SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE LIBRARY GAZETTE Vol. XLVIII 2016 John G. Jaffe and the Beginning of the Computer Age for Libraries Marjorie M. Freeman database. John had the foresight to realize n the early 1980s a new service became that it would take grant money to finance available to libraries nationwide: these purchases since money was tight, as OCLC (the Online Computer Library usual, and such an outlay by any of the area Center), and Sweet Briar College was libraries was unlikely. The most logical idea Iquick to join in the venture. It provided was to band together Sweet Briar, Lynchburg cataloging information about books and other and Randolph-Macon Woman’s Colleges into materials and printed out catalog cards for a consortium and to seek funding for that the library’s massive card catalogs (loved and combined effort. The first grant application despised by many library users). Not only failed and one of the reasons was that we did OCLC provide catalog cards but it kept were not the first to take that direction. a computer based record of items cataloged We did not give up and filed a grant for a by its member libraries. And this made it federally funded program that would provide possible for libraries to see what other libraries a CD Rom version of the catalogs of the owned and expanded borrowing of materials three colleges. About the same time that we between libraries or interlibrary loans. John sent off the Federal grant application John Jaffe quickly saw the value not only of the suggested that we include a public and a existing services but what they were building special library in the consortium to give it John Jaffe for the future: the library’s own automated a different twist and apply once more for a catalog based on the information about SBC’s grant for a fully automated system. With that holdings that was stored on OCLC’s computer in mind I helped John and we wrote another tapes. grant application to cover a central computer, Working with other libraries in the area, terminals for all the libraries and software for John helped get a state grant to enter all library operations. Several months later information about items owned by the we were amazed to receive notification that libraries that had been acquired before the the federally funded CD Rom grant had been start of OCLC in order to have a complete awarded. And we were even more amazed computerized catalog. The state of Virginia when two days later we were informed that worked with a company known as The the Jesse Ball DuPont Foundation had also Computer Company (TCC) to compile this awarded us funding for a fully automated database. Unfortunately TCC did not have system and equipment. the expertise in communications, computer Actually the two grants worked well maintenance or programming to make this together. The first allowed us to view the the smoothest of projects. John and I both data we had previously entered and make spent many frustrating hours working with the corrections and to take time to choose company, compiling directions and manuals, software and hardware for the full system. The consulting on computer operations, setting CD Rom catalog was known as TRICOLOR up standards, etc. In the end we did manage for Tri College On Rom. Its function was to get the majority of the information about limited to being a replacement for the card the collections of Sweet Briar and Lynchburg catalog and performed no other library Colleges into machine readable format operations. And since updated CDs were only (MARC). made every two weeks it was never up to date. John G. Jaffe is on The next phase was to get our own But it gave us a taste of the future and full sabbatical and retiring computer and software that could run the automation. June 30, 2018. With the funds now available we had on library automation explaining the p.m. we starting loading their data. By to start planning for the future and the operation and standards used for a midnight we had them up and running operation of the new system. The area mixed type consortium. John was but none of their equipment could talk librarians then asked “Who will run the more involved with the equipment, to the central computer. So shortly after system?” They all looked at John and telecommunications and budgets. midnight we started rewiring all the me and said “You thought it up and And I worked with the software, plugs for the wires that were hardwired got the money so you get to run it.” trained the library staff members, to the Public Library’s terminals. The And so John and I became the System did problem solving, and designed problem was that the wires were just Administrators by default. reports. Because of our unique setup long enough to reach the back of The Jesse Ball DuPont Foundation and our participation in workshops, the the computer rack and we had to cut grant funded a fully integrated system software company, Dynix, soon asked off the existing ends and insert three that we named LION for Lynchburg us to participate in the development minuscule wires into the correct slots of Information Online Network. It of new features for the software. John new plugs. If it didn’t work you had to included Sweet Briar, Randolph-Macon and I became known as exacting cut off that plug and do it again. The Woman’s and Lynchburg Colleges, testers. On one occasion we and several computer room had a raised floor and Lynchburg Public Library and Jones other clients were invited to company the wires came up through the floor, Memorial Library. John was largely headquarters to try out some new so John and I were sitting on the floor responsible for the selection of the software. John and I were seated at with our feet through openings in the hardware and as usual thought about adjoining terminals and the company’s floor for hours making these new plugs. the future in selecting the equipment. development programmers were behind Then we would have to run around the Of course, this meant we knew very us. After a couple of minutes John and building to the actual terminals to see if little about the equipment or its I turned to each other and announced they worked. We finished at 7:30 a.m. operating system. Both John and that we had each found a bug. The and the Public Library opened on time I went to Hewlett-Packard system programmers seated behind us were and never missed a second of operation. administrator school and this is the only watching us to see which of them would Of course, John and I were expected time I have ever seen John confused. win the betting pool on how quickly we at work that day to troubleshoot any At this point in time we had not even would find a previously undiscovered problems with the new software despite seen the equipment, let alone used bug in the software. Being a test site the fact we had just worked 24 straight it. And all the other students were meant that we helped steer the direction hours. experienced H-P engineers and the of software as it was developed so that LION was just the beginning of the classes were geared to them. To say it really met our needs. It also meant we computer age for our libraries. Since that they were a difficult two weeks got the software first when it went to then we have added digital magazines would be an understatement. It was Beta testing level and with it came some and their indices, subject specialized John who supervised the setup of the headaches. But John and I both felt that databases, digital archives, and much equipment and the computer room and it was important to make contributions more. John has always made sure the worked with the engineers, telecom to the development of automation for Sweet Briar was in the forefront of installers, etc. Without his time and libraries. developments as they were released in skills we would have never gotten things As equipment evolved we switched to order to provide faculty and students working. newer, faster machines but not without with the widest variety of information. By early in the summer of 1990 a few problems. One time in particular It has been an exciting time for we had the equipment in place and was difficult because it meant rewiring librarians as we moved from the age of were ready to start on the software the connections for all the terminals in the typewritten catalog cards to the age installation. I wish I could say it was the public library. None of the libraries of the virtual library. We have really had smooth sailing but we discovered wanted to have their computers down to go way beyond what we were taught that this was the first time the library for any more than a few hours but the in our graduate library programs. How software company had ever used UNIX switch involved setting up the new John found the time to learn as much as based equipment, which is what we equipment, loading new software, he did about programming and software had. So not only were we learning but loading the database and adapting how applications, I do not know. But John so was the company we depended upon all the sites connected to the central understands the various aspects of for direction.