American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS)

Records, 1960-1990

 

CBI 44

 

 

COLLECTION SIZE: 10.7 cubic feet  (17 boxes)

 

CREATOR: American Federation of Information Processing Societies

 

BY: Prepared by Kevin D. Corbitt, April 1991; revised by Josh Knatterud-Hubinger, May 2002; revised by Carrie Seib, August 2002.

 

ACQUISITION: The records were given to the Charles Babbage Institute by the American Federation of Information Processing Societies in 1988, by Eddie M. Ashmore in 1991, by Howard Funk in 1991, and by Walter L. Anderson in 2002.

 

ACCESS: Access to the collection is unrestricted.

 

COPYRIGHT: CBI holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for items covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

 

PREFERRED CITATION: American Federation of Information Processing Societies Records (CBI 44), Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

 

 

Historical Note

The American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) was established on May 10, 1961, to advance and disseminate knowledge in the field of information science and to represent member societies on an international level in the newly formed International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).  The three founding societies of AFIPS were the Association for Computing Machinery, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and the Institute of Radio Engineers (the latter two eventually merged into the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers).

 

AFIPS was managed by a board of directors, originally called the "Governing Board."  Each member society had one to three directors on the board depending on the size of the society; each affiliated member had one director.  Under this board were various committees including the executive committee, the education committee, the finance committee, and the awards committee.

 

AFIPS was an outgrowth of the National Joint Computer Committee, which was established in 1951 and sponsored the Eastern and Western Joint Computer Conferences (EJCC, WJCC).  AFIPS took over major sponsorship of the semi-annual conferences beginning in 1962, and renamed them the Spring and Fall Joint Computer Conferences (SJCC, FJCC).  The conferences were merged into one annual conference and renamed the National Computer Conference (NCC) in 1973.  A conference board set the overall direction and policies of the conferences, coordinated the actions of the Conference Steering Committee and the National Computer Conference Committee, and referred problems to appropriate committees such as the finance and executive committees of AFIPS.  The conferences featured technical sessions and exhibits relating to the field of information processing.  The National Computer Conference was discontinued after 1987.

 

AFIPS also supported smaller conferences and workshops such as the Office Automation Conference (OAC), produced publications including the Annals of the History of Computing, and presented the annual Harry Goode Memorial Award to individuals of outstanding achievement in information processing.

 

AFIPS was dissolved in 1990.  The IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) continued the Goode Award, and took over publication of Annals (renamed the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing).  The IEEE-CS also joined the ACM to form the Federation on Computing in the United States (FOCUS) in 1991, to take the place of AFIPS as the United States’ representative in IFIP.  In 1999, IFIP accepted separate membership for both IEEE-CS and ACM, and FOCUS was dissolved.

 

Sources:

• Annals of the History of Computing. 8: 3 (July 1986). Special Issue: AFIPS, 1961-1986, 25th Anniversary.

• Ralston, Anthony, ed., Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Engineering, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1983, pp. 60-61.

 

 

Scope and Content Note

The American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) records document the organization’s administration and activities, and the AFIPS-sponsored Spring and Fall Joint Computer Conferences (later the National Computer Conference).  The records include budget and financial information, reports, board and committee minutes, conference materials, and publications.  A few brochures, minutes and conference materials on the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) are also included.

 

Researchers should note that these materials include official AFIPS records as well as materials from the personal papers of several organization presidents: Walter Anderson (1972-1973), Eddie Ashmore (1987), and Howard Funk (1988-1990).  For example, the majority of “Board of Directors Minutes” files include only the official minutes of the board and attachments, but some files also include notes, correspondence, and other materials gathered by Walter Anderson in his capacity as AFIPS president.

 

The materials have been grouped into seven series and arranged alphabetically.  Most materials are alphabetical within, with the exception of board of directors and conference board minutes, which are arranged chronologically.

 

Administration, 1960-1988

Contains organizational manuals, correspondence, budget and financial materials, legal documents, news releases, reports, and activity logs documenting AFIPS’ internal operations.  Records documenting the curtailment of the organization’s activities due to financial difficulties in 1987, such as the reports of executive director John Gilbert, are included.  Also included is a chronological set of “President’s Files” from Walter L. Anderson’s tenure as the organization’s president, 1972-1973, which provide good documentation of the background and reasons for the transition from the semi-annual Spring and Fall Joint Computer Conferences to the annual National Computer Conference.

 

Board of Directors Minutes, 1964-1989

Includes minutes, exhibits, and reports of the governing board, later called the board of directors.  The board delegated authority to various committees, appointed committee chairmen, made overall policy decisions, and had final authority in any action taken by AFIPS.  Also included are minutes of the 1966, 1967, and 1968 meetings of the "Federation," which seems to have been a member society group that seconded the actions of the board.

 

Committee Files, 1964-1990

Committee files include correspondence, reports, agendas, minutes and exhibits from AFIPS Board committees, including the education committee, the finance committee, and the awards committee.  The executive committee approved expenditures, negotiated on behalf of the board of directors, recommended appointments of committee chairs, and carried out other actions of the board; its activities are especially well documented, with materials covering 1964-1990.

 

Also included in the committee files are minutes, exhibits, and reports of subcommittees for the National Computer Conference Committee, a conference board committee responsible for the day-to-day planning and operation of AFIPS conferences.  These materials contain detailed plans of each conference, such as information about proposed agendas, resolution of problems with exhibit space, arrangements for speakers, and other day-to-day items.  Additional conference planning materials can be found with the “Conferences” materials and in the “Conference Board Minutes.”

 

Conference Board Minutes, 1969-1986

Includes minutes from the Joint Computer Conference Board (JCCB); its successor, the National Computer Conference Board (NCCB); and the AFIPS Conference Board (ACB).  On October 16, 1973 the JCCB, which was responsible for coordination of the Spring and Fall Joint Computer Conferences, became the NCCB when it decided to change its meeting format to an annual National Computer Conference.  On March 3, 1980, the NCCB approved the creation of an AFIPS Conference Board to oversee all conference activities not directly part of the National Computer Conference.  The ACB met in the afternoon following NCCB meetings and kept separate minutes until August 1982.  For the next two years the ACB and NCCB held joint meetings.  In 1985 the two boards again separated and each produced their own minutes.

 

Conferences, 1969-1988

Consists of conference programs and guides, brochures, planning files, reports, newspaper clippings, and publications. This series also includes brochures from the 1961 Western and Eastern Joint Computer Conferences, audience surveys, Joint Computer Conference and National Computer Conference guidelines manuals, and documentation of the dismantling of the National Computer Conference in 1987-1988.

 

IFIP Records, 1962-1989

Includes brochures and background materials for IFIP conferences and a set of minutes from the council and general assembly meetings held in 1987.

 

Publications, 1962-1986

Includes AFIPS Headquarters Newsletter and AFIPS Conference Call (newsletter), issues of AFIPS Federal and State Legislative Update, directories, meeting calendars, brochures, and AFIPS Press publications catalogs.

 

Acronyms used in this finding aid:

CSC = Conference Steering Committee

EJCC = Eastern Joint Computer Conference

FJCC = Fall Joint Computer Conference

HQ = AFIPS headquarters

IAP = Industry Advisory Panel

IFIP = International Federation of Information Processing

NCC = National Computing Conference

OAC = Office Automation Conference

SJCC = Spring Joint Computer Conference

WJCC = Western Joint Computer Conference

 

 

Related Collections

Aaron Finerman Papers (CBI 99)

Claude A.R. Kagan Papers (CBI 18)

George Glaser Papers (CBI 23)

Walter L. Anderson Papers (CBI 28)

 

 

Index Terms

Anderson, Walter L. (Walter Leonard) 1922-

Asmus, H. G.

Gilchrist, Bruce.

Tanaka, Richard I.

Joint Computer Conference.

National Computer Conference

American Federation of Information Processing Societies

Computer industry -- Awards

Computer industry -- Societies, etc.

Electronic data processing -- Awards

Electronic data processing -- Societies, etc.

 

 

Box and Folder List

 

Administration, 1960-1988

• AFIPS 25^th Anniversary
• 1986 (Box 15, folder 22)
• Annals of the History of Computing Special Issue, Vol.8 no. 3, July 1986, and related materials (Box 15, folder 19-21)
• AFIPS/Smithsonian History Project, May 1, 1971 (Box 15, folder 23)
• AFIPS/Time Study, 1971 (Box 17, folder 21)

• AFIPS Board Policy Book, Jan 19, 1985 (Box 9, folders 10-11)
• AFIPS Policy Notebook, Sept 23, 1987 (Box 9, folder 8-9)
• Ballots on NCC Dissolution and Budget, 1987-1988 (Box 9, folder 13)
• Budget materials
• 1973-1974 (Box 14, folder 1)
• 1982 and 1987 (Box 9, folder 16)

• Constitution and By-Laws, 1960, 1970-1972 (Box 13, folder 12)

• Correspondence
• Feb 1987 - Dec 1987 (Box 10, folders 7-8)
• 1988 (Box 9, folder 12; Box 10, folders 16-17)
• Correspondence with ACM, 1972 (Box 17, folder 23)
• Employee Handbook, May 1985 (Box 9, folder 18)
• Financial materials
• Audit and Taxes, 1987 (Box 9, folder 15)
• Financial Reports
• 1968-1969, 1972-1973 (Box 14, folders 2-3)
• 1970-1971 (Box 17, folder 16)
• 1987 (Box 10, folders 26-27)
• 1988 (Box 14, folder 10)
• Financial Statements
• 1985 (Box 17, folder 29)
• 1986 (Box 10, folder 25)
• Pending Financial Liabilities, 1987 (Box 10, folder 24)
• Gilbert, John
• Logs, 1987 (Box 10, folder 13)
• Reports, 1987 (Box 10, folder 4)
• Headquarters File: Legal & Insurance, Director's Log, and Personnel, 1987-1988 (Box 10, folders 9-10)
• Headquarters Standdown File, 1987 (Box 10, folders 22-23)
• Industry Advisory Panel (IAP), 1972-1973 (Box 14, folder 8)

• Meeting Notes (Eddie Ashmore), 1987-1988 (Box 9, folder 20)

• Newcomer's Guide, 1984 (Box 11, folder 13)

• News Releases
• 1971-1974 (Box 14, folder 9)
• 1980-1981 (Box 17, folder 7)
• Office Space leased by AFIPS, 1988 (Box 9, folder 17)

• Presidential Appointments, 1988 (Box 9, folder 23)
• President’s Files (Walter L. Anderson), January 1972, March 1972 - August 1973 (Box 16, folders 2-15; Box 17, folders 12-14, 17)
• President's Letters to the Board (Eddie Ashmore), 1987-1988 (Box 9, folder 21)

• Projects, 1987-1988 (Box 10, folders 5-6)
• Reports, 1988 (Box 9, folder 16)

• Volunteers' Guide, 1985-1986 (Box 9, folder 19)

• World Congress on Computing Litigation, 1987-1988 (Box 10, folder 14)

 

Board of Directors Minutes, 1964-1989

• Minutes, Oct 26, 1964 - Feb 23, 1983 (Box 1, folders 1-7; Box 12, folders 1-6; Box 17, folder 22)
• Minutes, May 21, 1983 - Nov 30, 1984 (Box 2, folder 1)
• Minutes, Mar 8, 1985 - Aug 27, 1989 (Box 9, folders 1-2; Box 16, folders 22-23)

 

Committee Files, 1964-1990

• Awards Sub-Committee, 1973-1986 (Box 15, folders 26-27)
• Education Committee, 1972-1974 (Box 16, folder 1)
• Executive Committee

• Minutes, Apr 19, 1964 - June 14, 1973 (Box 2, folders 2-8; Box 12, folders 7-15; Box 17, folder 21)
• Minutes, Oct 15, 1973 - Dec 3, 1981 (Box 3, folders 1-8)
• Minutes, Jan 25, 1982 - Nov 29, 1984, Feb 6, 1985 - Mar 17, 1990, Aug 5, 1990 - Oct 13, 1990 (Box 4, folders 1-3; Box 9, folders 3-5; Box 16, folder 21)
• Federation Operating Committee Reports, 1987 (Box 9, folder 22)
• Finance Committee, 1967-1971 (Box 15, folder 24)
• National Computer Conference Committee

• Minutes, Dec 15, 1978 - Feb 18, 1984 (Box 6, folders 1-6)
• Minutes, Apr 30, 1984 - July 14 & 15, 1985 (Box 7, folders 1-6)
• Minutes, Oct 24, 1985 - Mar 22, 1986 (Box 8, folders 1-2)
• Minutes, Dec 6, 1986 - Sept 20, 1987 (Box 9, folder 6)
• Search and Select Committee, 1972-1973 (Box 17, folder 5)
• Steering Committee, 1972 (Box 17, folder 26)
• System Improvement Committee, 1971-1972 (Box 15, folder 25)
• Verticality Task Force, 1971-1972 (Box 17, folder 11)

 

Conference Board Minutes, 1969-1986

• Minutes, Mar 19, 1969 - Sep 28, 1978 (Box 4, folders 4-8; Box 12, folders 15-16; Box 13, folder 1-4; Box 17, folder 1-2, 20)
• Minutes, Nov 30, 1978 - Oct 20, 1986 (Box 5, folders 1-7)

 

Conferences, 1969-1988

• “AFIPS Educational Kits Workshop,” May 20-23, 1971 (Box 14, folder 21)
• “AFIPS Workshop on the Influence of Programming Languages on Computer Systems Literature,” April 30-May 2, 1971 (Box 15, folder 1)
• “AFIPS Workshop on Structure and Activities,” March 5-6, 1973 (Box 14, folders 24-25)
• “AFIPS Workshop on System Improvement,” October 12-13, 1971 (Box 17, folder 3)
• “Digital Systems Viewed as Communications Media,” October 14-17, 1971 (Box 14, folder 23)
• “AFIPS Workshop Summary Meeting, Part 1: FJCC Plans,” May 19-20, 1972 (Box 14, folder 22)
• Audience Surveys
• 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1969 (Box 14, folder 14)
• 1971 Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1971 (Box 14, folder 12)
• 1971 Spring Joint Computer Conference, 1971 (Box 14, folder 11)
• 1972 Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1973 (Box 14, folder 15)
• 1973 National Computer Conference, 1973 (Box 14, folder 13)
• 1979 National Computer Conference, 1979 (Box 14, folder 16)
• Conference programs, guides and brochures
• Office Automation Conference (OAC) brochures, 1980-1981 (Box 11, folder 8)
• NCC programs, exhibit guides, and brochures, 1973-1987 (Box 15, folders 3-17)

• FJCC Attendance Promotion Brochures, 1972 (Box 17, folder 4)

• FJCC and SJCC programs and brochures, 1961-1972 (Box 13, folders 16-19)
• FJCC ’71 Invitation to Exhibit (Box 17, folder 9)
• Western and Eastern Joint Computer Conferences programs, 1961 (Box 17, folder 10)

• FJCC News Releases, 1972 (Box 14, folder 17)

• FJCC ’71 Attendance Information, (Box 17, folder 19)

• JCC Guidelines Manual
• Administrative Section, 1971 (Box 14, folders 4-5)
• Revisions to Guidelines Manual, 1971 (Box 14, folder 6)
• Technical Program Section, 1971 (Box 14, folder 7)

• Market Development Program, 1971 (Box 17, folder 18)

• National Computer Conference Guidelines Manual, 1985 (Box 9, folder 7)
• National Computer Conference Plans, July 21, 1972 (Box 17, folder 25)
• NCC ’73 (Box 14, folders 18-20)
• NCC ’73 Paper: “Charge-Back Systems,” by A.L. Torrence (Box 16, folder 26)
• NCC ’74: “E³: The Role of the Computer,” keynote address (Box 16, folder 24)
• NCC ’74 related newspaper articles (Box 16, folder 25)
• NCC ’85 Pioneer Day (Box 17, folder 6)
• NCC ’86 (Box 15, folder 18)
• NCC '87
• Correspondence, 1986-1987 (Box 10, folder 18)
• News-clippings, 1987 (Box 10, folder 20)
• Reports, 1987 (Box 10, folder 19)
• NCC '88, 1986-1988 (Box 9, folders 26-27)
• NCC Contract Negotiations, 1987 (Box 10, folder 21)
• NCC Shutdown, 1985-1988 (Box 9, folder 28; Box 10, folder 1)
• NCC and World Computer Conference Trademarks, 1988 (Box 9, folder 24)
• SJCC ’70 Final Report, 1970 (Box 17, folder 24)
• USA-Japan Computer Conference, 1972, 1978 (Box 15, folder 2)

 

IFIP Records, 1962-1989

• “12^th World Computer Congress (IFIP Congress ’92): Proposal,” January 1987 (Box 17, folder 30)
• Eleventh World Computer Congress, 1987-1989 (Box 16, folder 17)
• IFIP '89, 1984-1988 (Box 10, folders 11-12)
• IFIP Brochures and Background Materials, 1962, 1965, 1971-1974, 1980 (Box 16, folders 18-20)
• IFIP Conference Brochures, 1980-1988 (Box 10, folder 2)
• IFIP Minutes, Sept 1987 (Box 10, folder 3)
• Minutes, Five International Associations Coordinating Committee (FIACC), June 2-3, 1970 (Box 16, folder 16)
• World Computer Conference, 1988 (Box 9, folder 25)

 

Publications, 1962-1986

• “Abacus,” June 1977 (Box 13, folder 23)
• AFIPS Brochures, 1966-1986, 1988 (Box 10, folder 28, Box 13, folder 9)
• AFIPS brochures on preserving computer-related history, 1979, 1985 (Box 11, folder 1)
• AFIPS Conference Call
• Vol. 3 no. 1, October 1984 (Box 13, folder 25)
• 1985, scattered issues (Box 11, folder 2)
• AFIPS Directory, 1979-1986. [Scattered issues] (Box 11, folder 3-4)
• AFIPS Directory of Speakers on the History of Computing, 1981 (Box 11, folder 5)
• “AFIPS Pamphlet on Information Processing,” 1962 (Box 17, folder 28)
• AFIPS Press publication catalogs
• 1971-1973 and 1986 (Box 13, folder 15)
• 1980-1984 (Box 11, folder 7)
• “An AFIPS Report: The State of the Information Processing Industry,” 1966 (Box 13, folder 7)
• AFIPS Washington Report, Vol. 7 nos. 2-3, 6-8, February-August 1981 (Box 17, folder 8)
• Annals of the History of Computing brochures, 1978-1981 (Box 11, folder 9)
• “Compilation of Existing Industry Data and Statistics in the Information Processing Field for the American Federation of Information Processing Societies,” by C-E-I-R, Inc., 1966 (Box 13, folder 10)
• “Computer Careers,” 1968 (Box 13, folder 6)
• “Computer Industry Fact Sheet,” 1965 (Box 13, folder 14)
• Computer Revolution, Vol.1 no. 1, winter 1984-1985 (Box 13, folder 24)
• Conference and Meeting Calendar, 1985-1986 (Box 11, folder 10)
• “Data on Computer Related Occupations Extracted from the 1970 Census,” 1974 (Box 13, folder 28)
• Federal and State Legislative Updates
• September 1983 and October 1986 (Box 13, folder 26)
• 1984-1985, scattered issues (Box 11, folder 11)
• “Government Regulation of the Computer Industry,” October 1971 (Box 13, folder 11)
• Headquarters Newsletter, 1971-1980. [Scattered issues] (Box 11, folder 6; Box 17, folder 15)
• “Information About American Federation of Processing,” n.d (Box 17, folder 27)
• “Information Processing: The Quiet Revolution,” undated (Box 17, folder 31)
• “Information Processing in the United States: a Quantitative Summary”
• 1977 (Box 13, folder 21)
• 1985 (Box 13, folder 22)
• Information Processing Personnel Surveys, 1968 and 1971 (Box 13, folder 13)
• “Legal Aspects of Selected Issues in Telecommunications,” December 1, 1970 (Box 16, folder 27)
• Master Calendar of Information Processing Meetings, 1980. [Scattered issues] (Box 11, folder 12)
• “A National Survey of the Public’s Attitudes Towards Computers,” 1971 (Box 16, folder 28)
• “Numerical Bias in the 1970 U.S. Census Data on Computer Occupations,” 1974 (Box 13, folder 27)
• “The Social Implications of the Use of Computers Across National Boundaries,” May 1973 (Box 13, folder 20)
• “The State of the Computer Industry in the United States,” 1973 (Box 13, folder 5)
• “Twenty Years in Passing Joint Computer Conferences, Twentieth Anniversary,” 1971 (Box 13, folder 8)