Finding Aids

The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) is a trade organization for industrial designers that promotes the impact of design on business, culture, and society. The organization provides its members with education and networking opportunities. It also advocates for the profession through legal and business channels, and it helps colleges and universities set standards for their industrial design programs. IDSA recognizes and promotes achievements in the industry through an assortment of well-regarded awards, and it provides outreach and recognition to industrial design students through a variety of student scholarships and competitions. The Industrial Designers Society of America records document the organization's internal and external activities. Administrative records provide access to IDSA's organizational structure, bylaws, and policies, as well as its internal planning, advocacy activity, and membership relations. Newsletters and research reports provide insight into the industry's critical issues during a particular time period, and they also provide a review of IDSA activities. Materials from awards programs and student competitions provide images and analysis of products and spaces that were recognized for their superior design, and records and ephemera in the collection from other design organizations, design firms, and individual designers highlight important issues and trends in the industrial design field, both in the United States and around the world.

The National Industrial Conference Board, later renamed The Conference Board, formed in 1916 as a response by the business community to continued labor unrest and growing public criticism. Their records are an important source for understanding the business community's response to most political and socioeconomic issues. NOTE: The box inventory for this finding aid is not yet online, a full inventory is available onsite in the Reading Room only.

The National Industrial Distributors Association (NIDA) was a trade organization representing wholesalers of industrial supplies and hardware that attempted to address some of the problems which stemmed from their relationship with manufacturers, whom they accused of excessive price cutting and attempting to deal directly with retailers. The National Industrial Distributors Association was created in 1905 with thirty-eight members. The records briefly document the history, goals, legal issues, and governmental impact on professional associations of companies that manufacture, supply, and distribute the nation's goods and materials.