„Nie wierzę w bajki!”: Henrietta Regina Davidson Avram (1919–2006)
“I don’t believe in fairy tales!”: Henriette Regina Davidson Avram (1919–2006)

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses the life and work of Henriette Davidson Avram. Henriette Davidson Avram was a computer programmer and systems analyst who developed the MARC format/architecture, the first machine readable data standard for bibliographic and holdings information in libraries that has still been widely used up till now. The article not only chronicles the life and professional career of Henriette Avram, but also project them onto contemporary political changes of the time (Cold War), social changes (new job posi- tions for women – the programmer), economic changes (prosperity time), and the techno- logical changes (development of communications and IT technologies ) that took place in post-war America. Ms Avram’s professional career complements the Vannevar Bush’s triad model of military/government (National Security Agency) – academic world (Library of Congress) – and private sector (Datatrol). Henriette Avram developed the MARC format at the Library of Congress and strived to make it THE standard, first in the United States, then all over the world. This in fact had a revolutionising effect on the practice of librarian- ship, making it possible to automate many library functions. As a result, librarians stopped being perceived as exclusively “missionaries of books”, but rather as a professional group that belonged to the world of research information.

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