Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

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Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Gerhard Mansbach Collection of Technology Manuals, 1963-1995, Ms2022-069, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Gerhard Mansbach Collection of Technology Manuals was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 2019.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Gerhard Mansbach Collection of Technology Manuals commenced in October 2022 and completed in November 2022.

Biographical Note

Gerhard Mansbach (Gerry) was born in Kassel, Germany, on December 5, 1928. He immigrated to New York City on November 14, 1936, during the Nazi era of Jewish persecution in Germany. Mansbach graduated from Dewitt Clinton High School in New York City before obtaining a degree from the University of Chicago. He went on to become a self-taught computer programmer in the 1960s while working with punch card systems for the Department of Public Works in Boston. There he produced a data-driven United States Commerce Department of Public Roads report, "Cape Cod Tourist Study," measuring the mid-1960s tourism impact on Cape Cod.

From 1969-1980, Mansbach was employed by the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he programmed guidance systems for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo Missions and for General Motors autobody-stamping machine robotics for Fiat S.p.A. ( Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino ).

In retirement, Mansbach created a musical brailer for the vision-impaired; a software product for fluid-inclusion studies, "Overlay Assistant," with spectrometer for Virginia Tech's Geology Department; and a biosensor monitoring software for Biological Monitoring, Incorporated (BMI) in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Content Description

The Gerhard Mansbach Collection of Technology Manuals primarily consists of technology reference and technical manuals. Most manuals in this collection were created by the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), though there are also manuals created by Borland International, Commodore International, Digitial Equipment Corporation, Government Publications, Honeywell, and Intel. Also included in the collection are materials relating to the Cape Cod Tourist Study and the Overlay Assistant project which Mansbach worked on. The collection also contains several books, most of which are about programming, as well as demo software floppy disks for the Overlay Assistant project, and software disks for Borland International and Boston Computer Society products.

Arrangement

Series I: Projects contains materials relating to projects that Gerhard Mansbach worked on. Subseries I: Overlay Assistant - Department of Geology, Virginia Tech contains materials relating to the Overlay Assistant project that Gerhard Mansbach worked on. This subseries also contains user manuals, promotional materials, a demo disk, and general correspondence relating to the project. Series II: Reference Materials contains technical manuals, software, books, and promotional brochures. Subseries I: Technical Manuals contains technical reference manuals for different pieces of technology. Sub-Subseries I: Borland International Sub-Subseries II: Commodore International Sub-Subseries III: Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) Sub-Subseries IV: Government Publications Sub-Subseries V: Intel Corporation Sub-Subseries VI: International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) Sub-Subseries VII: Motorola, Inc. Subseries II: Software contains a software package created by Borland International, eight floppy disks from the Boston Computer Society, and several other floppy disks. Subseries III: Books contains five books, most of which include information about computer programming.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Computer software industry -- United States -- History
• Science and Technology

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Gerhard Mansbach Collection of Technology Manuals by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).