United States government computing collection
Scope and Content Note
The U.S. Government Computing Collection contains government publications, technical reports, descriptions and manuals of computer hardware, software, systems, installations and projects. All of the documents were produced by some agency of the government, and in most cases the documents are concerned with work performed specifically by these agencies. However, some of the documents concern non-government produced items, such as a survey of industry minicomputers. Also, there are cases of joint projects between government, private industry, and universities (e.g., the Oak Ridge National Laboratory was operated by Union Carbide for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission). Other CBI collections should be consulted in the case of joint projects (see Computer Product Manuals Collection, Computer Product Literature Collection, and Academic Computing Collection).
Dates
- Creation: circa 1945-1990
Creator
- Charles Babbage Institute (Organization)
Language of Materials
English
Use of Materials:
Access to the collection is unrestricted.
Copyright:
All of the records in this collection were produced and/or published by government agencies. Questions about reproducing material in this collection should be directed to the agency responsible for producing the record(s).
Historical Note
Prompted by the wartime need for rapid, complex mathematical calculations, the United States government became heavily involved in computer research and development during World War II. Government agencies including the US Navy, the National Bureau of Standards, and NASA continued to sponsor computer research and development projects in the post-war period, many still related to military applications. Early government investment in computer technologies provided a basis for the nascent computer industry. Government agencies and the research institutions with which they collaborated generated a wide variety of reports, manuals, and other documentation.
Extent
41 boxes (40.2 cubic feet)
Abstract
The U.S. Government Computing Collection contains government publications, technical reports, descriptions and manuals of computer hardware, software, systems, installations and projects. All of the documents were produced by some agency of the government, and in most cases the documents are concerned with work performed specifically by these agencies.
Arrangement
Materials are neither alphabetical nor chronological. The box and folder list includes basic bibliographic information for each document in the collection: a document title, date of publication, and any available information about the government agency that produced the document. Researchers should use the Edit-Find feature on their browser to search the box and folder list to locate materials of interest.
Physical Location
This collection is stored off site and requires 3 days' notice for retrieval.
Acquisition:
This collection represents an accumulation of records donated to the Charles Babbage Institute from a number of sources beginning in 1983.
Subject
- Air Force Cambridge Research Center (U.S.) (Organization)
- Argonne National Laboratory (Organization)
- Air Force Avionics Laboratory. (Organization)
- David W. Taylor Model Basin. (Organization)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.) (Organization)
- Naval Ordnance Laboratory (White Oak, Md.) (Organization)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Organization)
- Rome Air Development Center (Organization)
- United States. Air Force (Organization)
- United States. Air Force. Directorate of Computers. (Organization)
- United States. Army U. S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory. (Organization)
- United States -- Data processing. (Organization)
- United States. General Services Administration (Organization)
- United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Scientific and Technical Information Division (Organization)
- United States. National Bureau of Standards (Organization)
- United States. Navy (Organization)
- United States. Office of Naval Research (Organization)
Topical
- Ada (Computer program language)
- Computer industry -- United States -- History -- Sources
- Computers -- United States -- History -- Sources.
- Data transmission systems -- United States.
- Defense Documentation Center (U.S.)
- Defense contracts -- United States.
- FORTRAN (Computer program language)
- NASTRAN (Computer program)
- Programming languages (Electronic computers)
- Title
- United States Government Computing Collection, circa 1945-1990. Finding Aid.
- Author
- Prepared by Bruce H. Bruemmer and Kevin D. Corbitt, December 1997; revised by Matthew James Buell, December 2001 and David P. Berge, July 2002.
- Date
- 2002
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Charles Babbage Institute Archives Collecting Area
Elmer L. Andersen Library
222 - 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis MN 55455
612-624-5050
cbi@umn.edu
