Computer World Smithsonian Awards
name: label: Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution
label: Creator
content: Computerworld Magazine.
label: Former owner
content: National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Computers, Information and Society
topic: label: Topic
content: Computers
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Division of the History of Technology
creator: label: Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution
label: Creator
content: Computerworld Magazine.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Computer World Smithsonian Awards
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection documents an awards program established in 1989 as a partnership between Computerworld Magazine and the Smithsonian Institution. The Computer World Smithsonian Awards (CWSA) brought together the Chairmen of Chief Executive Officers of the world's foremost information technology companies with the world's leading universities, libraries and research institutions to document a revolution in progress—the global information technology revolution. The program identified men, women, organizations and institutions leading the technology revolution and asked them to contribute case studies. Collection consists of case studies which include questionnaires, essays, oral histories, conference proceedings, publications, video tapes, photographs, slides, software, and product samples about each project.
accruals: label: Accruals
content: Each year, a new case studies were added to the collection, with each year's worth of material being designated as a separate series.  Since 2001, when the Smithsonian decided to end its affiliation with the CWSA program, no further case studies or artifacts have been collected.
bioghist: label: Historical
content: Established in 1989 as a partnership between Computerworld Magazine and the Smithsonian Institution, the Computer World Smithsonian Awards (CWSA) Program brought together the Chairmen or Chief Executive Officers of the world's foremost information technology companies with the world's leading universities, libraries and research institutions to document a revolution in progress: the global information technology revolution.

The awards program was dedicated to identifying the men and women, organizations and institutions, that were leading this revolution and to recording the impact of their achievements on society.  The first awards were presented in 1991 during a ceremony at NMAH.  According to that year's press release, the CWSA awards were created to "recognize heroes of technological innovation, to demystify public perceptions of technology and to clearly identify the benefits technology brings to the lives of the general public." 

Over the course of each year, members of the Chairmen's Committee would identify those organizations whose use of information technology had been especially noteworthy for the originality of its conception, the breadth of its vision, and the significance of its benefit to society.  Those organizations were asked to contribute a case study regarding their project to the CWSA collection, which was to be housed at the Smithsonian's NMAH.  Nominated projects were sorted into ten categories and winners were selected by a panel of distinguished representatives in each specialty.  The first year's categories were: business and related services; education and academia; environment, education and agriculture; finance, insurance and real estate; government and non-profit organizations; manufacturing; media, arts and entertainment; medicine and health care; and transportation.  The categories changed slightly over the years as the process was refined.

In 2001, the Smithsonian decided to sever its affiliation with the CWSA program.  The program continued under the sole auspices of Computerworld Magazine, without any Smithsonian connection.  New case studies now "become part of the broader, worldwide collection, archived on the world wide web and also presented, in a variety of formats, to archives, museums, universities and libraries in each of the more than 40 countries on six continents represented by the award winners," according to their website (http://www.cwheroes.org/home.asp).
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 145 Cubic feet (341 document boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1989-2000
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Information, Technology and Society (now Division of Medicine and Science), May 11, 1992.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0425
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Videotapes
label: Type
content: Software
label: Type
content: Questionnaires
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Essays
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection is arranged into thirteen series.

Series 1, General

Series 2, 1989

Series, 3, 1990

Series 4, 1991

Series 5, 1992

Series 6, 1993

Series 7, 1994

Series 8, 1995

Series 9, 1996

Series 10, 1997

Series 11, 1998

Series 12, 1999

Series 13, 2000
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by NMAH Staff.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Videotapes -- 1990-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Videotapes -- 1980-1990
label: Genre/Form
content: Software
label: Genre/Form
content: Questionnaires
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1980-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews -- 1980-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Essays
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An important part of the award process was that nominees actively created the permanent record of their work, for inclusion in the permanent CWSA archives at the Smithsonian.  Strict guidelines were set up to ensure that a complete record was created. Each nomination had to be in the form of a packet of primary source materials about the project.  Nominees were instructed on the types of materials to include and were required to answer a standard questionnaire and write an essay about the significance of the project.  As a result, each case study includes a wealth of information about the project, including oral histories, conference proceedings, publications, video tapes, photographs and slides, software, examples of the product generated, and other records, as well as the standardized information required by the program.  The collection is arranged into thirteen series chronologically.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Division Information, Technology and Society (now Division of Medicine and Science) holds significant artifacts included with the nomination packets.