OCLC Data Terminal
date: label: date made
content: 1970
label: date made
content: 1971
name: label: maker
content: Spiras Systems, Inc.
notes: label: Description
content: This device, an Irascope LTE Terminal, was chosen by the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC-now renamed the Online Computer Library Center) in 1969 for use with its online library cataloging system-the first of its kind in the United States. OCLC reviewed several candidates before selecting this terminal as best suited to library requirements.
label: Description
content: The OCLC Terminal was manufactured by Spiras Corporation of Waltham, Massachusetts. Unlike other terminals of the era, this one could display diacritics as well as both upper and lower case letters. It could produce visible images on the screen, and also perform a wide variety of editing tasks - such as cursor control, character insertion, and line control at the terminal - without needing to communicate to the host computer. Finally, up to fifteen terminals could work simultaneous on the same dedicated communication line. Effective communication was critical to the system. OCLC was not only in the forefront of on-line database development, but was also a pioneer in using American Telephone and Telegraph's computer network communication system.
label: Description
content: By 1972, increased demands on the OCLC system had made the Irascope terminal obsolete. Also, many users had reported quality control issues with the Irascope terminals. OCLC negotiated a contract with a new supplier, Beehive Medical Electronics, Inc. of Salt Lake City, to produce the new next generation terminal for their system.
label: Description
content: This specific terminal was donated by Frederick G. Kilgour, the Founder and President of the OCLC. OCLC was established in 1967 and is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Waltham
title: label: Title
content: OCLC Spiras LTE Data Terminal
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Computers
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Online Computer Library Center
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1988.0433.01
label: catalog number
content: 1988.0433.01
label: accession number
content: 1988.0433
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Microcomputer Terminal
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 in x 18 in x 30 1/4 in; 43.18 cm x 45.72 cm x 76.835 cm