Building the Panama Canal”, and “Underwater Web: Cabling the Seas”.

In 1998, Bill served as curator of SIL’s exhibition “Frontier Photographer: Edward S. Curtis.” This exhibition examined the adversities encountered by Edward S. Curtis in the development of his monumental work “The North American Indian”; a project he commenced in 1899 and completed in 1930. After this exhibition closed in 1999, a virtual version of his exhibition was launched (http://www.sil.si.edu/Exhibitions/Curtis/) . In addition to this exhibition, Bill curated “Samuel P. Langley, Aviation Pioneer” (in two parts) (http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/langley/) and co-curated “Taking to the Skies: The Wright Brothers and the Birth of Aviation” (http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/flight/) .

From 2001-2010, Mr. Baxter served as head librarian of the National Air and Space Museum Library.

Prior to joining SIL, Baxter was Director of the Library and Archives of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). He oversaw national programs of the Association to foster the teaching of the history of psychiatry and the history of the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the U.S. Using the Association’s Sesquicentennial observance in 1994 as a catalyst to further interest in the history of psychiatry, Bill wrote a number of articles for the psychiatric and medical literature on the history of psychiatry, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. He also published a book and developed a video history on the same subjects that was published in 1994.

Mr. Baxter was the president of the Washington Rare Book Group from 2009 until 2020.

Baxter holds a BA in History and an MA in American History from St. Louis University, and an MS from Drexel University.