Parsons School of Design was established in 1896 and became affiliated with The New School as the university's art and design college in 1970. New School Archives staff assembled this collection of audiovisual materials, exhibition catalogs, posters, publications, student work, and other formats from departmental transfers and personal donations by Parsons School of Design faculty, students and administrative staff beginning in 2009.

The Parsons School of Design Centenary Oral History Project consists of recorded sound interviews with twelve individuals as well as two audio monologues by the project's manager, Martica Sawin. The interviews, recorded in 1994, cover the history of different academic departments and design disciplines over the course of the twentieth century as experienced by former and then-current instructors and administrators. Recordings are all in English.