How to Search the Video Game History Foundation Library Catalog and Digital Archive

Updated

To search the VGHF Library, use the catalog search on the library home page at library.gamehistory.org, choosing a field such as Keyword, Title, Creator, Subject, Notes, or Identifier, then optionally narrow by year range and combine terms with the And/Or/Not operator. For digitized materials, go to the Digital Archive portal instead, and check the Unprocessed Materials tab for items not yet cataloged. The library is a work in progress, so a missing result does not mean the material is absent from the collection.

Searching the Catalog

The catalog search sits on the library home page under "Search The Catalog." It has three parts you can combine.

1. Choose a search field. The field selector lets you target where your terms are matched:

Field Use it when
Keyword You want a broad search across the record
Title You know (or partly know) the name of a document, magazine, or item
Creator You are looking for materials by a person or company
Subject You want everything tagged with a topic
Notes You are searching descriptive text that may not appear in the title
Identifier You have a specific record or collection number

2. Set a year range (optional). Enter a "From year" and "To year" to limit results to a period. This is useful for magazine runs, development documents tied to a console generation, or artwork from a known era.

3. Combine terms with the Operator. The And/Or/Not selector controls how multiple search rows relate:

  • And narrows results — every row must match.
  • Or broadens results — any row can match.
  • Not excludes results matching that row.

Use "Add row" to add more search lines. For example, set the operator to And, search Subject for a company name, and add a year range to see only that company's materials from a given period.

Expected result: a list of catalog records matching your terms. Open a record to see its description and whether a digital version is linked.

Accessing Digital Materials

The catalog and the digital materials are separate entry points. The home page directs you to the Digital Archive portal to access and search digitized materials. If you are looking for something you can view online rather than a physical item's catalog record, start there.

A practical sequence:

  1. Search the catalog to confirm the material exists and note its identifier or collection.
  2. Open the Digital Archive portal to look for a digitized copy.
  3. If nothing is digitized, the catalog record still tells you the material is held — it may simply not be online yet.

Checking for Upcoming Additions

The library states plainly that it is a permanent work in progress: not all materials are cataloged or digitized, and features may change as the collection grows. The Unprocessed Materials tab lists upcoming additions to the catalog. Check it before concluding that a magazine, artwork, or development document is not held — it may be in the queue.

Common Stumbling Points

  • Searching only the Digital Archive for something not yet digitized. Use the catalog first to establish whether the item is held.
  • Over-narrowing with And and a tight year range. If you get no results, switch to Or or widen the years before assuming the material is missing.
  • Expecting complete coverage. The library explicitly says not all materials are cataloged or digitized, so absence from search results is not proof of absence from the collection.
  • Missing the Unprocessed Materials list. It is the intended place to see what is coming into the catalog.

The library is operated by the Video Game History Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to video game history, and holds collections of development materials, magazines, artwork, and ephemera.