Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

Syracuse University Library acquires National Plastics Center collection, artifacts

Friday, November 21, 2008, By News Staff
Share

Pamela McLaughlin
(315) 443-9788

Syracuse University Library and the National Plastics Center in Leominster, Mass., have signed a Memorandum of Understanding transferring the center’s collection to the library and creating the National Plastics Center at Syracuse University.

Founded in 1982, the National Plastics Center and Museum has amassed one of the nation’s largest private collections of artifacts, books and papers related to the history and use of plastics. The center is moving the collection to SU to increase its use. “We’re delighted to partner with Syracuse University Library to make our rich collections more accessible to students and scholars,” says G. Watts Humphrey, Jr., chairman of the National Plastics Center’s board of directors.

“When coupled with SU’s interdisciplinary curriculum, these resources will bring history to life by demonstrating how integral plastics are to modernity,” says SU Dean of Libraries Suzanne Thorin.

As a result of this new partnership, SU Library will make available to faculty, students and researchers:

  • nearly 3,000 books, journals, magazines, newspapers and industry publications;
  • papers, business records and manuscripts from plastics companies, plastics-industry entrepreneurs and members of the Plastics Hall of Fame, including the records of Union Products, maker of the iconic pink flamingo lawn ornament; and
  • thousands of artifacts, including molds and machinery, fine art, toys, car parts, medical devices, house wares and jewelry.

The artifacts in the collection include objects made of natural plastics such as horn, ivory and tortoiseshell; semi-synthetic plastics, including celluloid; and fully synthetic objects, including those made of the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite®.

The collection has potential connections to the University’s curriculum in a number of areas, including chemistry, chemical engineering, industrial design, history, environmental science and entrepreneurship. For example, a women’s studies class might consider the role of the Tupperware party in shaping postwar, American gender relations.

Scheduled to arrive in Syracuse in December, the collection will be available for teaching and research in early 2009 through the SU Library’s Special Collections Research Center. The University welcomes additional contributions of rare or historically significant books, periodicals and artifacts, as well as financial support to curate and promote this collection.

For more information, contact Sean Quimby, director of the Special Collections Research Center, at (315) 443-9769 or smquimby@syr.edu.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Rockell Brown Burton Joins Newhouse School as Associate Dean of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
    Monday, May 23, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Corinne Sartori Joins Libraries as Accessibility Specialist
    Monday, May 23, 2022, By Cristina Hatem
  • Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Christine Weber
  • Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By News Staff

More In Uncategorized

Syracuse Views Spring 2022

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a submission…

“Alexis Patterson has been missing since 2002. Odds are you don’t know her story.”

Research from Carol Liebler, professor of communications in the Newhouse School, was featured in the USA Today story “Alexis Patterson has been missing since 2002. Odds are you don’t know her story.” Liebler studies media coverage of missing children and…

“Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved”

David Larsen, associate professor of public health in the Falk College, was quoted in The Associated Press article “Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved.” Larsen, who is an expert on epidemiology, explained that intense mask mandates will…

“J.C. Penney is reinventing itself. Again.”

Ray Wimer, professor of retail practice in the Whitman School, was quoted in the Retail Dive story “J.C. Penney is reinventing itself. Again.” Wimer, who studies retail marketing and planning, explained that J.C. Penney’s current efforts to rebrand itself may…

“Can Supermarket Design Really Impact What You Buy?”

Shelley Kohan, adjunct faculty member in the Whitman School, was interviewed for the VeryWell Mind story “Can Supermarket Design Really Impact What You Buy?” Kohan, a retail executive with 25 years of experience, explained that many grocery stores are following…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.