Plastics Artifacts Collection

A description of the collection at Syracuse University

Finding aid created by: MRC
Date: 29 Jul 2009

Revision history:
16 Nov 2010	updated related material (MRC)

Biographical History

The Plastics Artifact Collection was accumulated originally by the National Plastics Center and Museum (NPCM) in Leominster, Pennsylvania. Begun in 1970 as a cooperative effort of the Pioneer Valley Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers and several local Leominster Historians, the NPCM was incorporated in 1982 and acquired a building in Leominster in the mid 1980s. In addition to maintaining documents and artifacts documenting the history and development of plastics and related engineering fields, the NPCM initiated a national outreach program to schools (including the traveling PlastiVan) and inaugurated the Plastics Hall of Fame. In 2008 NPCM transferred its manuscript collections and artifactual holdings to the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University, where they are presently on deposit until 2012.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Plastics Artifact Collection is a supplement to the numerous manuscript collections relating to organizations and individuals who played a significant role in the development and manufacture of plastic products in the United States. Objects range from small personal items (combs, brushes) to toys, dishes, decorative objects, housewares, and many other items.

Other Related Finding Aids

A database of images of the complete collection is in progress.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions: There are no access restrictions on this material.

Use Restrictions: Collection is on deposit until 2012. Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has numerous holdings in the areas of plastics and industrial design. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing. See also the SU Plastics Center website at www.plastics.syr.edu for digital images of more than 2000 plastics artifacts and a wide range of material on the history and development of plastics.

Subject Headings

Subjects

Plastics -- History.
Plastics industry and trade.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Plastics Artifact Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Library

Acquisition Information

Bulk, gift of the National Plastics Center and Museum, 2008. Additional items, gifts, various dates.

Table of Contents

Inventory

The inventory has not yet been converted to electronic format. Please contact the Repository listed above for more information.