Dec 2 Meeting: Perspective from Stanford’s Silicon Valley Archives

Time & Date:  6pm-8:30pm  December 2, 2014

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2900 Semiconductor Dr. Santa Clara, CA 95052

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• Leslie Berlin, Stanford’s Project Historian & Author of Bob Noyce biography
• Henry Lowood, Stanford’s Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections; Film & Media Collections

Moderator:  Alan J. Weissberger, Chair of IEEE SV Tech History Committee & IEEE Sr Life Member

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In 1984, the Stanford University Libraries started a project that was unique at the time -capturing and preserving documentation about the regional development of science, technology, and industry.  This project became the Silicon Valley Archives, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary. The Silicon Valley Archives originated with Stanford collections, such as the papers of Frederick Terman, related to the development of Silicon Valley. It soon expanded to include corporate and individual records, such as the papers of the Varian Brothers and Douglas Engelbart.In this panel session, Henry Lowood and Leslie Berlin will introduce their work as historians and archivists of the Silicon Valley, both how they have gathered documentation and how they have written about topics such as the life and times of Bob Noyce (Leslie) and digital games (Henry).  Our two distinguished panelists will engage in conversation with the moderator about Stanford’s role in preserving Silicon Valley history.In particular, questions about their work, writing, and projects will be addressed.  Here’s a sample of what we’ll cover in Stanford’s efforts to research and record the history of Silicon Valley:

• What is the process, method and procedure for doing authentic, historical technology research?
• Why did Stanford University start and continue a Silicon Valley archives collection?
• What is the Silicon Genesis Project and what videos are available?
• What is it like to research a book on Bob Noyce or other key figures and moments in the history of the Valley?
• What is the history of Stanford’s work in this area?
• What is Stanford’s objective in maintaining this archive?
• How to decide what to collect in the archives?
• What is currently in the archive and how often are artifacts added and/or deleted?
• Who uses the archives?
• How does the archiving of born-digital materials work?
• How is the staff documenting the big trends today: social, mobile, cloud, etc.
• How might IEEE SV Tech History Committee co-operate with Stanford’s Silicon Valley Archives in the future?

Come to the December 2nd IEEE SV Tech History Committee meeting to get answers to the above questions and much, much more. There will be ample time for audience Q & A after conclusion of the panel discussion.

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Panelists Biographies:

Leslie Berlin, PhD has been studying the history of innovation in Silicon Valley for nearly two decades. Leslie is Project Historian for the Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford University.  In this capacity, she works to find and preserve key papers and artifacts pertaining to the history of Silicon Valley. She also helps researchers, students, and others interested in using Stanford’s collections.   Ms. Berlin is the author of the widely acclaimed biography of Bob Noyce- The Man Behind the Microchip. She has also published numerous articles.  You can read more about her here.

Henry Lowood, PhD has been Stanford’s Curator for History of Science and Technology Collections since 1983 and also for Film & Media Studies since 2005. He has managed the Silicon Genesis project from its inception as part of Stanford’s Silicon Valley Collections. Mr Lowood has taught many university courses, is the author of dozens of publications and has contributed to numerous exhibits.   His complete CV is here.

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• 6pm-6:30pm:   Networking and light dinner ($5 donation requested)
• 6:30pm-6:35pm:  Opening Remarks & Introductions
• 6:35pm-8pm:  Panel Discussion
• 8pm-8:15pm:  Audience Q & A
• 8:15pm:  Appreciation & Adjournment
• 8:30pm:  Everyone must be out of the auditorium

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REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Click here to register  (event is over)

Video of this outstanding event is here

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Materials Presented at Nov 5th Meeting

Video of Nov 5th Meeting