Margaret Woodbury Strong, the founder of what is now the world’s largest museum dedicated to the study and exploration of play, was herself an intriguing character. How did her life and collections lead to The Strong National Museum of Play? Archivist Julia Novakovic shares the story of the museum’s namesake through photographs, documents, and other archival materials. Learn about how Margaret’s background set the wheels in motion for what would become the world’s largest collection of toys, dolls, board games, video games, and other historic materials related to play.

Julia Novakovic is the Archivist at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, where she oversees the preservation of and access to archival collections of play scholars, toy inventors, game designers, video game companies, and other collections which explore play—including the Margaret Woodbury Strong Collection. Novakovic graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012 with her MLIS, specializing in Archives, Preservation, and Records Management. Prior to joining The Strong in 2013, she held internships at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and the University of Pittsburgh’s Nationality Rooms Program. She is also the author of the most recent issue of Rochester History: “Lifelong Fascinations: A Portrait of Margaret Woodbury Strong.”