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Finding aid created by: DF
Date: 2014
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| 29 Aug 2014 | Rubin artifact info returned to Rubin Papers (MRC) |
Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | National Plastics Center & Museum |
| Title: | National Plastics Center & Museum Records |
| Dates: | 1925-2008 |
| Quantity: | 4 linear ft. |
| Abstract: | Collection consists of administrative records, financial records, and publicity materials from the Museum in Leominster, Massachusetts. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
The National Plastics Center & Museum was located in Leominster, Mass. in the former Lancaster Street School building. It was incorporated as a non-profit in 1982, long after plastics had become integral to everyday life, but during a time when the effects of plastics production and consumption were being widely debated. The National Plastics Center & Museum was thus founded not only to preserve the foundations and past of the plastics industry, but also to help educate the public about plastics and intervene in public discourse, highlighting the contributions of plastic to the overall quality of modern life, and how the plastics industry was contributing toward environmental sustainability.
In addition to maintaining permanent and rotating collections and accumulating artifacts, the National Plastics Center & Museum conducted public outreach, like their PlastiVan program, which travelled throughout the U.S. educating students and teachers about the chemistry, history, processing, and environmental issues around plastics. Starting in 2006, the Society of Plastics Industry provided professional management services to the institution. The National Plastics Center & Museum was closed in 2008, after struggling for several years to attain substantial attendance numbers.
The National Plastics Center & Museum Records contains records relating to the organization's inventories and artifacts, communications, budgets and financial statements, publicity materials, and press coverage.
Administrative records contains finding aids and inventories, trustee newsletters, administrative communications, conference materials, meeting minutes and agendas, town records, and documents about the museum's construction.
Financial records contains the organization's bank and financial statements, pledge records and payments, expense reports, budgets, and contractor invoices and estimates.
Publicity contains newsletters, membership packets, and brochures from the National Plastics Center & Museum, related newspaper, magazine, and journal clippings, and a promotional video.
Arranged into series by topic.
Access Restrictions:
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions:
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Issues of Pioneer Valley News have been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search to locate these items.
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.
Corporate Bodies
Irvin I. Rubin Plastics
Corporation.
National Plastics Center &
Museum.
Robinson Plastics Corporation.
Society of Plastics Engineers.
Society of the Plastics Industry.
State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Waste Management Institute.
Associated Titles
Plastics & molded products.
Subjects
Plastics -- History.
Plastics -- Museums.
Plastics industry and trade -- Congresses and conventions.
Plastics industry and trade.
Places
Leominster (Mass.) -- History.
Leominster (Mass.) -- Intellectual life.
Genres and Forms
Brochures.
CD-ROMs.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Expense reports.
Financial statements.
Newsletters.
Photographs.
Video recordings.
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
National Plastics Center & Museum Records,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Transfer from National Plastics Center & Museum, 11/06/2008.
Administrative records
Financial records
Publicity
| Administrative records | |||||||||||
| Oversize 1 | Book inventory 2005 - inventory arranged by book numbers, titles, authors, and reference numbers | ||||||||||
| Communications | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Flannagan, Richard 1984-1985 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Galvin, Jack 1934, 1984-1985 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Keville, John 1984-1986 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Kilcoyne, Mary 1994 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Trustees 1984-1985 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Miscellaneous 1971, 1981-1994 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Conferences 1987, 1989-1991 - programs, letters, photographs, and preparatory materials | ||||||||||
| Oversize 1 | Conferences 1973-1977 - a binder of planning materials for RETEC conferences | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Construction 1931, 1975, 1982-1985 - communications with contractors and Leominster officials about the construction of the museum; also includes information about Lancaster Street School, which the museum took over | ||||||||||
| Oversize 1 | Doyle library and archives finding aids 2007-2008 - binder of finding aids for Museum collections | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Grant proposal 1998 - proposal for Informal Science Education grant from the National Science Foundation | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Information and material requests 1993-1995 - mostly requests for "Passing through" educational video and accompanying teacher's guide (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Meeting minutes and materials 1970-1975, 1983-1985, 1993-1994, 1996, 2000 3 folders | ||||||||||
| Oversize 1 | Pioneer Valley SPE secretary reports 1982-1983 | ||||||||||
| Oversize 1 | Plastics & Molded Products, indexes and contents, vols. 1-11 1925-1934, 1998 - a binder containing photocopies of indexes and tables of contents of Plastics and molded products | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Program evaluations circa 1993-1995 - teacher evaluations about "Passing through" educational film and accompanying teacher's guide | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Town and school records 1928, 1932-1936, 1944-1948, 1954-1957, 1983 - city council agendas and notes, Leominster street list, property assessments, assorted letters | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Trustee newsletters 1984-1986 | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Waste Management Institute 1989 - communications and notes regarding the Waste Management Institute at SUNY Stony Brook | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Memorabilia 1997, undated - 2 ribbons and 1 Gala pin | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Miscellaneous 1939, 1955, 1984-1988, 1991, 1993, 2002-2008, undated - photographs, "The future is in your hands" training manual, contact lists, notes, and letters (3 folders) | ||||||||||
| Financial records | |||||||||||
| Box 3 | Bank statements, Guaranty Bank & Trust Co. 1972-1975 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Bank statements, Shawmut Worcester County Bank 1981-1983 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Checks 1972-1977 - also includes handwritten notes | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Contributions and pledges 1982-1985, 1993-1994 - checks, annual pledge reports, communications, and pledge postcards | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Construction and design 1984-1985 - communications with contractors and invoices | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Expense reports 1985 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Expense reports, John Keville 1988 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Financial statements 1996 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Ledgers and notes 1983-1985 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Paid invoices 1982-1983 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | Raffle records 1983 | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | SPE budgets 1975-1978 | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | Miscellaneous 1939, 1982-1985 - insurance contract, invoices, land appraisal, and various notes | ||||||||||
| Publicity | |||||||||||
| Box 5 | Brochures undated - includes brochures from Plastics Institute of America, Somoltec, and the National Plastics Center & Museum | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | Invitations 1969, 1984, 2001-2002 - invitations to events hosted by the National Plastics Center & Museum and the Solar Chemical Corporation | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | Newsletters 1979-1980, 1995-2000, 2003-2008 | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | Newspapers and magazines 1929, 1942, 1956, 1966, 1976-1977, 1979, undated | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | Newspapers and magazines 1982-1989, undated (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 6 | Newspapers and magazines 1991-2005, undated (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 6 | Promotional video, "Wow them now!" 2003 - includes letter to board members announcing the new video; printed on the CD is a color photo of the National Plastics Center and Museum building in Leominster (1 CD-ROM) (ID#: npc_001) | ||||||||||
| Box 6 | Publicity and membership packets undated | ||||||||||