Hello All,
MSU Libraries is interested in creating a collections on the history of computing. If any of you (or your friends, family, etc.) have computer-related books that are gathering dusts and willing to donate them to the library, please contact Patrick Olson, our Special Collections librarian. Details about the request is below.
Thank you.
ranti.
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Ranti Junus
Systems/Electronic Resources Librarian
Michigan State Universty Libraries
366 W. Circle Dr., East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
+1.517.884.0878 | @ranti
From: Olson, Patrick
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 2:23 PM
To: LibStaff <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Old computer books
Good afternoon!
In the interest of preserving a representative collection on the history of computing, I’m putting out a call for some of the early computer literature that may still be floating around out there. We need to be selective, on account of both limited space and the incomprehensible number of computer books that have been published, so here are some particular interests:
· Early manuals for influential programming languages—think Fortran from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, or C manuals from the ‘70s; early manuals for significant languages that came later are certainly welcome, but I know much documentation was published on the web
· Foundational work on the Internet/World Wide Web from the ‘80s and early ‘90s, or even HTML documentation from the mid and late ‘90s
· Early manuals for influential software and operating systems—for example, DOS documentation from the ‘80s, manuals for Windows through Windows 95. And does anyone have the first Microsoft Word package (1983) lying around?
Of course, if you have some original Charles Babbage material, we’ll gladly accept that, too. J I’ve gone through the circulating collection for some of this—not yet for internet documentation—but I’d still welcome copies that are free of library markings.
If you have anything that you think might be of interest, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. And please don’t be offended if we pass on your particular computer books. It’s nothing personal, I promise! We can’t save everything, so focusing on the earliest and most influential work is a convenient place to start.
Finally, I’ll be the last to profess myself an expert on the history of computing, so other suggestions are welcome.
Thanks!
Pat
Patrick Olson
Special Collections Librarian
Michigan State University Libraries
366 West Circle Drive, W118 (6)
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-884-0821 | [log in to unmask]