The collections in The Strong's Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play® reflect the multifaceted and multigenerational scope of play and support an interdisciplinary approach to the study of play. In addition to housing the personal library and papers of its preeminent namesake, the 140,000-volume research library and archives holds a full spectrum of primary and secondary sources, including scholarly works, professional journals, other periodicals, trade catalogs, children’s books, comic books, manuscripts, personal papers, business records, and more.
Also housed in the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives are the library and archival collections of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG).
Recent Acquisitions
The Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play continues to acquire a
broad range of play-related materials. Recent acquisitions include a collection of personal and business records that chronicle the 30-year career of Philip E. Orbanes who is widely recognized as the foremost authority on Monopoly and Parker Brothers; personal archival materials from noted play scholar Anthony Pellegrini that examine subjects including recess, playground behavior, rough-and-tumble play, and play and literacy; and the Fields of Play Film Series, five early 1980s documentary films by acclaimed British filmmaker Mike Dibb examining play in conjunction with learning, creativity, work, leisure, and other topics from sports to gambling and war games.
Library Collections
The library holdings of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play include scholarly works, professional journals, other periodicals, children’s books, comic books, trade catalogs, and other printed materials that illustrate and document the role of play in learning and human development and the ways in which it illuminates cultural history. Key holdings include, among others, the Association of Game and Puzzle Collectors Collection, books and collected papers written or edited by play scholars Brian Sutton-Smith and Joseph L. Frost, and the Stephen and Diane Olin Toy Catalog Collection. Learn more
Archival Collections
The archival holdings of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play include personal papers, design documents, business records, and other related materials. Key collections include the personal papers of America’s foremost play scholar Brian Sutton-Smith, materials documenting the professional career of internationally renowned early childhood educator Vivian Gussin Paley, the Gruelle Family Collection of papers and manuscripts chronicling the creation of Raggedy Ann and Andy, the personal papers of prominent board game designer Sid Sackson, and the Stan and Jan Berenstain Archive of Cartoon Art. Learn more
ICHEG Library and Archival Collections
The library and archival collections of The Strong’s ICHEG document the history and popular culture of electronic games and the electronic games industry. Included are books, periodicals, trade catalogs, strategy guides, marketing and advertising materials, personal papers, design documents, business records, and more. Key ICHEG library and archival holdings include the Prima Games Collection, consisting of every strategy guide the firm has published; more than 10,000 individual gaming magazines; and papers and records from industry luminaries Ralph H. Baer, Don Daglow, and Will Wright. Learn more
