What Is the Video Game History Foundation Library?

The Video Game History Foundation Library (library.gamehistory.org) is the archival library of the Video Game History Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to video game history. It houses collections of video game development materials, magazines, artwork, and ephemera, and it is explicitly described on the site as "a permanent work in progress" — not all materials are cataloged or digitized yet. Use it when you want to search archival catalog records for game-history material; use the separate Digital Archive portal when you want to access digitized items.

What the library holds

According to the library's own welcome page, its collections cover:

• Video game development materials
• Magazines
• Artwork
• Ephemera
• "and more" — the site does not enumerate every collection type

The catalog is organized around several browse entry points listed in the site navigation: Collections, Unprocessed Materials, Subjects, Names, and Classifications.

Catalog vs. Digital Archive: two different destinations

This is the most important distinction for a first-time visitor, because the library homepage is a catalog, not a document viewer.

If a search in the catalog returns a record but no files, that item may simply not be digitized yet — the site states plainly that not all materials are currently cataloged or digitized.

How to search the catalog

The homepage search supports a structured query rather than a single keyword box:

1. Choose a field — the search field selector offers Keyword, Title, Creator, Subject, Notes, and Identifier.
2. Enter your terms.
3. Set a date range if useful — "From year" and "To year" fields are available.
4. Combine conditions — an operator selector (And / Or / Not) and an "Add row" control let you build multi-term queries.
5. Run the search and review results; use the Subjects, Names, and Classifications tabs to browse instead if you don't have a specific target.

Expected result: a list of catalog records matching your terms. A record describes an archival item or collection; it does not guarantee a downloadable scan.

Check Unprocessed Materials before concluding something is missing

Because the library is a work in progress, absence from the catalog doesn't mean absence from the holdings. The site directs visitors to the Unprocessed Materials tab for "an ongoing list of upcoming additions to the catalog." If a search comes up empty, check that list before assuming the Foundation doesn't hold the material.

Practical caveats

• Coverage is incomplete by design. The library describes itself as growing, with features that "may change as our library grows." Search results should be read as a snapshot, not a complete inventory.
• Digitization is partial. Plan on catalog records for some material and digital files for others; the two live in different places.
• The site runs on ArchivesSpace (version 4.1.1 is noted in the footer), the standard archival collection-management platform, which is why the interface uses archival vocabulary like "Collections," "Classifications," and finding-aid-style records. A staff interface link is also present, but it is intended for library staff rather than public research.
• The homepage does not state access, membership, or pricing terms. Nothing in the available page content indicates whether on-site visits, reproductions, or permissions involve conditions, so confirm directly with the Foundation before planning research that depends on physical materials.

Who it is for

The library suits researchers, journalists, preservationists, and fans who need primary-source material on how games were made and documented — development documents, press and magazine runs, artwork, and promotional ephemera — and who are comfortable working with an archival catalog that is still being built out.