Making and Meanings of a Computing Reference Work

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Making and Meanings of a Computing Reference Work

Exploring the Encyclopedia of Computer Science

Literature: history and criticism Museology and heritage studies Society and culture: general Cultural studies Educational equipment and technology, computer-aided learning (CAL) History of engineering and technology Computing and Information Technology Digital and information technologies: social and ethical aspects

Authors: William Aspray, David Hemmendinger

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Collection: SpringerBriefs in History of Computing

Language: English

Published by: Springer

Published on: 12th January 2026

Format: LCP-protected ePub

ISBN: 9783032074171


Introduction

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.

Purpose

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.).

Methodology

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.

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