The Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking.[1]
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In addition to holding important historical archives, in paper and electronic form, its staff of historians and archivists conduct and publish historical and archival research that promotes the study of the history of information technology internationally. CBI also carries out and encourages research in the area and related topics (such as archival methods); to do this, it offers graduate fellowships and travel grants, organizes conferences and workshops, and participates in public programming. It also serves as an international clearinghouse of resources for the history of information technology.
Also valuable for researchers are its extensive collection of oral history interviews, nearly 400 in total. Many oral histories with important early figures in the field have been conducted by CBI staff and collaborating colleagues. Owing to the poorly documented state of many early computer developments, these oral histories are immensely valuable documents. Most of CBI's oral histories are transcribed and available online.[2]
The archival collection also contains manuscripts; records of professional associations; corporate records (including the Burroughs Corporate Records and the Control Data Corporate Records, among many others; trade publications; periodicals; manuals and product literature for older systems, photographic material (stills and moving), and a variety of other rare reference materials.
It is now a center at the University of Minnesota, and is located at its Twin Cities, Minnesota campus, where it is housed in the Elmer L. Andersen Library.
CBI has major archival research collections pertaining to these organizations:
In addition, CBI has collections of archival papers from many notable figures in computing, such as Walter L. Anderson; Isaac L. Auerbach; Charles W. Bachman; Edmund C. Berkeley; Gertrude Blanch; Wallace J. Eckert; Margaret R. Fox; George Glaser; Martin A. Goetz; Carl Hammer; Frances E. Holberton; Brian Kahin; Bryan S. Kocher; Mark P. McCahill; Daniel D. McCracken; Calvin N. Mooers; William C. Norris; Donn B. Parker; Alan J. Perlis; Robert M. Price; Claire K. Schultz; Willis H. Ware
CBI was founded in 1978 as the International Charles Babbage Society, and initially operated in Palo Alto, California.
In 1979, the American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) became a principal sponsor of the Society, which was renamed the Charles Babbage Institute.
In 1980, the Institute moved to the University of Minnesota, which contracted with the principals of the Charles Babbage Institute to sponsor and house the Institute. In 1989, CBI became an organized research unit of the University.
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