Collections

Federal program to promote the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) by providing matching grants to community based organizations to help them use or provide telecommunications for new opportunities, especially for unserved or under-served groups. Records include project proposals, reports, sound and video recordings relating to individual projects, websites and other digital records.

(NOTE: More information about the TOP collection, which is part of the TOP Data Archive, can be found at the following link: http://www.si.umich.edu/toparchive. Included at this website are electronic documents, web pages, and datasets created by the Technology Opportunities Program as well as related documents created by researchers and students at the University of Michigan School of Information.)

The TOP Data Archive was initiated in 2004 by the University of Michigan School of Information. In addition to TOP itself, partners include the Community Informatics Initiative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science, the Educational Development Corporation, the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research, and the U of M Special Collections Library.

The TOP Data Archive is distributed, with physical materials in the U-M Special Collections Library and electronic materials online at one or more locations. As of 2006, the electronic materials are still being processed.

This idea behind assembling this data archive was to preserve important records concerning how local communities are entering the digital age, and create a foundational dataset for the emerging field of Community Informatics. This field examines communities and information and communications technology. It emerged in the 1990s from experiments with technology in communities which have been carried out worldwide, at the grassroots level and/or by means of national and international funding initiatives.

The TOP Data Archive includes 1) information assembled in the course of a federal agency managing its projects, 2) that same information re-purposed for research use, and 3) new information brought in for research purposes. The federal agency is the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. TOP funded projects from 1994-2005, and is expected to continue managing already-funded projects into 2007.

The records in the TOP collection--that part of the TOP Data Archive which is in the holdings of the Special Collections Library--represent grant proposals submitted to TOP and project materials created by TOP and its grantee organizations, known as TOP projects, during the period of 1994-2005. The collection is not inclusive of all 606 TOP projects. TOP was able to locate and provide for the collection project documents and Audio/Visual materials for about 88 TOP projects. These were materials that the projects submitted to TOP over the years. The TOP project materials are represented by many different formats, including paper, multimedia compact discs, floppy disks, cassette tapes, and video recordings.

The records of the TOP collection are arranged into eight series: Proposals, Project Documents, Project Reporting System, Project CDs, Project Floppy Disks, Project Cassette Tapes, TOP and NTIA, and Video Recordings. Later additions may be found in Proposals, Project Documents, and Video Recordings in Box 17.

Librarian and manager of technical information services at the Institute for Defense Analysis, Arlington VA. Expert on production and dissemination of technical reports by government agencies. Active in a variety of groups including the Committee on Information Hang-ups; later joined the staff of the National Technical Information Service. The collection contains correspondence, meeting minutes, agendas, reports, notes, and articles.

The Smith Papers document the work of the COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION HANG-UPS from 1969 to 1986, related USER GROUPS from 1971 to 1981, the SHARED BIBLIOGRAPHIC INPUT EXPERIMENT from 1973 to 1981, and the DEPOSITORY LIBRARY COUNCIL TO THE PUBLIC PRINTER from 1974 to 1979. The collection contains correspondence, meeting minutes, agendas, reports, notes, and articles. Also included are IDA LIBRARY/TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICES annual reports, covering the work of Smith and her staff between 1970 and 1980, and PUBLICATIONS of the Committee on Information Hang-Ups and other user groups. The bulk of the collection dates from the time when Smith served at IDA. Very little is from after she joined NTIS.

The focus is on the work of user groups in influencing policies on the pricing and dissemination of information of Federal government agencies, especially the Defense Documentation Center, the National Technical Information Service, and the Government Printing Office. A name index to correspondence in the collection is available.

Materials relating to the work of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the 1979 and 1991 White House Conferences on Libraries and Information Services. Includes correspondence, committee files, clippings and subject files.

Originally founded as the National Microfilm Association in 1943, the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) is a nonprofit focused on establishing standards for electronic and physical information management. This collection consists of reports, newsletters, and consumer information from roughly (DATES). The collection is minimally processed, and many reports remain in their original bindings, primarily 3-ring binders. In 2018, the organization renamed itself the Association for Intelligent Information Management.

The collection offers a picture of information management systems in a period of increasing computerization and shows how business and parts of the US government studied and used information management technologies. It consists primarily of binders, marketing and informational material, and typed reports, but it also contains some A/V material.

The records of the American Society of Indexers date from the organizations early years in the late 1960s to as recent as the 2000s, and document the members of the society as well as the society’s activities. The collection is comprised of the following series: Administrative Files, Correspondence, Committees, Meetings, Events, Publications, Chapters, Awards, Other Organizations of Interest, and Multimedia.

Administrative Files (1968-2000, 4 linear feet) documents the organizational activities of ASI including constitution and bylaws, elections, financial documents, general topical files, organizational history, membership, and policies and procedures.

Correspondence (1981-2000, .5 linear feet) consists of the ASI related correspondence of the organization's elected officials, as well as inquiries from members and non members.

The Committees (1974-2006, .5 linear feet) series is comprised of papers relating to and originating from various ASI committees.

Meetings (1981-2000, 1.5 linear feet) documents the meeting materials generated by the board of directors of ASI, and including agendas and minutes. Additionally, this series contains papers relating to business meetings and special meetings held by the organization.

Events (1982-2000, .5 linear feet) consists of papers related to various events held and attended by ASI, including annual meetings and conferences, professional development workshop, and various symposia and workshops.

The Publications (1961-2000, 2.25 linear feet) series is comprised of various documents published by ASI, including newsletters and registers. This series also contains correspondence relating to the newsletter, register, and other publications, as well as reports detailing publication sales.

Chapters (1983-1997, .25 linear feet) consists of papers documenting the various chapters of ASI spread throughout the United States, as well as chapter manuals and general chapter information.

The Awards (1978-2000, .25 linear feet) series documents the various indexing awards given out by ASI, as well as related forms and criteria for selection.

Other Organizations of Interest (1972-1997, .5 linear feet) documents numerous outside organizations with which ASI is affiliated or otherwise interested in. This series includes the newsletters of a number of these organizations.

Multimedia (1970-1995, 1 linear foot) consists of items in a variety of formats created by ASI, including photographs, audio cassettes, and microfilm. The photographs and audio cassettes largely document annual conferences.

The George H. Harmon Papers, 1959-1985 consist of subject files, correspondence, product literature, press releases and newsletters, magazine clippings, and periodicals and books concerning the research and development of microfilm and corresponding companies and organizations. Subject files include material on the National Microfilm Association, particularly for the years 1969 to 1971, the International Micrographic Congress (1965-1982), the development of the FR80 computer output microfilm recorder, and work for the Western Electric Company and Information International, Inc. Principal correspondents include D.M. Avedon, O.G. Banks, L.J. Kiersky, M. Mandel, V.B. Phillips, J.R. Robertson, V.D. Tate, J.R. White, F.L. Williford, D.R. Wolf, and C.P. Yerkes.

The Harmon papers concern both his work for various employers and his N.M.A. activities. His Information International papers (1967-1973) deal primarily with the FR80 computer output microfilm recorders, while his Western Electric Company papers (1959-1967) relate to the joint Western Electric Company-Bell Telephone Laboratories Reproduction Committee.

While Harmon's N.M.A. files cover the years 1964-1984, the bulk of material dates from 1969-1971 when Harmon was an N.M.A. officer. The files concern N.M.A. board meetings, chapters, committees, conventions, and finances.

The Harmon papers also contain files of company and organization literature, periodical articles, and publications.

Lester O. Kruger was a long-time 3M employee and a leader in the micrographics industry. As an active member of the National Micrographics Association and Association for Information and Image Management, Kruger helped develop national and international micrographic standards. This collection documents Kruger's career and involvement with Filmsort/3M, NMA, and AIIM.

The Lester O. Kruger Papers are divided into 8 series: National Micrographics Association (NMA), Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), 3M, Personal, Photographs, Microforms, Printed Material, and Realia. Largely consisting of professional papers, the collection documents Kruger's work in micrographics, imaging, and standards. Included are correspondence and memoranda between colleagues, organizational correspondence and information, meeting reports and resolutions, drafts of proposed standards, presentation drafts, photographs, and microfiche. The collection contains a smaller amount of more personal material, pertaining to Kruger's career and achievements. These include: awards, plaques, a scrapbook, photographs, ephemera, and a small quantity of personal correspondence with professional colleagues. Realia related to micrography, including microfilm viewers and a medallion from an NMA conference, make up the final series in the Kruger Papers.

Documents the microfilm operations of the Filmsort Company and before and after its acquisition by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) Company, including sales information, price lists, equipment photographs, correspondence, brochures, parts lists, manuals, and newsletters.

This collection consists of two series--one concerning Filmsort both before and after its acquisition by 3M and the other relating to other aspects of 3M's involvement in microfilm work.

The Filmsort Series contains sales information, price lists, equipment photographs, correspondence, memoranda, patents, product brochures, parts lists, equipment operating and service manuals, and newsletters. The bulk of this material pre-dates the sale of Filmsort to 3M. The folder of John Favorite and Charles Hann correspondence and memoranda is a file maintained by 3M about Filmsort, but many of the other materials were originally part of the records of the Filmsort Company and were acquired by 3M along with the other assets of Filmsort in 1959.

The 3M series contains newsletters, parts and service manuals, technical notes for customer service representatives, "know how" bulletins, and a camera marketing manual. These materials concern 3M microfilm work and products not specifically identified with the Filmsort division. The bulk of this series dates from 1958 to 1968 although two folders date from 1976.

Papers of John Gantt, microfilming pioneer and head of Photoduplication at the University of Michigan Graduate Library, including reference file on products and equipment used in the microfilming and other reproduction processes.

The John Gantt papers consist of product literature, equipment brochures and manuals, reports, articles, and scattered correspondence. A small amount of material concerns the work of the Photoduplication Service, but the bulk of the collection is a reference file on products and equipment relating to microfilming and other copying processes. Included is information on developing machines, printers, enlargers, film processors, exposure controls, cameras, readers, cabinets, boxes, filters, films, microfiche, and document retrieval systems.

Some of this material is arranged by company and some by subject.

Simon "Si" Newman was a leader in indexing, information retrieval, and machine translation research. He worked for the United States Patent Office, as well as National Insurance and his own documentation and insurance companies. His papers contain his research, own notes and writings, and correspondence with others in the field of information science, communication, and documentation.

The Simon Newman papers are divided into six series: American University, Conferences, Name and Topical, Personal, the United States Patent Office, and Writings. The papers mostly contain the extensive research that Newman did on indexing, machine translation and information retrieval, but also include papers from his time working for the United States Patent Office, American University, and for his own documentation and insurance firms. Also included are Newman’s writings on different subjects, including his work at the patent office and his studies on language and computing, some personal items, graded papers from his time as a professor at American University, documents from different conferences, and both personal and professional correspondence. The grand majority of the collection is paper documents; there is one small item of realia in the form of a banner from a conference, and a set of slides from teaching a class at the patent office. The papers cover approximately from 1955 to 1985, with the bulk of dates being from the sixties.