Records relate to the founding and first thirty years of operation of the science museum. Includes papers of Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, who founded the museum in 1969. Record groups include administration, business and facilities; teaching and public education programs and docent training; film and multimedia productions; editorial and publishing; exhibit design, preparation, construction and graphics; and public relations and fund-raising. Materials include meeting agendas and minutes; correspondence; memoranda and reports; grants and funding proposals and final reports; exhibit proposals, construction designs and techniques, and graphics; printed publications, including books, journals, newsletters, descriptive brochures and pamphlets; publicity releases and press clippings. manuscript material appearing thoughout the archives consists of handwritten notes, notebooks, and pages with manuscript marginalia. Non-print, non-textual items include posters, photographic prints, slides, plates and transparencies; videos and sound recordings; and realia consisting of games, puzzles, and small scientific objects created by the Exploratorium staff.