Plastics Media Collection

The archival collections within the Special Collections Research Center’s Plastic Collection area hold various media and formats such as 16mm film, VHS, and reel-to-reel audio. This curated selection of media from the 1940s to the early 2000s documents various perspectives from plastic industry workers and companies through sound and moving images while providing significant insight into the plastics industry in the United States during the 20th century. The content of the items within the Plastics Media Collection is wide-ranging, from factory floor footage of machines and manufacturing techniques, oral histories from seasoned industry professionals, informational product videos and advertisements, symposia, instructional lectures on the properties of plastics, and more.

The Plastics Media Collection was made available through financial support from the Plastics Pioneers Association. While the majority of the physical media items in this collection come from the SCRC’s Plastic Collection area, several of the Plastic Pioneers Association interviews featured in this digital collection are from the Plastic Pioneers Association Interviews collection held at the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

This collection is partially published. Please check back for updates and additional material. 

Related Plastics Collections:

Antique Comb Collector's Club (AC3) Collection
Edwin F. Bushman Collection
Plastics Artifacts Collection
Syracuse Ornamental Company (Syroco) Collection