The Making and Meanings of a Computing Reference Work

This manuscript is about an artifact, the Encyclopedia of Computer Science (ECS). From the time that computer science was mature enough to have its own reference book until printed reference books began to be eclipsed by online products—that is, roughly the final quarter of the 20th century—ECS was the premiere reference work for this field. A second purpose of this book is to introduce with this important case study a theoretical examination of how one can study the history of a professional field through a deep examination of its reference tools (encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, yearbooks, etc.). To better understand ECS, an examination was conducted on the extensive literature about the history of encyclopedias and then used it to ask probing questions about ECS.

William Aspray is Senior Research Fellow with the Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He has formerly taught at Colorado (Boulder), Harvard, Indiana (Bloomington), Texas (Austin), and Williams in departments of mathematical sciences, history of science, or information studies. He has also held senior management positions at the Charles Babbage Institute, Computing Research Association, and the IEEE History Center. He has written on the history of computing and information, information policy, and everyday information behavior. Many years ago, he conducted an oral history interview with Anthony Ralston, the principal editor of the Encyclopedia of Computer Science.

David Hemmendinger is Associate Editor in Chief of the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing and has served as its Editor in Chief. He has taught at Antioch, CUNY, Kenyon, Ohio State, Union, and Wright State in divisions of humanities and in departments of philosophy and of computer science. He has written on philosophy, history of science, computer science, computing history, and computing education. He was a co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Computer Science and has written over 20 articles for the Encyclopaedia Britannica.