Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and Computation
← Back to ResourcesSMECC is a privately funded museum based in Glendale, Arizona, run by a small volunteer/archivist staff, preserving artifacts and documents related to engineering, communications, broadcasting, and computing history. Its physical location houses exhibits on topics like TTY/TDD technology, radar, telecommunications, and early computers, with limited public hours by appointment. The site hosts an extensive collection of articles, photographs, and historical documents on topics ranging from Bell Labs to Nike missile sites to early computing companies.
| Resource Type | Personal Collection, Research |
|---|---|
| Website | http://smecc.org/ |
| Physical Collection | Yes |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | US |
Computing in Japan
← Back to ResourcesA resource guide compiled by Chigusa Kita for SIGCIS (Special Interest Group for Computers, Information, and Society) listing institutions and online sources documenting the history of computing in Japan. It links to museum and archive sites such as the Information Processing Society of Japan's Virtual Computer Museum and the National Science Museum's technology database, as well as corporate history pages (NEC, Toshiba, Casio, Sharp, Fujitsu) and hobbyist/enthusiast collections on calculators, keyboards, and personal computers. Each entry includes a brief annotation describing its content and maintainer.
| Resource Type | Research |
|---|---|
| Website | https://sigcis.org/japan |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | US |
History of Computing in the UK: A Resource Guide
← Back to ResourcesThis is a bibliographic resource guide compiled by James Sumner for SIGCIS, the Special Interest Group for Computers, Information, and Society, focused on the history of computing in the United Kingdom. It organizes an annotated bibliography by topic, covering areas such as Babbage and Lovelace, Bletchley Park and GCHQ, early research computers at Manchester, Cambridge and NPL, and commercial manufacturers like Ferranti, LEO, and ICL. The guide provides critical summaries of key scholarly works to orient researchers new to the field.
| Resource Type | Research |
|---|---|
| Website | https://sigcis.org/britain |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | US |
Russian Virtual Computer Museum
← Back to ResourcesThe Russian Virtual Computer Museum is an online archive documenting the history of computing in Russia and the Soviet Union, founded by Eduard Proydakov and Leonid Teplickii and maintained with contributions from historians and translators. It hosts a computer dictionary with over 11,000 articles, a Hall of Fame profiling pioneers of Soviet computing, biographical books, and translated technical articles such as those on the SM series of minicomputers. The site is periodically updated with new articles, biographies, and links to conferences on the history of computing in the former Soviet Union.
| Resource Type | Personal Collection, Research |
|---|---|
| Website | https://computer-museum.ru/english/ |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | RU |
A digital archive hosted by Carnegie Mellon University Libraries containing the papers of Allen Newell, a founding figure in artificial intelligence and cognitive science. The collection includes publications, project reports, teaching materials, and correspondence, along with biographical information and material on his collaboration with Herbert A. Simon. It also provides scope and content notes and links to related tributes and bibliographies.
| Resource Type | Academia, Research |
|---|---|
| Website | http://diva.library.cmu.edu/Newell/ |
| Physical Collection | Yes |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | US |
Carnegie Mellon University Archives - Herbert Simon Collection
This is Carnegie Mellon University's digital archive dedicated to Herbert Simon, the Nobel laureate and AI pioneer, hosted by the CMU Libraries/University Archives. It provides full-text access to his collection of publications, reports, teaching materials, lectures, and correspondence, along with scope and content notes. The site also includes biographical information detailing Simon's collaboration with Allen Newell and their pioneering work in artificial intelligence and cognitive science.
| Resource Type | Academia, Research |
|---|---|
| Website | http://diva.library.cmu.edu/Simon/ |
| Physical Collection | Yes |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | US |
The Computer History Museum, located in Mountain View, California, is a major museum dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of computing and its impact on society. It houses extensive collections and exhibits—including the permanent 'Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing' with 19 galleries and 1,100 objects—along with timelines, blogs, podcasts, and educational activities. The museum offers in-person tours and exhibits as well as online resources, events, and public programs for a range of audiences.
| Resource Type | Public Institution, Research |
|---|---|
| Website | https://computerhistory.org/ |
| Physical Collection | Yes |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address |
1401 N Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, CA 94043 US |
The ACM History Committee is a body within the Association for Computing Machinery, founded in 1947 and the largest educational and scientific society for the computing profession, dedicated to preserving and interpreting ACM's history and its role in computing. It funds History and Archiving Fellowships supporting historical research projects and hosts events such as the Capturing Hidden ACM Heritage seminar. The site documents award winners and past fellowship proposals related to computing history research.
| Resource Type | Public Institution, Research, Professional Society |
|---|---|
| Website | https://history.acm.org/ |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | US |
Chip History Center
← Back to ResourcesChip History Center is a virtual museum of semiconductor and integrated circuit history built by TechInsights, drawing on its analyst library and industry network. It offers timelines, exhibits, a Hall of Fame, and organization profiles covering key inventions, companies, and manufacturing milestones since 2004. The site provides free access to researchers, historians, and educators, featuring videos and documentation on topics like transistor invention, fab equipment, and industry cycles.
| Resource Type | Research, Corporate |
|---|---|
| Website | https://chiphistory.org/ |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Address | US |
European Museum on Computer Science and Technology
← Back to ResourcesInternational Charity Foundation for History and Development of Computer Science and Technique (ICFCST) in Kyiv, Ukraine, featuring virtual exhibits on computing history and pioneers.
| Resource Type | Public Institution, Research |
|---|---|
| Website | https://icfcst.kiev.ua/ |
| Access Policy | public |
| Cost | Free |
| Services | European Museum on Computer Science and Technology 's website is an informational resource only. Although the website is referred to as a "European Museum," the website focuses on the Ukraine's Computer, Science, and Technological History. Users can view the website in Ukrainian, Russian, or English and alternative websites with a faster internet connection. "The European virtual computer museum represents a network of interconnected virtual computer museums. Its Ukrainian part - 'History of development of information technologies in Ukraine' (http://www.icfcst.kiev.ua/museum) is developed and maintained on a voluntary basis by employees of the Institute of Cybernetics of the National Academy of Sciencies of Ukraine named after Viktor M.Glushkov." |
| Contact | Vera Bigdan *or* Tamara Malashok |
| Address | UA |