Guide to the Paul R. Pierce collection of IBM materials

Title: Paul R. Pierce collection of IBM materials

Identifier/Call Number: X7021.2014

Contributing Institution: Computer History Museum

Language of Material: English

Physical Description: 36.17 Linear feet, 22 record cartons, 1 newspaper box, and 6 punched card boxes

Date (bulk): Bulk, 1955-1965

Date (inclusive): 1954-1973

Abstract: The Paul R. Pierce collection of IBM materials ranges in date from 1954 to 1973, with the bulk published between 1955 and 1965. Paul Pierce, a computer collector, gathered this documentation to accompany the physical machines that he also collected. The materials in this collection are related to the SHARE Operating System, the IBM 7090, IBM 7094, IBM 650, and IBM 709. Types of materials include technical summaries, technical newsletters, program libraries, wiring diagrams, reference manuals, parts catalogs, diagnostic test manuals, field engineering manuals, and customer engineering manuals. Additionally, there are six boxes of punched cards from the IBM 650 for programs and diagnostics.

Collection surveyed by Sydney Gulbronson Olson, 2018.

The collection is open for research.

The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the Computer History Museum's collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer History Museum.

[Identification of Item], [Date], Paul R. Pierce collection of IBM materials, Lot X7021.2014, Box [#], Computer History Museum.

Gift of Paul Pierce, 2014.

Paul R. Pierce is a computer collector who lives in Portland, Oregon. He began his collection with the Packard Bell PB-250, while attending college in Wisconsin. Initially, Pierce thought that he would collect a few minicomputers for fun and to experiment with keeping them working. Over time, he grew concerned that few large machines were being saved by museums, so he began collecting large machines, such as the IBM 1401. The goal of his collection was to preserve examples of major successful machines, as well as their complete documentation, software, and auxiliary equipment, in hopes that they could someday be restored. In 2014, Pierce donated the IBM 709, IBM 7094, IBM 650, and several other machines from his collection, as well as their accompanying documentation, to the Computer History Museum.

The Paul R. Pierce collection of IBM materials contains technical summaries, technical newsletters, program libraries, wiring diagrams, reference manuals, parts catalogs, diagnostic test manuals, field engineering manuals, and customer engineering manuals published between 1954 and 1973. There are approximately eleven linear feet of materials related to the SHARE Operating System (SOS). Most of the items are SHARE programs distributions from the IBM Applied Science Special Programs Group ranging in date from 1955 to 1967. There are also several manuals for SHARE on the IBM systems 704 and 709, as well as additional SHARE general program library publications. The collection also holds about nine linear feet of materials pertaining to the IBM 7090/7094, including programmer's guides, memos about IBSYS and IBJOB, customer engineering manuals, diagrams, student guides, and installation manuals. The majority of the IBM 7090/7094 materials are diagnostic engineering program releases. About four linear feet of the collection is made up of IBM 650 materials, such as parts catalogs, program libraries, and technical summaries of programs. In this section of the collection, there is also a small amount of Pierce's personal files and notes, which are mostly made up of technical reports filed by topic. IBM 709 materials make up the remainder of the text in the collection. The five linear feet of IBM 709 materials consist of diagnostic tests, customer engineering memoranda and manuals, and parts catalogs. There are also a number of wiring diagrams and pluggable unit diagrams for IBM 709 units, such as the 755, 738, 759, and 729. Finally, there are six boxes of punched cards from the IBM 650 for programs and diagnostics.

Physical objects, including IBM 650, 705, 709, and 7094 systems, a Bendix G-15, as well as additional hardware has been separated from the collection. To view catalog records for separated material, search the CHM catalog at http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/ .

Paul R. Pierce collection of IBM documentation, Lot X7694.2016, catalog number 102784976.